Criticism over Netanyahu visit intensifies

I agree the Israel lobby is enormous influential and supported invading Iraq, but can you source these claims? Your Wikipedia link doesn't.

A roundabout estimate is that 40% of all lobbying in the US is Israeli based.

OpenSecrets has total U.S. lobbying for 2014 at $3.2 Billion. 2012 was slightly higher $3.31 Billion.

Open Secrets has total Pro-Israel lobbying at $3,866,632. In 2012, it was $3,582,488.

That's not 40%.

Even including Pro-Israel [donations to Congress]() that figure is way off. And even including highly pro-Israel Sheldon Adelson's $90 million+ donations in 2012, 40% doesn't seem to make sense.

The AIPAC and all affiliated lobbying arms in this country are the most powerful

According to OpenSecrets, AIPAC and Pro-Israel lobbying is

Even collectively, ideology/single-issue lobbying doesn't raise the most money--

That includes ALL single-issue lobbying, and Israel is not even one of the top 10 single-issues raising political money.

The financial sector far and away raises the most money for political influence.


The IDF provided false intelligence leading to the Iraq war

What are you referring to?

(why would we go into war to chase the Taliban who we knew were on the border of Afghanistan/Pakistan?

The Taliban fled to Pakistan after the U.S. attacked. Unless you believe that AQ (hosted by the Taliban) had nothing to do with 9-11, that seems to be a pretty good reason to go after them.

And how exactly did attacking Pakistan help Israel?

/r/politics Thread Link - cnn.com