Rejecting the political and electoral sway of the nation’s most potent pro-Israel lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), prominent progressive organizations in the US are banding together. More than 20 advocacy organizations organized under the formal coalition name “Reject AIPAC” to oppose what they perceived as AIPAC’s effort to stifle the “growing dissent in Congress” about Israel’s Gaza conflict.
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The recently established alliance referenced information indicating AIPAC is preparing a $100 million campaign via its political wings, AIPAC PAC and the United Democracy Project (UDP), to challenge a few progressive members of Congress who demanded a ceasefire in Gaza at the beginning of the conflict. The group stated in a statement that “rejecting AIPAC is a crucial step in putting voters back at the center of our democracy.”
Although certain politicians and organizations have previously criticized AIPAC for their role in US political campaigns, the coalition represents a concerted effort directed towards the pro-Israel organization. Mainstream left-wing organizations that support Palestinian rights, such as the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) Action, and the IfNotNow Movement, are included in the Reject AIPAC coalition. JVP Action’s political director, Beth Miller, called the progressive groups’ display of cooperation “incredibly significant.” The coalition, she continued, is “a unified response” by the American political left to “the threat that AIPAC poses to Palestinian lives in Palestine as well as to the work that progressive groups are building here at home.”
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Officially nonpartisan, AIPAC defends US backing for Israel without conditions and retaliates against criticism of the Israeli government and its record on human rights. The group has continued to openly support Israel even as Israeli politics have shifted farther to the right. The current administration, which is leading the war in Gaza and is sometimes referred to as the most far-right cabinet in Israeli history, has continued to support Israel without reservation. Progressives in the US claim that AIPAC frequently pushes right-wing agendas at home by attacking left-wing politicians.
According to the coalition’s official statement, the anti-AIPAC coalition’s plan is to use an advertising campaign to support progressives that AIPAC has targeted, petition Congress to oppose the organization’s objectives, and urge Democrats to reject AIPAC. Therefore, Reject AIPAC is pushing policymakers to ratify a proclamation against AIPAC funding. The promise states, “For decades, AIPAC has been a hawkish, warmongering, and bullying force in US politics.”
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AIPAC has backed an unrestricted flow of US military supplies and finance to the Israeli government, which has been used to facilitate human rights atrocities against Palestinians. AIPAC works for a US foreign policy that is clearly at conflict with international humanitarian law and human rights. Known for being one of the most potent special interest organizations in Washington, AIPAC had officially refrained from participating in direct electioneering until 2022, when it established a political action committee and a corresponding “super PAC” to obstruct the election of critics of Israel.
Progressive candidates are more likely to win in Democratic primaries in liberal-leaning congressional districts, which is where AIPAC PAC and UDP concentrated their efforts. Their opponents call this strategy dishonest. They invested millions of dollars in elections around the nation, saturating the media with criticism of politicians who support Israel and frequently concentrating on unrelated domestic concerns. At the time of publication, AIPAC has not responded to a request for comment.
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In the last election season, AIPAC mostly targeted open seats; however, it now seems to be preparing to target incumbents, with prominent progressives in the House of Representatives at the center of its attention. The extreme power of AIPAC’s election expenditures, which is partially funded by right-wing billionaires who have backed conservatives like former President Donald Trump, has been criticized by progressives. In addition, the pro-Israel lobby group has supported several Republicans in Congress, many of whom declined to acknowledge President Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. Justice Democrats’ spokesman, Usamah Andrabi, stated that other coalition organizations have already been fighting AIPAC and its “right-wing influence in Congress.”
“Our aim was to unite not just to become more structured, but also to organize the Democratic Party, its supporters, and elected officials to firmly oppose the disruptive impact of AIPAC, a Republican-backed super donor, on the Democratic primary process and our government’s approach to Palestine and Israel,” stated Andrabi. Progressive Democrats have been going all out in the polls for some time. The party establishment was rocked in 2018 when 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, backed by Justice Democrats, upset a prominent House Democrat who had served for over 20 years.
