Israeli-backed group pushes pro-Israel model laws in US state legislatures
A report claims a new Israeli-government-backed nonprofit is quietly pushing pro-Israel legislation into US state governments, framed here as a foreign influence operation that should alarm Americans.
- Drop Site News, using documents obtained under Florida's public records law, says a new group called the State Legislator Israel Caucus is spreading model pro-Israel bills to lawmakers nationwide.
- The group is set up as a nonprofit charity, which lets it avoid registering as a foreign agent and keep its funding and activities hidden.
- It claims 75 lawmakers from 35 states have joined, with an option to stay anonymous, and its launch was reportedly paid for directly by the Israeli government.
- The bills include anti-boycott measures that can strip government contracts from anyone who criticizes Israel, plus watchlists targeting Muslim groups like CAIR.
- The push moves to states partly because backers already feel they control federal politics, and because state politicians can be groomed into national ones.
Outlook: Expect more of these state-level bills and fights over free speech, with mainstream media largely ignoring the story.