There has been growing criticism of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the powerful pro-Israel lobbying operation that is spending record amounts to unseat elected officials who criticize the Israeli government’s war against Palestinians and who are also some of the strongest congressional advocates for workers’ rights and racial and climate justice.

AIPAC’s political efforts operate through different PACs and Super PACs, such as AIPAC PAC, Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) PAC, and the United Democracy Project (UDP) super PAC. According to the investigative news outlet Sludge, AIPAC has spent more than more than $100 million on federal elections during the current cycle, which makes it the fifth-highest PAC spender in the cycle.

AIPAC spent “record-shattering” amounts in Democratic primaries this year to defeat two Black progressive congressmembers, Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Cori Bush (D-MO). According to Sludge, AIPAC spent nearly $12 million to defeat Bush and over $17 million to defeat Bowman. In 2022, AIPAC also spent around $4 million to defeat progressive Jewish congress member Andy Levin (D-MI).

AIPAC’s electoral interventions have a chilling effect on U.S. politics, making it much riskier for elected representatives to criticize U.S. support........

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