How the pro-Israel lobby influences US policy during Gaza war | Stephen Walt | Real Talk

“The relationship with Israel is in a different league entirely” In light of Israel’s multi-front war in the region, including Gaza, Lebanon and the escalation with Iran, how can we understand the US-Israel ‘special relationship’? And where does the pro-Israel lobby in the US fit inside this framework? That’s what we’re asking Harvard professor Stephen Walt, who joined us for an extended conversation on Real Talk. Walt is considered one of the most influential US foreign policy experts. In 2007, he famously co-authored a book with John Mearsheimer titled ‘The Israel Lobby and US foreign policy’ which generated a lot of attention and controversy for challenging what has been a taboo topic in the US for decades. Real Talk is a Middle East Eye interview programme hosted by Mohamed Hashem. Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction 01:15 Israel and killing of Sinwar 06:16 Special relationship between Israel & US 11:47 The Lobby and Gaza war 13:46 War against US interests? 15:55 Biden’s outdated view of Israel 18:10 Arab public opinion 24:43 Biden’s political calculation 25:53 America’s hypocrisy in Gaza 30:29 What if Israel lost 1967 war? 31:37 America’s disconnect from Middle East 36:24 Are we back to a Bush-era type thinking? 39:16 The Lobby & attacking Iran 42:08 Does American public opinion matter? 47:26 Obama’s tenure and the Lobby 50:25 AIPAC & US elections 55:20 Future of US-Israel relationship Subscribe to our channel: Subscribe to MEE Telegram channel to stay up to date: Middle East Eye Website: Follow us on TikTok: @middleeasteye Follow us on Instagram: Like us on Facebook: Follow us on Twitter: