As US voter sentiment grows increasingly antagonistic towards Israel, the foremost pro-Israel lobbying group has now announced it will no longer publicly endorse political candidates nor make direct financial contributions to them.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) said on Wednesday in an email blast to supporters that as it "evaluates the political landscape and adjusts [the] approach to meet the moment", it will shift to a seemingly less visible strategy to support Republicans and Democrats who fully back Israel.
"To win the fight for the future of the country and the US-Israel alliance, we must build a more strategic, consequential, and nimble political operation," the statement said.
"We will prioritize increasing direct, organized contributions from individual Americans to candidates - expanding upon our current efforts - and maximizing the emerging political fundraising tools. Endorsements, direct PAC contributions, and earmarking will no longer be part of our approach so we can expand individual giving and utilize new tools to help our friends win."
Pacs are political action committees that are formed for the express purpose of funding election candidates.
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Aipac, as a Pac, is limited to the $5,000 cap per candidate, per election cycle.
Super Pacs, however, employ the kind of outside spending that is limitless and can tip election results one way or another.
Aipac has its own Super Pac called the United Democracy Project (UDP). It is one of the highest spenders on US elections and is a single-issue group, driven purely by pro-Israel interests.
UDP spent more than $60m trying to shape the 2024 election cycle, and it will continue to do so, given it is not considered "direct" giving. Aipac has also used "shell Pacs" in election seasons, which it later dissolves after transferring their funds to UDP.
"We believe this approach positions us to capitalize on new innovations and deliver even greater political impact to influence policy," Aipac's statement said.
"We will focus our time and resources on what is most effective - disciplined, organized giving directly to candidates by individual Americans - and on the ability to adapt quickly in an ever-changing environment."
Backlash against Israel
Three years into Israel's genocide in Gaza and the global fallout, the American right, which is normally staunchly supportive of Israel through an Evangelical Christian lens, has found itself questioning why so much money has been spent on the number one recipient of US foreign aid, Israel.
This is happening ahead of midterm elections on 3 November, as the mushrooming cost of living in the US dominates the campaign trails.
As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly pushed the US to declare war on Iran and has now succeeded in obtaining that objective, supporters of President Donald Trump have broken with him on this issue.
Some of the loudest critics of Israel are now Republicans who have supported Trump's political career since he was first elected in 2016, including talk show host Tucker Carlson, far-right commentator Nick Fuentes, and former Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Repeat polling has shown growing unfavourable views of Israel across the US public.
Among Democrats in particular, even 2028 presidential hopefuls have begun to put distance between themselves and Aipac, even as they continue to be strong supporters of Israel.
Much of this can also be attributed to the work of Aipac Tracker, a project that digs up and publishes precisely how much money each candidate has received to advocate for Israeli interests.
But Waleed Shahid, a former spokesperson for the progressive Pac Justice Democrats, said on X on Wednesday that "rejecting AIPAC money" will not mean much as a political slogan moving forward, given Aipac only directly handed out some $3m this election cycle, versus $90m that were donated by its individual members.
Palestinian rights advocates who started as underdogs but achieved unprecedented electoral success in their districts, such as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul el-Sayed, got as far as they did without any pro-Israel financial backing.
"AIPAC is now spending as much as $9 million against Abdul El-Sayed. AIPAC is why we’re at war in Iran. AIPAC is why the US has supported genocide in Gaza. We must say NO to AIPAC. YES to electing Abdul as Michigan’s next US Senator," the foremost progressive lawmaker in the Senate, Bernie Sanders, wrote on X on Thursday.
Should Sayed win on 3 November, he would not only become the first Muslim senator in the history of the US, but he would also demonstrate that leftist, popular policies that include isolating Israel can be successful in the industrial Midwest and in a swing state like Michigan.
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