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US: AIPAC: Israel

The Intercept reported on how the American Israel Public Affairs Committee delivered a series of donations worth $95,000 to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson in the days after he passed $14 billion in military aid for Israel in November.

Meanwhile, AIPAC plans to spend upward of $100 million to oust progressive Democratic members of Congress who have dared challenge Israel’s brutal bombardment of Gaza.

It’s all part of a yearslong effort to purge any Democrat who dares question Israeli policy from Congress, while elevating the most radical right-wing pro-Israel Republicans.

And with 30,000 Palestinians dead and Israel readying a brutal ground assault in Rafah, it’s more important than ever for The Intercept to keep digging to expose AIPAC’s lobbying activity and how the organization leverages its deep pockets to make sure the U.S. continues funding Israel’s brutal war in Gaza.

There’s no way to fully understand why the U.S. keeps pouring guns and money into Israel’s barbaric war on Gaza without closely scrutinizing the activities and spending of AIPAC. However, far too many mainstream news outlets ignore the group’s influence — or worse, dismiss any criticism of pro-Israel groups as antisemitic.

AIPAC doesn’t just regularly shower large donations on members of Congress who carry their water; it also funds congressional junkets to Israel through its sister organization the American Israel Education Foundation. These delegations have become well known on Capitol Hill as a kind of rite of passage for newly elected members.

And in recent years, the lobbying group has made it a top priority to defeat progressive pro-Palestinian members of Congress. During the 2022 midterms, an AIPAC-affiliated super PAC was the No. 1 outside spender in the entire Democratic primary process, and it successfully ousted Michigan Rep. Andy Levin. Now, AIPAC is pledging to spend $100 million to defeat progressives including Jamaal Bowman and Summer Lee.

This is why the Biden administration continues to shovel bombs, guns, and other military aid to Israel, even as public opposition to Israel’s war grows and Democratic political analysts warn that Biden’s blank-check support for Israel could well cost him reelection.

The Intercept is committed to continue reporting on the ghastly atrocities unfolding in Gaza, as well as the powerful pro-Israel lobbying groups helping keep U.S. arms and money flowing to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

—The Intercept’s email of 04 March 2024


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