Following a successful protest in 2011 titled ‘Move Over AIPAC,’ over 100 groups across the country are preparing to launch another protest against the Israeli lobbying organization in March in a plan to capitalize on the momentum of the ‘Occupy’ movement across the United States. 

scenes from last year’s ‘Move Over AIPAC’ event which drew hundreds of demonstrators from various backgrounds against the Pro-Israel lobby’s annual policy conference. Many activists believe AIPAC has too strong of an influence on U.S. policy against the country’s best interests

Groups from across the political and religious spectrum are expected to meet in Washington, D.C. from March 2-6 for ‘Occupy AIPAC,’ a counter-protest against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual policy conference, which many believe has too strong of an influence on U.S. political and foreign policy-related decisions, especially in the Middle East. 

Among the groups participating along with over 100 others in the effort are secular groups like the large anti-war group Code Pink, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, and religious groups including Jewish Voice for Peace, American Muslims for Palestine, and the Friends of Sabeel organization which provides an American voice for Palestinian Christians. 

Friends of Sabeel Detroit Chapter Chairman and national Steering Committee member George Khoury said that it is important for activists and groups to challenge the AIPAC narrative, lobbying and influence on issues in order to preserve an American government acting in its country’s best interests.

“To be honest with you, (we must protest) the influence of AIPAC on our supposedly free government, their influence is increasing ever year,” Khoury said. 

“(President Barack) Obama has been slapped four times by the Israelis because of AIPAC, and then you look at the Congress, the Senate and the House, who stood up 29 times for (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and gave him a standing ovation…This is not really a free democracy, it is a government that is for sale like an auction, this is a cheap way to influence a government,” he said, referring to the influence of AIPAC lobbyists.

Khoury is among those concerned that AIPAC is leading the United States government and military to act in the interests of Israel in the Middle East over the interests of the United States through military aid and other massive financial contributions. 

The call for such an event was also influenced by the magazine Adbusters which initially helped launch the Wall Street takeover by the Occupy movement in September. The magazine stated: “The time has come for the Occupy Movement to demand an end to the Occupation of Palestine.” 

Also planned for the event are educational panels on Iran, Palestine, the Arab Spring and the Occupy Movement and the screening of the upcoming film “Roadmap to Apartheid.” 

And to counteract the one-sided views Congresspeople and their staffs will receive from AIPAC over the weekend and first two weekdays of the organization’s conference, the Occupy AIPAC teams will also schedule meetings of their own to provide more balanced views on various key issues. 

Last year, about 500 people attended the Move On AIPAC event and Code Pink coordinator and co-founder Medea Benjamin is expecting an even stronger showing this year.

“Last year we had a very successful event, and those who attended found it so useful so this time we felt it was high time we start showing some visible opposition to AIPAC,” she said. 

Benjamin said that the push from AIPAC for a direct military confrontation with Iran would be “absolutely catastrophic” and not in the best interests of the United States in particular. The issue will be among those highlighted by protesters at “Occupy AIPAC.” 

“We want to show members of Congress that AIPAC is not the only game in town, AIPAC has lots of money and they’re well organized, and they manipulate the Democratic process through lobbyists but they don’t represent the views of what the majority of Americans think, it’s downright un-American,”  Benjamin, a Jewish American, said, noting the $3 billion-plus given to Israel in military aid despite the American financial crisis at home. She also said that all Republican candidates in the mainstream except Ron Paul have changed their policies on Israel so far as the election race has heated up, to be more in favor of Israeli interests and support. 

“It promotes the interests of the Israeli government above the interests of the American people.” 

Benjamin said she’s looking forward to the event and said she wanted to send the message that what’s being done in Israel against the occupied Palestinians in the name of her religion does not sit well with her. She also said she was excited about the large interfaith component of the movement and the event and said that hotel and other housing accommodations are being worked on, and that she would love to see a large Detroit, Arab and Muslim American presence of both groups and individuals at “Occupy AIPAC” in the first week of March.

For more info on the four-day event, visit www.occupyaipac.org.