I have always maintained that within the US there exist Americans whose first and foremost loyalty is not to their country but to Israel. It is a loyalty usually well-disguised. Their bonds are forged either through religious affiliation to the Jewish faith or a strong determination to let Zionism — a modern day apartheid philosophy — succeed in the Occupied Territories.

These Americans pose a grave danger to the country whose passport they hold as quite often the strategic interests of the US are in conflict with those of Israel. Through powerful lobby groups and well-connected personalities, they somehow make the Israeli agenda the most significant one when it comes to US foreign policy. They back it up with massive donations to key government figures and with a highly polished PR spin for their favoured candidates through many of their own media outlets. These statements are not just whimsical charges, as more and more released data indicates the extent of Israeli intrusion into highly sensitive US intelligence matters and how US foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, has been craftily manipulated in favour of Israel.

Examples abound of such transgressions, but it is important to understand that for each one discovered or brought to light, thousands more remain hidden and out of sight. Jonathan Pollard, a Jewish-American working as an intelligence analyst for the US government, passed on highly sensitive and top-secret US intelligence data to Israel over a prolonged period before he was ultimately caught and convicted of espionage. His treason to his country earned him a life sentence, which has been fought by Israeli and American sympathisers since the sentencing.

In another instance, a Jewish-American film producer finally admitted what had been suspected for decades. He had helped the Israeli spy agency Mossad use his companies to make weapons-related purchases. In a 2013 disclosure, producer Arnon Milchan — whose films include Fight Club, Pretty Woman and L.A. Confidential — disclosed that “I did it for my country and I’m proud of it”.

According to the report, Israeli spy officials used bank accounts set up by Milchan to make weapons-related purchases around the world, like uranium from the apartheid state of South Africa when it was under intense international criticism and sanctions because of its apartheid system, as well as nuclear triggers and weaponry, including helicopters and missiles. He also went on a public relations spree in favour of the country when the whole world had shunned the apartheid state for its discriminative policies towards its native population. He also recruited film director Sidney Pollack, another Jewish-American whose films included Tootsie and Out of Africa, as “my partner in export in aerospace, planes, all kinds of things, with licence”. With the Israelis using them as a front for their clandestine and shady deals, Arnon Milchan claims he felt like a spy when he “convinced a German engineer to let me photograph plans for a nuclear facility”, and then passed on those photographs to the Israelis.

His highly dubious activities were eventually discovered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which had been closely monitoring the movement of nuclear triggers to Israel. Charges were brought against him but under intense pressure, Ronald Reagan, the then US president, quickly dropped them and Milchan avoided an indictment for his acts of treason.

In a more recent event, the CEO of Sony Corporation stated that the Middle East was a “gigantic mess”, and had it not been for Israel in the region, the US should “let them all kill each other”. This disclosure was made through hacked emails of Sony Pictures Entertainment that were published by WikiLeaks, a non-profit international organisation, which publishes verifiable secret information, news leaks and “classified media from anonymous sources”.

Michael Lynton, the Sony CEO, who is an American Jew but also carries German and UK passports, is another closet Israeli booster. Responding to a relative’s private email on a Washington Post report on US President Barack Obama’s foreign policy in Syria, the hacked Lynton reply was, “Let them all kill each other! Face it, the entire thing is a gigantic mess and if it were not for Israel, we would let them all kill each other and wait for the dust to settle. We don’t need the oil and I am not sure it is worth the time or effort to try and broker the nations at the edge. It’s a dog’s breakfast, plain and simple” ...

Other emails sent by Lynton indicate a vigorous and active participation by him in social and professional events concerning pro-Israeli policy. He helped manipulate the medium under his control towards a biased stance favouring Israel, and also used his connections as CEO of Sony Entertainment to “wide political influence and promote his pro-Israeli beliefs”.

While there are many Jewish Americans whose loyalty is unquestionably towards their country, it is the suspect action of those individuals I have mentioned and many more whose identities remain buried that has proved to be disastrous for a balanced US foreign policy in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, the Israelis have blatantly and illegally annexed more Arab Palestinian areas in occupied East Jerusalem and have approved the construction of 900 more units for Jewish colonists in spite of United Nations resolutions that dictate otherwise — a move that is somewhat obscured by the regional conflicts currently on the table.

 Tariq A. Al Maeena is a Saudi socio-political commentator. He lives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.