Progressive Groups Urge Democrats To Reject AIPAC Money Amid Israeli ‘Assault On Gaza’

A coalition of progressive groups has called on Democrats to reject political donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee because it has aggressively targeted progressives who have been critical of Israel.

“We have watched as AIPAC has done everything it can to silence growing dissent in Congress against [Israeli leader Benjamin] Netanyahu’s assault on Gaza ― which has killed over 31,000 Palestinians ― even as Democratic voters overwhelmingly support a ceasefire and oppose sending more blank checks to the Israeli military,” the Reject AIPAC coalition said in a statement.

The statement referred to reports that AIPAC is preparing to spend tens of millions of dollars on the 2024 elections and that the group’s top contributors include Republican Party megadonors .

The coalition is made up of about 25 organizations, including Justice Democrats, the Working Families Party, the Democratic Socialists of America, US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, Our Revolution and the Sunrise Movement.

The groups said they would launch a lobbying effort to build on grassroots efforts “calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and ending Congress’ unconditional political and financial support for the Israeli government and its decades of illegal occupation, flagrant violations of international law and human rights, continued annexation of the West Bank, blockade of Gaza, and forced second-class citizenship of Palestinians in Israel.”

The coalition said it hopes members of Congress will sign a pledge to not to take AIPAC money ― “just like Democratic voters and their elected officials have rejected special interest groups like the NRA after they cemented themselves as a far-right group out of step