Amid political upheaval in the US, AIPAC's influence remains unshaken

Amid dramatic recent developments in American national politics, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) quietly carries on with business as usual.

AIPAC's primary mission—maintaining a firm pro-Israel grip on the United States Congress—is transparent, unchanging, and for the most part, highly effective.

Every member of Congress, in both the House and the Senate, knows that AIPAC is watching them, ready to dispense money and propaganda in their favour, or alternatively to provision their next political opponent if the member does not comply with AIPAC's demands.

For example, AIPAC—which has hundreds of employees and operates out of a multi-story office building on Washington's H Street—recently spent some $4.6 million opposing the reelection of Rep. Cori Bush, a member of the small left-leaning contingent in the Congress and one of the few who openly criticises Israeli repression.

She faces off against local prosecutor Wesley Bell in an Aug. 6 primary.

AIPAC does not always win its battles to unseat critics like Bush, Rep. Ilhan Omar or Senator Bernie Sanders.

But due to its clout, an overwhelming majority of American politicians from both parties profess their unwavering support of the Zionist state in the expectation of being rewarded, rather than targeted for defeat in the next election cycle.

To date, US President Joe Biden and Republican leader Mitch McConnell, are among the biggest recipients of financial support from AIPAC, according to public campaign finance records.

Funding pays off

While fundraising is an issue for all American politicians, money is of little concern to AIPAC, which receives hundreds of millions of dollars from myriad wealthy donors.

Most American Jews are not Orthodox, and many liberal Jews have become more openly critical of Israel amid the Gaza war, but such criticism is no threat to AIPAC as the super-rich donors continue to dole out the money.

Since the foundation of AIPAC and its predecessors in the aftermath of World War II, the pro-Israel lobby has an unbroken record of extracting money from the Congress.

Since 1948, the little state of Israel, a country of some nine million people, has received more than $150 billion from American taxpayers—more financial assistance than the United States has provided to any other country in the world.

AIPAC is the spearhead of the broader Israel lobby, which consists of literally hundreds of pro-Zionist organisations. Today the lobby bolsters public and congressional support for what can legitimately now be described as a genocidal regime.

Fueling the war machine

In addition to the relentless indiscriminate slaughter that has been unfolding in Gaza for months, the Israeli Knesset has now openly declared its opposition to the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

The resolution, passed by a vote of 68-9, in effect means that Palestinians have no right to exist, and it is therefore a declaration of genocide, or at best of apartheid.

AIPAC has persistently opposed a Palestinian state while simultaneously encouraging Israeili-only settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are illegal under international law.

More than 700,000 settlers now illegally occupy Palestinian lands and former president Donald Trump's administration gave Israel everything it wanted, including US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, but Democrats are culpable as well.

Democratic leaders, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, both profess their support for a two-state solution, even as Israel renounces the idea. These leaders also maintain funding for the Israeli war machine.

Future of AIPAC

While many Democrats have openly criticised Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—who is reviled by many in his own country and is widely perceived globally as a certifiable war criminal—AIPAC influence lies behind the disgraceful invitation that has enabled the Israeli prime minister to once again be celebrated inside the US Capitol.

Those members who boycotted the session, or, like Harris, conveniently have an excuse not to be there, risk the wrath of AIPAC while those who dutifully turned out will reap the rewards.

AIPAC is by far the most powerful lobby representing the interests of a foreign country in American history.

Indeed, it is one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington in tandem with the gun, real estate, pharmaceutical and elderly persons lobbies. Few in Congress openly discuss AIPAC, but all are fully aware of its power and influence.

As AIPAC and its lobby partners continue to exercise effective control of Congress, the decades-long American policy of aiding and enabling Israeli aggression—encompassing the slaughter and dispossession of Palestinians—can be expected to continue.