ON Wednesday, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) made an unusual announcement. The organisation would no longer endorse or make direct contributions to candidates running in US elections. This marks the end of a practice that AIPAC began in 2021 (its lobbying started in the ‘50s).

This does not mean that the Israel lobby will stop trying to influence US elections. AIPAC will continue mobilising individual donors. However, the announcement is an acknowledgement of the growing difficulties associated with overt affiliation with the lobby and the pro-Israel agenda. The genocide in Gaza and the war in Iran have created a situation where many Americans are questioning their country’s support for Israel and the resources devoted to it. Democratic candidates have challenged US involvement in the Middle East and the $3.8 billion in annual assistance Washington provides Israel.

No campaign has illustrated this with greater clarity than that of Dr Abdul El-Sayed, who is running for the US Senate seat in Michigan. In the Democratic primary, AIPAC spent $30 million backing El-Sayed’s opponent, Haley Stevens. Other political action committees also spent heavily on her campaign. In contrast, El-Sayed spent only $3.2m,........

© Dawn