Editing If Americans Knew

{{Short description|American nonprofit organization}}
{{POV|date=February 2024}}{{pp-extended|small=yes}}

[[File:Ifamericansknewlogo.png|thumb|right|200px|''If Americans Knew'' logo]]

'''If Americans Knew''' is a [[nonprofit organization]] based in [[Riverside County]] in Southern [[California]]<ref name="The Forward 2020">{{cite web |title=Was a liberal Orthodox rabbi too 'pro-Israel' to head a Berkeley seminary? |website=The Forward |date=2020-08-06 |url=https://forward.com/news/452211/was-a-liberal-orthodox-rabbi-too-pro-israel-to-head-a-berkeley-seminary/ |access-date=2022-01-07}}</ref> that focuses on the [[Israeli–Palestinian conflict]] and the [[foreign policy of the United States]] regarding the [[Middle East]], offering analysis of American media coverage of these issues. The group's website declares its aim is to provide "what every American needs to know about Israel/Palestine."<ref>[http://www.ifamericansknew.org/us_ints/ U.S. Interests and Israel/Palestine] (If Americans Knew)</ref> The site is critical of U.S. financial and military support of Israel. It has accused ''[[The New York Times]]'' and other mainstream news organizations of being biased in favour of Israel.<ref name="ifamericansknew1">{{cite web|url=http://www.ifamericansknew.org/media/nyt-report.html |title=Off the Charts - NY Times Coverage of Israeli & Palestinian Deaths |publisher=Ifamericansknew.org |access-date=2010-09-04}}</ref><ref name="ifamericansknew2">{{cite web|url=http://ifamericansknew.org/media/report_cards.html |title=Media Report Cards Grading Accuracy in News Coverage of Israel and Palestine |publisher=Ifamericansknew.org |access-date=2014-03-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.projectcensored.org/a-study-of-bias-in-the-associated-press/|title=A Study of Bias in the Associated Press - Censored Notebook, Investigative Research|date=2010-05-02|website=Project Censored|language=en-US|access-date=2016-04-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://electronicintifada.net/content/la-times-notion-relative-calm/5483|title=The LA Times' notion of "relative calm"|date=2005-02-26|website=The Electronic Intifada|language=en|access-date=2016-04-29}}</ref>{{bsn|date=February 2025}}

In addition to its founder, the freelance journalist [[Alison Weir (journalist)|Alison Weir]],<ref name="about">{{Cite web|url=https://ifamericansknew.org/about_us/whoweare.html|title=If Americans Knew - Who We Are|website=ifamericansknew.org}}</ref> board members include [[Paul Findley]], a former United States Representative and author of ''They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby'',<ref>{{Cite book|title=They Dare to Speak Out: People and Institutions Confront Israel's Lobby|last=Findley|first=Paul|date=2003-05-01|publisher=Chicago Review Press|isbn=9781556524820|edition=3rd|location=Chicago|language=en}}</ref> and [[Andrew Killgore]], a former ambassador of the United States to [[Qatar]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wrmea.org/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions.html|title=Frequently Asked Questions|website=WRMEA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.wrmea.org/andrew-i.-killgore.html|title=Andrew I. Killgore|website=WRMEA|access-date=2016-04-29}}</ref>

==Background==
According to the organization's website, founder Alison Weir traveled independently throughout the [[West Bank]] and [[Gaza Strip]] in 2001, where she found a situation she considered to be different from what was being reported by the American media. She stated that the U.S. press portrayal was significantly at odds with that reported by media throughout the rest of the world, and that American citizens were being misinformed and uninformed on what she considered one of the most significant issues affecting them today. Weir therefore founded an organization that would reflect what she considered to be a more objective viewpoint.<ref name="about" />

In addition to its information website, If Americans Knew places billboards and advertisements about U.S. financial support for Israel<ref name="Florida Politics 2016">{{cite web |title=Orlando billboard urges end to Israel financial support |website=Florida Politic |date=2016-01-04 |url=https://floridapolitics.com/archives/197575-orlando-billboard-urges-end-to-israel-financial-support/ |access-date=2021-09-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eastbaytimes.com/opinion/ci_29592655/guest-commentary-fact-10-million-per-day-israel|title=Guest commentary: The fact on $10 million per day to Israel|website=EastBayTimes.com|date=3 March 2016 |access-date=2016-04-29}}</ref><ref name="New Haven Register 2017">{{cite news |title=West Haven I-95 billboard on USS Liberty is anti-Israel, critics charge |website=New Haven Register |date=2017-07-24 |url=https://www.nhregister.com/connecticut/article/West-Haven-I-95-billboard-on-USS-Liberty-is-11331509.php |access-date=2022-01-21}}</ref> and founder Weir publishes op-eds about the topic in the ''[[Orlando Sentinel]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/os-ed-israel-aid-hurts-america-myword-021016-20160209-story.html|title=U.S. aid to Israel prevents peace|website=Orlando Sentinel|date=9 February 2016 |access-date=2016-04-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/os-ed-israel-support-overload-myword-092915-20150929-story.html|title=U.S. massive aid to Israel must stop: My Word|last=Sentinel|first=Orlando|website=OrlandoSentinel.com|date=30 September 2015 |access-date=2016-04-29}}</ref>

==Positions==
The organization's stated goal is "to inform and educate the American public on issues of major significance that are unreported, underreported, or misreported in the American media," going on to say: "It is the goal of If Americans Knew to inform the American public accurately about [Israel-Palestine]. Most of all, it is to inform Americans about our enormous, and too often invisible, personal connection to it.".<ref name="mission">{{Cite web|url=https://ifamericansknew.org/about_us/|title=Mission Statement of If Americans Knew|website=ifamericansknew.org}}</ref>

If Americans Knew holds that United States' support of Israel should be reduced on the grounds that it is not in American interest<ref name="us_ints">[http://www.ifamericansknew.org/us_ints U.S. Interests and Israel/Palestine]. Retrieved August 2011</ref> or aligned with American principles, costs American taxpayers billions, is increasingly imperiling American lives, and prevents peace.

It asserts that U.S. support of Israel has long been driven by lobbying on behalf of a foreign government, often via [[American Israel Public Affairs Committee|AIPAC]], over the objections of State Department and Pentagon experts,<ref name=history>{{Cite web|url=https://ifamericansknew.org/us_ints/history.html|title=The History of US-Israel Relations|website=ifamericansknew.org}}</ref> and in recent years by the efforts of a "growing number of individuals with close ties to Israel (known as [[neoconservatives]])" in high-level U.S. Government positions.<ref name="us_ints"/><ref>{{Citation|last=talkingsticktv|title=TalkingStickTV - Alison Weir - The Hidden History of How the U.S. Was Used to Create Israel|date=2014-08-01|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-UwcVP_k2Y |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/_-UwcVP_k2Y |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|access-date=2016-04-29}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

It believes that there is a "cover-up of appalling proportions" about Israel/Palestine in the American news media.<ref name="The Forward 2020" /> In 2005, it published a study critical of ''[[The New York Times]]'' coverage of Israeli and Palestinian deaths, and met with then ''New York Times'' Public Editor [[Daniel Okrent]] to discuss their study.<ref name="ifamericansknew1" /><ref name="WierNYT">Weir, Alison. "[http://www.ifamericansknew.org/media/nyt-misrep.html New York Times Distortion Up Close and Personal]", April 24, 2005</ref> In subsequent column Okrent mentioned the meeting but dismissed IAK's conclusions.<ref name="Okrent">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/weekinreview/the-hottest-button-how-the-times-covers-israel-and-palestine.html|title=Opinion &#124; The Hottest Button: How The Times Covers Israel and Palestine|first=Daniel|last=Okrent|work=The New York Times |date=April 24, 2005|via=NYTimes.com}}</ref>

It has drawn attention to the number of Jewish judges on the [[US Supreme Court]], writing of [[Barack Obama]]'s appointment of [[Merrick Garland]] that it is "questionable for one small group to have enormously disproportionate representation on the highest court of the land".<ref name=Tablet />

It falsely claimed the [[2020 Beirut explosion]] was caused by Israel.<ref name="Sadeghi Today 2020">{{cite web |last1=Sadeghi |first1=McKenzie |last2=Today |first2=Usa |title=Fact check: No evidence Beirut blast was an Israeli attack |website=USA Today |date=2020-08-06 |url=https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/08/06/fact-check-no-evidence-beirut-blast-israeli-attack/3297756001/ |access-date=2022-01-07}}</ref>

Executive Director Alison Weir writes that ending U.S. military aid to Israel would "help bring peace to the Middle East, build a safer world and alleviate massive misery."<ref name="saving">{{Cite web|url=https://www.gilmermirror.com/|title=Home|website=The Gilmer Mirror}}</ref> She has "accused American supporters of Israel of fomenting wars and involving the United States in them, has said that Nazi and Zionist leaders colluded during World War II, and has claimed that Israel harvests Palestinian organs."<ref name="The Times of Israel 2019">{{cite web |title=US Jewish groups pan California event featuring speaker accused of anti-Semitism |website=The Times of Israel |date=2019-09-10 |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-jewish-groups-pan-california-event-featuring-speaker-accused-of-anti-semitism/ |access-date=2022-01-07}}</ref>

==Reception==
If Americans Knew was accused of antisemitism by [[Jewish Voice for Peace]], [[U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation]] and the [[Anti-Defamation League]] (ADL).<ref name=Tablet>{{Cite web|title=Stanford Professor Recommends Anti-Semitic Hate Site to Readers, Then Kind of Takes It Back|url=https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/stanford-professor-recommends-anti-semitic-website-to-readers-then-kind-of-takes-it-back|date=2016-04-12|website=Tablet Magazine|language=en|access-date=2020-05-21}}</ref> The ADL has called If Americans Knew an "anti-Israel organization"<ref>[http://www.adl.org/main_Israel/wheels_of_justice.htm "Wheels of Justice: A Biased View of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206153630/http://www.adl.org/main_Israel/wheels_of_justice.htm |date=2007-02-06}} December 29, 2006</ref> (placing it in its "Top 10" "most influential and active anti-Israel groups" in the US in 2013<ref name="Zion 2013">{{cite web |last=Zion |first=Ilan Ben |title=Two Jewish organizations on ADL's list of 'top 10 anti-Israel groups' |website=The Times of Israel |date=2013-10-21 |url=http://www.timesofisrael.com/adl-publishes-list-of-top-10-anti-israel-groups/ |access-date=2022-01-07}}</ref>) and stated that "Weir's criticism of Israel has, at times, crossed the line into anti-Semitism." It cited Weir's use of a quotation by [[Israel Shahak]] that characterized beliefs of certain Israelis as "such a ruthless and supremacist faith."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.adl.org/Israel/anti_israel/alison_weir/anti-Semitism.asp?m_flipmode=3|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203080916/http://www.adl.org/Israel/anti_israel/alison_weir/anti-Semitism.asp?m_flipmode=3|url-status=dead|title=ADL on Alison Weir|archivedate=December 3, 2008}}</ref> Weir stated that she considered this quoted characterization as not pertaining to the mainstream of Judaism,<ref>{{cite web|author=Alison Weir Greenwich Citizen April 4, 2008 |url=http://www.ifamericansknew.org/us_ints/pg-weiroped.html |title=What Our Taxes to Israel are Funding |publisher=Ifamericansknew.org |date=2008-04-04 |access-date=2010-09-04}}</ref> and has demanded that the ADL correct what she termed "defamatory and inaccurate statements."<ref>{{cite web|last=Weir |first=Alison |url=http://alisonweir.org/journal/2009/2/13/anti-defamation-league-defames-me-my-letter-to-the-adl.html |title=Journal - Anti-Defamation League Defames Me - My Letter to the ADL |publisher=AlisonWeir.org |date=2009-02-13 |access-date=2010-09-04}}</ref>

Jewish Voice for Peace criticised IAK for arguing that America is innocent of perpetuating injustice in the Middle East, for its "tail wags the dog" approach to Israel–US relations, and its devaluing of both Jewish and Palestinian perspectives on the conflict: "according to Weir and If Americans Knew, only non-Arab, non-Muslim, non-Palestinian, and non-Jewish voices can be trusted to speak the truth, based solely on their ethnic or religious identity".<ref name="Jewish Voice for Peace 2015">{{cite web |title=Jewish Voice for Peace Statement on Our Relationship with Alison Weir |publisher=Jewish Voice for Peace |date=2015-06-15 |url=https://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2015/06/jewish-voice-for-peace-statement-on-our-relationship-with-alison-weir/ |access-date=2022-01-07}}</ref>

In 2016, it was recommended in [[Salon.com]] by [[Stanford University]] professor [[David Palumbo-Liu]] as an alternative source of information on Israel, but he withdrew the recommendation after controversy.<ref name=Tablet />

In 2006, If Americans Knew was described as "valuable" by the media monitoring organization [[Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting]] (FAIR).<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071215202806/http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=22&media_view_id=5437 FAIR, Media Views, December 1, 2006], via archive.org</ref>

==See also==
* [[Americans for Middle East Understanding|The Link]]
* [[American Palestine Public Affairs Forum]]
* [[American Task Force on Palestine]]
* [[Palestine Media Watch]]
* [[Middle East Media Research Institute]]
* [[Washington Report on Middle East Affairs]]

==References==

{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal |title=Campus Profile - Alison Weir: If Americans Knew |journal=Political Research Associates |date=2014-05-15 |url=https://www.politicalresearch.org/campus-profile-alison-weir-if-americans-knew |ref={{sfnref|Political Research Associates|2014}} |access-date=2021-09-28 |last1=Sunshine |first1=Spencer }}

==External links==
* [http://www.ifamericansknew.org/ Official website]

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[[Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States]]
[[Category:Organizations involved in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict]]
[[Category:Foreign policy political advocacy groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Media analysis organizations and websites]]
[[Category:Mass media-related controversies in the United States]]
[[Category:Arab–American relations]]
[[Category:Israel–United States relations]]
[[Category:Palestine–United States relations]]