Editing AIPAC (section)

==Political Action Committee==
Until 2021 AIPAC did not raise funds for political candidates itself, but its members raise money for candidates through [[political action committee]]s unaffiliated with AIPAC and by other means.<ref name=bruck/> In late 2021, AIPAC formed its own political action committee. It also announced plans for a [[Super PAC]], which can spend money on behalf of candidates.<ref name="FECPacDatabase">{{cite web |url=https://docquery.fec.gov/cgi-bin/fecimg/?C00797670 |title=American Israel Public Affairs Committee Political Action Committee |publisher=Federal Election Commission |access-date=2022-03-08}}</ref><ref name="TOE-2021-12-16">{{Cite news |last=Kampeas |first=Ron  |date=December 16, 2021 |title=After 70 years on the sidelines, AIPAC will now officially fundraise for politicians |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-70-years-on-the-sidelines-aipac-will-now-officially-fundraise-for-politicians/ |access-date=2022-03-08 |work=[[The Times of Israel]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="JPost-2021-12-21">{{Cite news |first=Omri |last=Nahmias |date=December 21, 2021 |title=What's behind the AIPAC strategy shift? |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-689406 |access-date=2022-03-08 |work=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="HaYom-2021-12-19">{{Cite news |title=AIPAC joins political finance arena with launch of 2 PACs |date=December 19, 2021 |first=Dimitriy |last=Shapiro |url=https://www.israelhayom.com/2021/12/19/aipac-joins-political-campaign-finance-arena-with-launch-of-2-pacs/ |work=[[Israel Hayom]] |access-date=2022-03-08}}</ref> In a letter explaining the move, Betsy Berns Korn, AIPAC president, said: "The DC political environment has been undergoing profound change. Hyperpartisanship, high congressional turnover and the exponential growth in the cost of campaigns now dominate the landscape."<ref name="HaYom-2021-12-19"/> Dov Waxman, director of the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies, said: "Although for decades AIPAC has had informal ties with pro-Israel PACs, it has always refrained from forming its own PAC." He added: "I think its decision to establish its own PAC and super PAC is based on the recognition that campaign funding is a crucial means of exerting political influence in Congress, and that AIPAC now needs this tool in order to maintain its influence in Congress."<ref name="JPost-2021-12-21"/>

Former AIPAC executive director [[Tom Dine]] and legislative director Douglas Bloomfield criticized the move, saying it could call the organization's neutrality into question.<ref name="Haaretz-2022-01-10">{{Cite news |first=Ben |last=Samuels |date=January 10, 2022 |title=Former AIPAC Officials Warn Against Organization's New Political Moves |language=en |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium.HIGHLIGHT-former-aipac-officials-warn-against-organization-s-new-political-moves-1.10527931 |access-date=2022-03-08}}</ref>

In March 2022, the PAC released its first endorsements of 130 candidates for the House of Representatives and the Senate.<ref name="AIPACFeaturedCandidates">{{Cite web |title=America's Pro-Israel PAC, First Wave of Candidates, March 2022 |url=https://www.aipacpac.org/featured-candidates |access-date=2022-03-08 |website=AIPAC PAC |language=en-US |archive-date=March 14, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314194004/https://www.aipacpac.org/featured-candidates |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=March 3, 2022 |title=AIPAC PAC release first slate of endorsements |url=https://www.jns.org/aipac-pac-release-first-slate-of-endorsements/ |access-date=2022-03-08 |work=Jewish News Syndicate |language=en-US}}</ref> The list included 37 Congresspersons of the [[Sedition Caucus]] who had voted to overturn the 2020 election of Joe Biden.<ref name="Haaretz-2022-03-06">{{Cite news |first=Ben |last=Samuels |date=March 6, 2022 |title=AIPAC's Endorsement List: Dozens of Republicans Who Deny Biden's Election Win |language=en |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.HIGHLIGHT-aipac-s-endorsement-list-dozens-of-republicans-who-deny-biden-s-election-win-1.10655357 |work=[[Haaretz]] |access-date=2022-03-08}}</ref> The endorsement drew criticism from a variety of sources. Former U.S. ambassador to Israel [[Daniel C. Kurtzer]] said it was "very disappointing that AIPAC has turned a blind eye to the damage that these people have done to our democracy. Their support of Israel cannot ever trump that damage." Conservative pro-Israel columnist [[Jennifer Rubin (columnist)|Jennifer Rubin]] called it "truly horrifying".<ref name="Haaretz-2022-03-08">{{Cite news |first=Ben |last=Samuels |date=March 8, 2022  |title='Truly Horrifying': AIPAC Criticized for Endorsing GOP 'Election Deniers' |language=en |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/us-news/.premium.HIGHLIGHT-truly-horrifying-aipac-criticized-for-endorsing-gop-election-deniers-1.10660547 |access-date=2022-03-08}}</ref>

AIPAC's push into the political campaign support comes amid the erosion of bipartisan support for Israel in the US, with opinion polls showing growing criticism for the state among younger Democrats, including American Jews, the breaking of the taboo on comparisons between Israel's treatment of Palestinians and apartheid South Africa, and rising support for the Boycott, Sanctions and Divest (BDS) movement.<ref name=McG170522/>

===United Democracy Project spending===

In May 2022, it was also revealed that AIPAC has been spending millions, channeled through surrogate group, the United Democracy Project (UDP), which makes no mention of its creation by AIPAC, to defeat progressive Democrats and particularly female candidates who might potentially align with "[[The Squad (United States Congress)|the Squad]]" of progressive Congress members made up of [[Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez]], [[Ilhan Omar]] and [[Rashida Tlaib]].<ref name=McG170522>{{cite news |title=Pro-Israel lobbying group Aipac secretly pouring millions into defeating progressive Democrats |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/may/17/pro-israel-lobby-defeat-democrats-palestinians-2022 |first=Chris |last=McGreal |author-link=Chris McGreal |date=17 May 2022 |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref>

The UDP spent $2.3m in opposition to [[Summer Lee]] in the Pennsylvania Democratic congressional primary race in Pennsylvania. Lee has supported setting conditions for US aid to Israel and accused the country of atrocities in Gaza, comparing Israeli actions to the treatment of young black men in the U.S.<ref name=McG170522/> The UDP also spent $2m in a North Carolina senate primary to support the incumbent Valeria Foushee against [[Nida Allam]], the first Muslim American woman to hold elected office in North Carolina and the political director for the 2016 presidential campaign of [[Bernie Sanders]]. Both candidates are endorsed by the squad.<ref name=McG170522/> UDP spent an estimated $280,000 to support incumbent [[Ohio's 11th congressional district|Ohio's 11th Congressional District]] incumbent [[Shontel Brown]] over her primary challenger, progressive [[Nina Turner]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Progressive Champion Nina Turner Falls to Establishment Incumbent Shontel Brown |url=https://www.commondreams.org/news/2022/05/04/progressive-champion-nina-turner-falls-establishment-incumbent-shontel-brown |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=www.commondreams.org |language=en |quote=[Vermont Sen. Bernie] Sanders tweeted earlier this week. "AIPAC and their billionaire friends are spending some $10 million to defeat Nina Turner, Summer Lee, Nida Allam, and Jessica Cisneros.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=Apr 27, 2022 |title=Pro-Israel groups wade into Dem primary fights |url=https://www.axios.com/2022/04/28/pro-israel-groups-2022-midterms-primaries |work=Axios |quote=United Democracy Project has reported spending more than $1.4 million on ads in four House races in Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Ohio... United Democracy Project is spending against former Bernie Sanders campaign leader Nina Turner in her rematch against Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio).}}</ref>

The UDP spent a further $1.2m to help the Democratic congressman for Texas, [[Henry Cuellar]], face off a challenge from [[Jessica Cisneros]], a 28-year-old immigration lawyer also endorsed by the Squad.<ref name=McG170522/> After [[Amnesty International]] and [[Human Rights Watch]] released a report accusing Israel of imposing apartheid, Cuellar said "[t]hese inaccuracies incite antisemitic behavior" and decried what he called "dangerous effects of falsified name-calling."<ref name=McG170522/><ref>{{Cite news |date=June 6, 2022 |last=Klein |first=Zivka |title="Calling Israel 'apartheid' is plain antisemitic" - VP of European Parliament |url=https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-710863 |access-date=2024-02-15 |work=The Jerusalem Post |language=en-US}}</ref>

AIPAC veteran Darius Jones founded the "National Black Empowerment Fund" (NBEAF), which contributed money to defeat pro-Palestinian black candidates like [[Jamaal Bowman]],<ref>{{cite news |title=Jamaal Bowman finds himself in the crosshairs of a Black voter group |url=https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/30/jamaal-bowman-black-voter-group-00160630 |publisher=POLITICO}}</ref> and [[Cori Bush]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Cheeseman |first1=Abbie |last2=Sotomayor |first2=Marianna |title=Pro-Israel interests pour millions into defeating a second 'Squad' member |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/08/05/israel-house-election-cori-bush-aipac/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=5 August 2024}}</ref> NBEAF is led by Richard St. Paul, a member of AIPAC's National Council. Some black organizations argue NBEAF advocates for Israel, not black people.<ref>{{cite news |last1=JONES |first1=DAMON K. |title=WBPC responds to NBEAF: 'You can't speak for Black people in CD 16 when you have done No Work for Black people in CD16 |url=https://blackwestchester.com/wbpc-responds-to-nbeaf-you-cant-speak-for-black-people-in-cd-16-when-you-have-done-no-work-for-black-people-in-cd16/ |work=Black Westchester |date=4 June 2024}}</ref>

[[J Street]] spokesperson Logan Bayroff, has called AIPAC "a Republican front organisation", a fact that he said they are obfuscating while "trying to persuade Democratic voters who they should support". He added: "The United Democracy Project sounds innocuous ... but the reason that they’re aligning with certain candidates is because they are more aligned with their more hawkish positions on Israel".<ref name=McG170522/>

In mid-March 2024, with reports of AIPAC and UDP planning to spend $100M to primary incumbent progressive House Democrats, opponents formed the [https://www.rejectaipac.org/ Reject AIPAC coalition] "to protect democracy & Palestinian rights".<ref>{{Cite news |last=Herman |first=Alice |date=2024-03-11 |title=Progressive campaign launched to counter Aipac's influence in US politics |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/11/reject-aipac-progressive-coalition |access-date=2024-03-15 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dayen |first=David |date=2024-03-11 |title=Progressive Groups Form Counterweight to AIPAC's Electoral Push |url=https://prospect.org/api/content/59dda322-ddb2-11ee-92af-12163087a831/ |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=The American Prospect |language=en-us}}</ref> Founding members include: [[Democratic Socialists of America|Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)]], [[Gen-Z for Change]], [[IfNotNow]], [[Justice Democrats]], [[National Iranian American Council]], [[Our Revolution]], Progressive Democrats of America (PDA), [[RootsAction]], [[Sunrise Movement]], [[Working Families Party]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harb |first=Ali |title='Reject AIPAC': US progressives join forces against pro-Israel lobby group |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/11/reject-aipac-us-progressives-join-forces-against-pro-israel-lobby-group |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Groups Form 'Reject AIPAC' Coalition to Fight Israel Lobby's Attacks on Progressives |url=https://www.commondreams.org/news/reject-aipac |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=www.commondreams.org |language=en}}</ref>