How the Pro-'Israel' Lobby Is Preparing for the Battle to Control the U.S. House of Representatives

As the 2024 congressional election cycle ramps up, the American–Israel Public Relations Committee (AIPAC) and other lobbying groups have once again begun spending millions of dollars to bash progressive lawmakers, which is a step that greatly threatens the Democrats' path to regaining the majority in the House of Representatives, in order to ensure the emergence of candidates supportive of "Israel" and to get rid of representatives famous for their support of Palestine.

On its part, The Guardian said that the Israeli lobby in the United States launched a slanderous campaign against progressive Democratic candidates who support Palestine, adding that this lobby has pumped tens of millions of dollars into these campaigns.

Jamaal Bowman, Summer Lee, Cori Bush, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Craig Caesar, Delia Ramirez, Andre Carson, Betty McCollum, Mark Buchan, Pramila Jayapal, Jonathan Jackson, and Barbara Lee. These are some of the figures, many of them minorities, who have become familiar to Palestinians in the United States, and who have also become targets of AIPAC.

The newspaper added, "AIPAC has allocated about $100 million as a budget for this campaign, which mainly targets progressive Democrats."

In total, AIPAC raised about $31.8 million from January 2023 to January 2024, according to the Federal Election Commission, while the UDP has raised about $49 million during that period.

Pro-'Israel' Groups

In 1954, AIPAC was established to represent the pressure group used by American Jews to provide support for "Israel" in all its forms, in parallel with the pressure on the U.S. administration and other institutions, which will deepen the American–Israeli alliance and prevent any other alliances that may cause harm to "Israel."

Contrary to reality and facts, AIPAC seeks to reinforce the idea that "Israel" is a state of democracy in the Middle East and is pressing for more financial support, as AIPAC works to write off the Israeli debts owed to the U.S. administration.

AIPAC doesn't allocate its support to one party over another, whether Democrats or Republicans, but rather directs its efforts to support both parties for the relationship between the United States and "Israel."

According to its website, AIPAC says that for this purpose, it includes more than 3 million Americans who support "Israel" from every congressional district.

"98% of the candidates it supported won the elections, and it helped defeat 13 candidates who would have put U.S.–Israeli relations in jeopardy," it adds.

In late 2021, AIPAC announced the formation of a political action committee, known as AIPAC PAC, and the Super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), to participate more directly in congressional campaigns.

These groups are well underway in the 2022 midterm elections, spending nearly $50 million during the election cycle.

AIPAC PAC boasts that it supported 365 pro-"Israel" candidates from both parties in 2022, while critics condemned the group's endorsement of dozens of Republicans who voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Although AIPAC endorses prominent members of both parties, its extensive work specifically targets progressive Democrats in primary campaigns.

In 2022, the UDP and the Super PAC spent $4.2 million against the former Democratic congresswoman Donna Edwards of Maryland and another $1.7 million in support of her more centrist opponent, Glenn Ivey. 

The group invested another $3.9 million in support of Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens' primary campaign against fellow Democratic incumbent Andy Levin, who faced an additional $342,000 in negative advertising from the UDP. Edwards and Levin lost their primaries.

The Israeli lobby injected more than $70 million into the November 2022 midterm congressional election cycle, in order to defeat candidates deemed pro-Palestinian or anti-"Israel," according to Americans for Justice in Palestine Action (AJP Action).

Reject AIPAC

Recently, The Intercept revealed in a report how AIPAC has become heavily involved in the Democratic Party primaries.

AIPAC is reportedly prepared to spend $100 million this election cycle and is monitoring 15 to 20 House races and polling in many of those districts. 

In contrast, progressive Democrats are resisting and building a bulwark against the pro-"Israel" lobby's attack with a new campaign to thwart AIPAC's efforts.

Last month, more than two dozen progressive organizations announced the formation of a new initiative aimed to counteract what they called the corrosive influence of the Republican donor-backed AIPAC on the Democratic primary process and government's policy toward Palestine and "Israel."

The newly formed Reject AIPAC coalition is made up of left-leaning groups, including Justice Democrats, Sunrise Movement, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Our Revolution, and Jews for Racial and Economic Justice.

In a statement to The Guardian, Reject AIPAC accused AIPAC of doing everything it can to silence growing dissent in Congress against Netanyahu's assault on Gaza despite significant calls for a ceasefire from Democratic voters.

AIPAC and other pro-"Israel" groups have already named some Democratic representatives and one Republican representative, Thomas Massie, in this year's congressional elections, and have already participated in other primaries against members of the Congressional progressive squad.

Massie is the only Republican in the House of Representatives who voted in May 2023 against a law condemning anti-Semitism.

Massie was also the only Republican who voted last October 25 against a project condemning the Hamas attack and supporting "Israel" as it defends itself against the barbaric Hamas attack (only 9 Democrats voted against it).

AIPAC PAC has endorsed George Latimer, who is running against New York congressman Jamaal Bowman, and Wesley Bell, who is trying to unseat Missouri congresswoman Cori Bush.

Bush said, in a statement, "AIPAC and major Republican donors are using the same far-right tactics to target black and brown representatives across the country."

Earlier, AIPAC described Congresswoman Bush as someone who does not care about protecting Israeli civilians, after she supported 17 colleagues who submitted a draft resolution for a ceasefire.

Meanwhile, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Summer Lee of Pennsylvania have far outspent their primary challengers.

Michigan Democrat Rashida Tlaib, a Palestinian–American whose outspoken criticism of "Israel" has drawn the ire of her political opponents, does not yet face any challenger.

AIPAC achieved some notable gains during the recent election cycle, as it ousted Michigan congressman Andy Levin in the primary against incumbent candidates, and prevented other candidates, such as Donna Edwards of Maryland and Nina Turner of Ohio, from advancing to the general election.

Politico magazine was the first to reveal the goals of the AIPAC campaign in a report published on November 22, 2023, citing a source close to the Democratic candidate.

Democratic Senate candidate Hill Harper said that American businessman Linden Nelson, a major donor to AIPAC, offered him $20 million in campaign support to run for the 12th District of Michigan against Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib.

Days later, the Democratic candidate, Nasser Baydoun, said that he had received the same offer from the same lobby and for the same purpose.