The Sunlight Foundations, Open Secrets, MISP, and POGO compiled a list detailing the total amount of dollars spent by each country to lobby government officials. The chart below uses the latest data from that list (2013) for every country spending more than $1,000,000.
The United Arab Emirates is first with $14 million, followed by Germany ($12 mil.) and Canada ($11mil.). Israel is not on the chart because it is next to last ($1,250).
Some of you may be thinking, "nice trick Jeff what about AIPAC? (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee). "If one includes AIPAC, then other groups such as the American Iranian Friendship Council must be included. So asking about AIPAC is making demands of the Israel numbers that aren't being made of other countries.
But I will bite anyway. According to Open Secrets, AIPAC spent $2,977,744 in lobbying in 2013, when the $1,250 is added it brings Israel's total to $2,978,994 which puts Israel in eight place between South Korea and the Republic of Srpska.
Even when AIPAC spending is included Israel's lobbying dollars is only 21% of what the UAE spends, about a quarter of Germany's spending, 26.5% of Canada's, 26.8% of the Saudi's, 48.6% of Mexico's and about three-quarters of both Morocco and South Korea's lobbying spending.
So next time you hear an anti-Semite complain about that "powerful Israel, or Jewish, or neocon lobby" tell them worry about the Seven lobbies spending much more than that of the Jewish State.
No comments:
Post a Comment