Two prominent African American members of Congress lost their primary bids for re-election in 2002. Their defeats were widely attributed to the influence of
AIPAC, the largest pro-Israel lobby group in Washington, which was angered by positions they had taken in support of Palestinian human rights. Issam Nashashibi, in this contribution to
EI, writes that while the
US and Arab press continue to mythologize
AIPAC’s power and invincibility, the lobby’s influence is often exaggerated. This, he argues, means that there are good prospects for Arab Americans to play a bigger role in shaping debate and policy in
US politics.