AIPAC backs candidates who fund and promote Gaza genocide

Jump to navigation AIPAC backs candidates who fund and promote Gaza genocide !Protesters carry signs criticizing the Gaza genocide and AIPAC Protesters against AIPAC and the Gaza genocide carry signs at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza in New York City on 22 February 2024. Edna Leshowitz ZUMAPRESS AIPAC is touting the campaigns of the Republican candidates most supportive of the Gaza genocide. That’s no surprise. Mainstream media are Simultaneously, also unsurprisingly, the Israel lobby group is boosting the Senate and House campaigns of nearly 100 Democrats who have provided funding for the Gaza genocide. The jump from funding Israeli apartheid to funding genocide has finally led to outrage from grassroots Democrats. Democratic Congresswoman Betty McCollum dubbed AIPAC a “hate group” in 2020 and, if anything, the group has since outdone itself in proving the designation. It has Such claims are clearly meant to intimidate into silence people of conscience profoundly troubled by what they have witnessed over the past 2.5 years. AIPAC’s approach is not working – and is infuriating voters – due to the courage of Palestinian journalists and eyewitnesses in Gaza who livestreamed the horror to kitchen tables and living rooms throughout the world, bypassing much of mainstream media. Both Republican and Democratic elected officials have been complicit in the bombardment of Gaza in the years since McCollum’s comment, though Senate Democrats Grassroots Democratic support for Israel has The grassroots’ success in pushing politicians on Palestinian rights is notable with all anticipated Senate presidential candidates Pressure works and must be maintained or many Democratic elected officials will shift positions again to their status quo ante comfort zone of AIPAC-aligned pro-Israel support. Mark Goldfeder, the shameless director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, promptly Last year, Goldfeder led the Jake Tapper described students as involved in “anti-Israel protests” rather than anti-genocide protests – and even compared the Trump administration’s legal case against Harvard University over allegations of anti-Semitism to a 1983 case where tax-exempt status was stripped from the infamous Bob Jones University on account of its discriminatory policy prohibiting interracial dating. Like AIPAC’s “blood libel” claim, Goldfeder’s attack on Sanders is another attempt to intimidate that is falling flat. More and more people are realizing that anti-Semitism – a very real and vile form of discrimination – is being weaponized in defense of Israeli apartheid, war crimes and genocide. Chuck Schumer, who leads the Senate Democrats, The grassroots pendulum in the Democratic Party is swinging toward Palestinian freedom and rights in a way reminiscent of how apartheid South Africa was viewed in the 1980s. AIPAC, however, remains an eager supporter of the most pro-genocide members of the US Congress. Look at Hasan Piker, not Israel! Open genocide promoters such as Senator Tom Cotton, Senator Lindsey Graham and Congressman Max Miller are backed by AIPAC on its website, even as Dana Bash continue to give far more Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer and Republican Congressman Mike Lawler even The supplemental assistance to Israel that AIPAC commends Gottheimer for supporting is used to crush Palestinians in Gaza subjected to genocide and yet Piker, who has never funded a genocide, is the one under media scrutiny. > It has just been revealed that the US has already spent at least $25 billion on a war for Israel that began by killing 100+ schoolgirls and Congress is now voting on… condemning Hasan Piker > — Prem Thakker (@prem_thakker) Piker’s most controversial comments – at least one of which he remarks of Republicans encouraging Israel to do its worst in Gaza. And, lately, with Gaza and the genocide there Bash has even _The New Republic_ Crucially, Regunberg notes, “Here’s the fact that Piker’s critics never mention: For years, he has consistently warned of the dangers of anti-Semitism and spoken up for Jewish people, in a world of online streaming where doing so can be unpopular.” Yet none of that detail from the 2 April article in _The New Republic_ is presented in Bash’s 8 April bad-faith hit job on Piker. Instead, Bash, who strongly limits pro-Palestinian guests, engages in what she terms “fact-checking” of Piker over his description of Zionism. She “First of all, Zionism, what is it actually?” asks Bash. “It’s a nationalist movement, an ideology supporting the notion of a Jewish state, the Jewish people’s right to self-determination. He just called that a racist ideology, the right for Jews to have self-determination.” Yet even _The Atlantic_ , which is Though Serwer does make a case for a Jewish state, he notes “there are more or less illiberal versions of a ‘Jewish state.’” And he forthrightly admits: “Certainly, as an American, I do not want to live in a state that considers itself ‘white’ or ‘Christian,’ nor do I think equal rights are possible under such a regime.” He clearly understands why a “Jewish state” would be threatening to the rights of Palestinians. Bash, however, in seeking to slam Piker in a way she’s never done with proponents of the Gaza genocide, turns to Deborah Lipstadt, describing her as “one of the foremost experts, academic experts, who worked in the State Department on anti-Semitism.” Lipstadt is no expert on anti-Arab racism, however, joking in 2024 about Israeli beepers that killed Lebanese children and killed and maimed other bystanders. Bash cites Lipstadt as saying, “Criticism of Israeli policy is not anti-Semitism. But when you question the right of Jews to a national identity, when you question the existence of a Jewish state, you’ve moved beyond the political.” That’s widely not believed as Serwer makes clear in _The Atlantic_ regarding an attack on Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed [who has been campaigning in Michigan with Piker] by Olivia Reingold, a journalist with Bari Weiss’ _The Free Press_ , who last year Reingold asked El-Sayed, “Does Israel have a right to exist as a Jewish state?” But as Serwer details, El-Sayed stumped Reingold with his response: “What do you mean by a ‘Jewish state’?” Serwer writes, “When Reingold went silent, before beginning to stutter out a response, El-Sayed continued, ‘If you can’t define the question, I’m not going to answer your question.’” The debates over Israel and its apartheid policies are seemingly everywhere these days, even _The Atlantic_. Bash can ignore this, but her anti-Palestinian bias is clear to many viewers. The coverage of what Palestinians face can be expected to deteriorate further when David Ellison – Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, an advocate for a Ellison’s claim that he will maintain “editorial independence” is highly doubtful. Genocide-boosting AIPAC candidates All the attention on Piker provides an understanding for why mainstream media are so frequently dismissed these days. Journalists routinely misrepresent his views on Israel and anti-Semitism while disregarding the much more important story of AIPAC’s The site further states: “Candidates will see that you personally contributed to them through this site, helping their campaign while strengthening AIPAC’s ties to them as well.” Contributions of as much as $7,000 are encouraged. AIPAC doesn’t shy from open support of the Republicans who have conveyed the most genocidal language over the past 2.5 years. Tom Cotton AIPAC, however, lauds Cotton. “A member of the Armed Services Committee and chair of the Intelligence Committee, Cotton was the lead cosponsor on a bill to sanction the International Criminal Court if it tries to prosecute US or Israeli leaders.” Lindsey Graham AIPAC touts Graham as “an outspoken champion for the US-Israel relationship over his four terms in the Senate and eight years in the House.” Congressman Max Miller Not “they,” but “we.” Miller should clarify. AIPAC praises Miller for backing “supplemental security assistance for Israel,” which in Miller’s words helped turn Gaza into a “parking lot.” And the group highlights his signing of “a letter denouncing South Africa’s genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice.” Here’s an American organization touting the most genocidal Republican candidates for the Senate and House right alongside dozens of Democrats content to fund the war crimes and genocide and receive campaign support from AIPAC. But CNN prioritizes hit pieces on Piker and Then there’s House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast, who has accused all Palestinians of being “Arab Nazis” and denies the presence of “innocent Palestinian civilians” in Gaza. The congressman is also AIPAC describes Mast as someone “who volunteered with the Israel Defense Forces after his service in the US Army” and as backing “supplemental security assistance to the Jewish state.” Perhaps most notorious of all for anti-Palestinian racism and proudly backed by AIPAC is Congressman Randy Fine. And, of course, it’s not just the most anti-Palestinian Republicans that AIPAC is lifting up. The organization supports the three principal Democratic House leaders, Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, describing all three as supporting “supplemental security assistance” to Israel or, in Jeffries’ case, “to the Jewish state.” AIPAC is also backing more than 20 Democratic politicians who are members of the In 2023 she took a There is, of course, nothing progressive about getting support from an organization that backs the Gaza genocide. And CBC politicians are far from the caucus’ apartheid reality of the state of Israel. The split in the Progressive Caucus is striking as 21 of the 22 supporters of a Anger at AIPAC’s involvement in financially boosting candidates in Democratic primaries is increasingly being exposed, especially on social media. House of Representatives candidate Ala Stanford, a Democratic candidate in Philadelphia, recently tied herself in knots to _Drop Site News_ Specifically, Stanford Stanford is also on record More recently, she has said of genocide, “For Israelis who’ve been accused of committing it, it’s hurtful for them.” Meanwhile, long-time supporter of Israel Alan Dershowitz is so upset by the changes finally working their way into the Democratic Party that the _Wall Street Journal_ op-ed. The battle over Palestinian rights and freedom is decades overdue and Democratic National Committee members can be expected to fight such efforts or War crimes and genocide will do that. Tags AIPAC Republican Party Democratic Party Betty McCollum Mark Goldfeder National Jewish Advocacy Center Bernie Sanders CNN Jake Tapper Harvard University Bob Jones University Charles Schumer Lindsey Graham Tom Cotton Max Miller Dana Bash Josh Gottheimer Mike Lawler Hasan Piker Aaron Regunberg The New Republic The Atlantic Jeffrey Goldberg Adam Serwer Deborah Lipstadt Abdul El-Sayed Olivia Reingold Bari Weiss The Free Press Jewish state AIPAC Political Portal Brian Mast Judea and Samaria Randy Fine Hakeem Jeffries Katherine Clark Pete Aguilar Congressional Black Caucus Congressional Progressive Caucus Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Rwanda American Israel Education Foundation Rashida Tlaib Ala Stanford Alan Dershowitz Democratic National Committee The Wall Street Journal Gaza genocide anti-Palestinian racism Drop Site News 314 Action Fund Michael F. Brown's blog Log in to post comments Donate Now Michael F. Brown Michael F. Brown is an independent journalist. His work and views have appeared in _The International Herald Tribune_ , TheNation.com, _The San Diego Union-Tribune_ , _The News & Observer_, _The Atlanta Journal-Constitution_ , _The Washington Post_ and elsewhere.