Rehabilitating a Cratering Image: Israeli Influence in America
Israel’s influence in Washington should be at its zenith. Pro-Israel PACs and Super PACs have raised $160 million ahead of the 2026 midterms, which has already been used to primary critics of Israel such as Thomas Massie (R-Ky.). Meanwhile, the Israeli government more than quadrupled its public diplomacy “hasbara” budget to upwards of $750 million, much of which is being spent on new avenues of influence such as artificial intelligence and mass texting campaigns inside the U.S.
Yet Americans across the political spectrum — young people, Republicans, evangelicals — continue to break with Israel in response to military campaigns in Gaza, Iran, and Lebanon. Has the U.S.-Israel relationship reached a tipping point that could cause a genuine reset in the relationship, or can these influence campaigns succeed in swinging the pendulum back in Israel’s favor?”
To answer this question and more, join Eli Clifton, senior advisor at the Quincy Institute and co-author of the forthcoming book Israel’s Lobby, and Dahlia Scheindlin, a policy fellow at the Century Foundation and author of The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel. Nick Cleveland-Stout, research associate at the Quincy Institute, will moderate.
The conversation will take place on Wednesday, August 5th from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET.
Panelists
Eli Clifton
Eli Clifton is cofounder and senior advisor at the Quincy Institute. An investigative journalist, he focuses on money in politics and U.S. foreign policy. He previously reported for the American Independent News Network, ThinkProgress, and Inter Press Service, and is coauthor of the Center for American Progress report “Fear Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America.” Clifton has been a fellow at The Nation Institute and Type Media Center. His work has appeared in or on PBS/Frontline’s Tehran Bureau, The Intercept, The Guardian, the South China Morning Post, Right Web, LobeLog, Salon, HuffPost, The Daily Beast, Slate, Gawker, and ForeignPolicy.com. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Bates College and a master’s degree in international political economy from the London School of Economics.
Dahlia Scheindlin
Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin is a public opinion researcher and a political advisor who has worked on nine national campaigns in Israel and in 15 other countries. She is currently a policy fellow at The Century Foundation, and she has co-hosted the Election Overdose podcast at Haaretz. She is the author of “The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel: Promise Unfulfilled”, published in September 2023. She is also a senior analyst at Haaretz newspaper.
Nick Cleveland-Stout
Nick Cleveland-Stout is a research associate in the Democratizing Foreign Policy program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. He investigates foreign influence, think tank funding, and war profiteering. Previously, he conducted research on US-Brazil relations as a Fulbright fellow at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. Nick is also a former Marcellus Policy Fellow with the John Quincy Adams Society, where he authored “The Case for a ‘Green BRAC.’” His work has appeared in Responsible Statecraft, The Nation, The Intercept, The Brazilian Report, Drop Site, and The Hill. Nick earned his Bachelor’s degree from Colorado College, where he studied political science.