As the death toll in Gaza rises, the peace lobby struggles for influence in Washington

When the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the most influential pro-Israel group in the United States, wants to use its power, it can draw on its considerable resources to run negative ads against lawmakers who oppose its agenda and pour money in financing a challenger. .

When the Friends Committee for National Legislation, a Quaker group pushing for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, wants to get its message across, the Middle Eastern lobbyist turns to tactics like playing guitar with schoolchildren in the occupied West Jordan Bank and video sharing. reports about their fears with members of Congress on Capitol Hill.

Taking on the many forces that support Israel is a challenge for any group. But the clash is especially striking when it comes to the Friends Committee, whose anti-war positions align with much of the Democratic Party's left but run counter to the Biden administration's policies in the wake of the Hamas terror attack and face stiff opposition from the Democratic Party. right.

AIPAC, founded about seventy years ago to advance Israel's interests in the US, is a juggernaut. Last year, the nonprofit reported more than $73 million in turnover. Last month, the Political Action Committee, which backs candidates who embrace its policy priorities, reported record fundraising — boosting a $40 million war chest that could be spent on defeating political opponents in Washington. It has the ear of congressional leaders in both parties.

Founded during World War II, the Friends Committee is part of what amounts to Washington's peace lobby. There is no political action committee. It is being reported on $3 million in annual turnover. The lobbying approach involves looking for “the divine in the people we meet,” said Sarah Freeman-Woolpert, deputy director of strategic advocacy for the Quaker group, in a video.

The group has hung a banner that reads “Ceasefire Now!” in English, Arabic and Hebrew on the facade of the Second Street office, across from the Hart Senate office building on Capitol Hill.

“We are clearly overloaded, but I think the saving grace is that our ideas are simply more popular,” said Hassan El-Tayyab, the Friends Committee's Middle East legislative director.

“So our currency is people power and getting voters to lobby their members in Congress,” he said. “And that has a big impact. And you can't necessarily buy that public support.”

But while polls show US support for Israeli tactics in Gaza declining as civilian casualties there increase, groups like the Committee of Friends and its coalition of more than 80 like-minded groups, including American Muslims for Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace and the Episcopal Church, are struggling to gain traction for their message in Washington.

As Congress struggles to provide more aid to Israel, the Friends Committee and its political allies are calling for an immediate ceasefire, more humanitarian aid for Gazans, continued funding for the U.N. aid group UNRWA, and a clear assessment of Israel's human rights record.

AIPAC, which is backing dozens of Democrats and Republicans for re-election this cycle, is well known — and feared — in Washington. “Members of both parties were concerned about overstepping the American Israel Public Affairs Committee,” former President Barack Obama wrote in his 2020 memoir, echoing a refrain heard by lawmakers today.

AIPAC recently ran sharp ads highlighting some lawmakers' refusal to condemn the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas. She plans to challenge establishment parties like Reps. Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota, and Jamaal Bowman, Democrat of New York, whose positions on Israel and the Palestinians she disagrees with.

The peace groups are largely focused on increasing their influence among left-wing Democrats — but hope to win over more moderates along the way.

In late October, Mr. El-Tayyab presented Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, in signing a letter advocating a ceasefire. Weeks later, she was one of 20 members of Congress who sent a message letter to the White House and State Department urging a rapid de-escalation of the Israeli offensive in Gaza and a ceasefire. Since then, the number of members calling for a ceasefire has grown to 68 tracker administered by the Working Families party and Congress announcements – included An of Representative Chrissy Houlahan, Democrat of Pennsylvania, released on Thursday.

More recently, the Friends Committee and other peace and faith groups have urged support for a resolution introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, to investigate Israel's human rights record before providing the additional defense funding which is now under discussion. The measure was defeated by the Senate last month with only 11 supporters, almost exclusively Democrats. (The only Republican on board was Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.)

“They're all, I think, very mobilized voices and they've had an impact,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, Democrat of California. called after initially balking at a ceasefire in November. “They've had voters connect with different members of Congress, they've organized a lot of rallies in districts, they've done a lot on social media, they've created a lot of awareness.”

Mr Khanna said he and his staff meet with groups like the Friends Committee “all the time”.

The Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, has been lobbying in England since its founding in the 17th century, said Jordan Landes, a Quaker historian at Swarthmore College. The Quaker lobby focuses on a handful of themes, known as “testimonials,” including peace, equality and stewardship, Ms. Landes said.

The Committee of Friends was founded in 1943, during the Second World War. It focuses on policy goals such as alleviating child poverty and ensuring financing to help combat the effects of climate change. It also promotes peace around the world, not just in Gaza.

Mr. El-Tayyab is a self-described agnostic who grew up in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and was a musician in a roots rock band called American Nomad before becoming a lobbyist (he still plays gigs regularly). His work on Middle East policy recently took him to Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah, where he and other peace advocates met with religious and political leaders.

In Ramallah he played guitar and sang “I want a truce now” for students at a local Quaker school assembly. He comforted some who were troubled by the war and its impact on them and their family members, promising to “relay those conversations to Congress when I return.”

He also met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas while in the West Bank. Over cigarettes and tea, Mr. Abbas thanked Mr. El-Tayyab and his other visitors for their work in lobbying for a ceasefire, according to two people who were there.

A December New York Times/Siena poll found that 44 percent of respondents believed Israel should halt its military campaign in Gaza, while 39 percent believed Israel should continue (18 percent of respondents knew did not or refused to answer). a January survey from the AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research showed that 50 percent of adults surveyed believed the war had “gone too far,” while 46 percent said the war had gone “about right” or “not far enough '. While Gaza's Health Ministry reports that more than 28,000 Palestinians have been killed, Mr. El-Tayyab and his fellow peace lobbyists are calling for a ceasefire, not just on moral but also on practical grounds.

“This is not sustainable,” said Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon, executive director of Churches for Middle East Peace, the group that convened the recent meeting with Mr. Abbas. “It is not sustainable for Palestine, for the Israelis. Even if Gaza is rebuilt, this cannot continue, and that is why I think this is a major concern.”