Why the U.S. Can’t Say No to Israel — AIPAC Explained

“I spoke with [Antony] Blinken and [Jake] Sullivan and [Joe] Biden, trying to tell them what the actual situation in Israel was like. But they’re socialized psychologically not to even be able to include in their agenda of possibilities what the realities are there.”

Why is the U.S. incapable of standing up to Israel? Who benefits most from the U.S.-Israel relationship? And is AIPAC’s influence in Washington starting to crack?

With AIPAC-backed candidates heading into this year’s midterm elections with massive financial backing but facing tougher races, Mehdi speaks with the authors of the new book, Israel’s Lobby: America in the Grip of a Foreign Power, about the changing power of the pro-Israel lobby.

Co-authors Eli Clifton and Ian Lustick join Mehdi to discuss AIPAC, why Washington struggles to say no to Israel, and whether the Israel lobby’s influence is finally beginning to wane.

Clifton argues that AIPAC’s silence is revealing, calling Israel a “toxic” issue for the lobby. He also notes that pro-Israel super PACs could raise and spend as much as a quarter of a billion dollars this election cycle. But money isn’t everything. Lustick details his attempts to convince Blinken, Sullivan, and Biden to confront the reality of Israel’s policies.

In the conversation — Mehdi, Clifton and Lustick also discuss how U.S. policy helped pave the way for the “extreme right-wing rogue state” Israel is today, whether AIPAC’s influence can be challenged, and what it would take to change the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Buy a copy of Clifton and Lustick’s book, ‘Israel’s LobbyAmerica in the Grip of a Foreign Power’ here

This interview published on August 11, 2026 at zeteo.com. If you want early, exclusive access to this kind of independent, unfiltered journalism subscribe to our Substack here

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