Congressman Jerrold Nadler today released the following statement regarding "The Israel Lobby," an article written recently by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, and published by Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government:

"The recent article published by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt is little more than a repackaging of old conspiracy theories, historical revisionism, and a distorted understanding of U.S. strategic interests. It masquerades as realpolitik, and claims legitimacy under the imprimatur of the authors’ association with two respected academic institutions.

While declaiming any ‘conspiracy of the sort depicted in tracts like the Protocols of the Elders of Zion,’ Mearsheimer and Walt seem to find Jewish conspirators under every bed, and controlling every major American institution, including government, the media, finance, and academia – and dragging this country into a war in Iraq.

The reasons for America’s support for Israel are no mystery, and require no conspiracy for explanation. Israel is our only democratic and reliable ally in an extremely volatile and strategically important region. It is in our nation’s best interests to maintain that alliance. Every President since Harry Truman has reached the same conclusion, and it has remained our national policy since 1948. Mearsheimer and Walt assert that less than 3 percent of the population has coerced this nation into policies not in its interests for more than a half century. That is simply preposterous."