'Jewish lobby' has disproportionate power in the US

Rasa - Speaking about the so-called Russia probe in the United States, British politician Nigel Farage suggests that Israel exerts too much influence in the US by referring to some "foreign lobbies" that are "very powerful" despite the small number of Jews in the country.

News ID: 434536

Date: 03 November 2017 - 07:19

RNA - "There are about six million Jewish people living in America, so as a percentage it’s quite small, but in terms of influence it's quite big," Farage said on his LBC show on Tuesday.

Despite that, he argued, no one blames the Israeli regime of meddling in the 2016 presidential election, an accusation facing Moscow.

"They have a voice within American politics, as indeed do the Hindu groups and many other groups in America. But I don’t think anybody is suggesting that the Israeli government tried to affect the result of the American elections.”

The former leader of the right-wing UK Independence Party spoke of the “strong voice” the Tel Aviv regime possesses in response to a caller’s question.

"In terms of money and influence yes they are a very powerful lobby," he noted. "There are other very powerful foreign lobbies in the United States of America and the Jewish lobby with its link to the Israeli government is one of those strong voices."

A close ally of US President Donald Trump, Farage appeared alongside him on the campaign trail and attended presidential debates to show support for the New York billionaire, while Trump responded by extolling his efforts for Brexit.

Hailed as a “great friend to the Jewish people” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump has mended ties with Israel that had gone sour under former President Barack Obama, in part due to his resolve to participate in nuclear negotiations with Tehran, which yielded a nuclear deal not welcomed by US regional allies, namely Israel and Saudi Arabia.

On the 2016 campaign trail, the real estate mogul vowed to move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem al-Quds, a move indicating that Washington recognizes the city as the capital of Israel.

847/940