After decades of<\/u> avoiding direct involvement in electoral politics, the country\u2019s flagship Israel lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, formed a pair of political action committees in recent years and has been spending millions on political races. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Its targets have been progressives<\/a>, with AIPAC becoming heavily involved in Democratic primaries<\/a>. In addition to recruiting candidates<\/a> to challenge incumbent Democrats, the group plans to spend at least $100 million<\/a> on 2024 races.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n Now, progressives are fighting back, building a bulwark against the pro-Israel lobby onslaught with a new campaign to reject AIPAC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A group of 25 progressive organizations \u2014 including Justice Democrats, the Working Families Party, the IfNotNow Movement, and Jewish Voice for Peace \u2014 launched the Reject AIPAC coalition Monday. The coalition plans to organize against AIPAC across electoral, political, and digital arenas. One facet of the plan calls for a seven-figure electoral spending campaign to defend members of Congress being targeted by AIPAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n In a press release announcing its launch, the coalition said it would work to \u201corganize Democratic voters and elected officials to reject the destructive influence of the Republican megadonor-backed AIPAC on the Democratic primary process and our government\u2019s policy towards Palestine and Israel.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Financed by AIPAC\u2019s major donors<\/a>, including Republican billionaires<\/a> and key GOP funders, the 2021 launch of the Israel lobby\u2019s new super PAC<\/a> was readymade to outspend progressives. AIPAC and its allies<\/a> have reshaped the electoral field in key primaries, shifted the balance of power in Congress, and imposed costly consequences for criticism of U.S. support for Israel\u2019s human rights abuses. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Washington debate around the Israeli\u2013Palestinian conflict has become particularly fraught amid Israel\u2019s relentless assault on the Gaza Strip. Even as the International Court of Justice ruled that a case against Israel for genocide<\/a> should proceed, progressive members of Congress have been attacked for using the term \u2014 or, early on in the war, just for calling for a ceasefire.<\/p>\n\n\n