Mehdi Hasan's Zeteo has a new documentary out on AIPAC, asking whether the "Israel lobby" is really an agent of a foreign power. A shadowy, fabulously rich network pulling Washington's strings: it's one of the most enduring antisemitic tropes of our age. So I did Mehdi a favour and checked the numbers. Over the past decade, Israel ranked tenth for registered foreign lobbying spending, behind China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE and even the Marshall Islands. AIPAC came 191st among Washington's lobbies. The entire pro-Israel lobbying category spent less than gun-rights groups, and a fraction of what the drug companies spend. Elections? AIPAC's super PAC spends serious money. But it competes in a system where outside groups have poured in nearly $2 billion this cycle, and six organisations have each spent over $60 million. Strangely, Zeteo seems far less curious about Riyadh, Beijing or Doha. The truth about the Israel lobby. Link to my new column here 👇 jakewallissimons.com