Biden State Department nominee claimed Israel controls American politics, says Jews have dual loyalty

President Joe Biden's nominee to serve as Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, Uzra Zeya, has a history of publishing conspiracy theories about Jews and Israel, Washington Free Beacon reports.

Zeya, who formerly worked for the Washington Reporter on Middle East Affairs, compiled research for the book Stealth PACs: How Israel's American Lobby Took Control of U.S. Middle East Policy, which the book credits her for.

The book makes a number of controversial claims, including that "the Israel lobby has subverted the American political process to take control of US Middle East policy" through the use of "dirty money" to bribe American politicians.

One section of the book, "Jewish Power in the Formulation of US Middle East Policy," argues that Jews are told by pro-Israel lobby groups how to vote in advance. "Congressmen must assume that individual Jewish donors will be informed in advance as to exactly where each local and national candidate stands on Israel, and that on Election Day Jewish voters will be willing to cast their own votes on that issue alone," the book writes.

American Jews have consistently voted majority Democratic in every election since 1920 regardless of whether the Republican candidate took a more pro-Israel stance than their Democratic opponent. Despite unprecedentedly pro-Israel policies pursued by the administration of Donald Trump, a mere 22 percent voted for him in the 2020 election, down from 26 percent in 2016.

Nevertheless, the book claims that "non-Jewish Americans increasingly perceive their Jewish fellow citizens as members of a single-issue voting bloc which, at best, divides its loyalties between an increasingly exploitative Israel, and an increasingly exploited United States."

"The inevitable public perception is that such ardent supporters of Israel have no real interest in making the United States a better place for all of its citizens, but only in making Israel a more secure and prosperous place for Jews."

The outlet has also published a piece opposing funding to Holocaust museums, as well as pieces speculating that Mossad may have been behind 9/11 and the assassination of former President John F. Kennedy.

It has also insinuated on multiple occasions that Jews have dual loyalty to Israel. Jews conduct themselves "as if they were part of that nation and thus in possession of two national identities," according to one article published by the Washington Reporter.

"Through their tremendous outpouring of financial and political support and their inordinate influence over the media, so many Jewish Americans indicate that they are moved, if not compelled, by this almost involuntary duality."

The trope that Jews have dual loyalty to Israel and the country they live in is often considered to be antisemitic and has been invoked against Jewish people since Roman times to justify suspicion of them.

The revelations from Zeya's past could prove to be a stumbling block in her nomination to the State Department position. Pro-Israel lawmakers would likely be hesitant to nominate someone with such a record to a top diplomatic role, as it could undermine America's close relationship with Israel.

Her positions also contradict the public positions held by President Biden. Biden has long taken pro-Israel stances on foreign policy issues.