When Americans criticize Israel – whether it be policies or the country’s mere existence – it’s not long before they start picking the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) apart. AIPAC, the main pro-Israel lobby group in the United States, prides itself on being a bipartisan organization and hosting the largest convocation of elected officials at its annual policy conference.
Like any lobby, it is subject to criticism and the past few years, some supporters have become apprehensive about AIPAC’s work. But the hyper-fixation many American progressives have on it is not productive criticism so much as it is antisemitism.
Politicians, such as members of the Squad in Congress and their supporters, claim that their complaints are regarding policy, but the narrative portrayed about AIPAC is a rebranding of a staple antisemitic conspiracy theory.
The current anti-AIPAC narrative mirrors the ideas in The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy by John Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt, the premise of which is that AIPAC and other Israel lobbying groups drive US foreign policy and lead the government to prioritize Israel over American interests.
The book is riddled with classical antisemitic tropes, such as Jews having too much influence in government and society, Jewish money, and underground collaboration between US officials and “elite” Jews. The ideas of control, money, and conspiracy are staples of anti-Jewish propaganda. So, naturally, they have made their way to the forefront of the anti-Israel campaign in recent years.
The book has received grave backlash and accusations of obvious antisemitism. So how has this narrative resurfaced with such popularity? In addition to the conspiracy theories that riddle the anti-AIPAC narrative, AIPAC has also been designated the modern Jewish scapegoat for US policy failures.
Historically, any society with flaws it cannot get rid of turns to the Jews when looking for a scapegoat for their inability to tackle their issues. The US federal budget and foreign policy are immensely complicated. But in simple terms, their shortcomings are because of the Jews.
The antisemitism in the AIPAC witch-hunt becomes even more clear when looking at the data of what lobbying groups spend the most money and which have the most influence. The US Chamber of Commerce lobbies on behalf of private businesses’ interests and as the largest lobbying group in the US, spends approximately $70 million on this mission every year. That’s 20 times AIPAC’s annual spending. AIPAC does not spend nearly enough money to have the control over the US government that antisemites project onto them.
At $3.5 million each year, AIPAC is not even in the top 50 lobbying spenders in the United States.
AIPAC's detractors don't seem to take issue with lobbying in general
The anti-AIPAC camp has made it clear that they have a bigger problem with Jews and Israel than they do with the general idea of lobbies acting according to an agenda. If their true concern was with lobbies’ influence, they might instead go after the seven medical groups in the top 20 spenders and the influence they have on healthcare in the US – a top issue in US policy debate.
The accusation that the Israel lobby has too much influence and conspires against domestic interests is disproved by the most basic data on spending – leaving only deeply ingrained antisemitic ideology as the explanation for the AIPAC obsession.
The anti-AIPAC obsession is not just about an objection to the US-Israel relationship. For centuries, blaming Jews for societal complaints has been the go-to, even when there is a clear and logical explanation for the issue. Those who are hellbent on taking down the Israel lobby accuse AIPAC of sabotaging progressive Democrats’ campaigns. But the reality is simple: AIPAC is not “secretly pouring millions” into the suppression of Democratic candidates. AIPAC, like all lobbies, puts its money where it will benefit its cause. And when candidates are staunchly anti-Israel, vote against Iron Dome funding, and refuse to condemn Hamas, surely the pro-Israel PAC will endorse their opponent.
While antisemites focus a disproportionate amount of time and energy on taking down AIPAC, the problems AIPAC is accused of causing persist. Other lobbying efforts in categories such as healthcare, insurance, and real estate significantly influence issues that most anti-AIPAC voters value. The perception that the Israel lobby has way more money than they do is a very clear reflection of the belief that Jews – especially in America – have too much money.
AIPAC is one of over 3,500 lobbying groups in the United States. Its fraction of the $4.2 billion industry is an even smaller sliver than the US Jewish population. And yet, the obsession with blaming the Israel lobby for all of America’s political shortcomings persists. In simplest terms, the focus on AIPAC is wildly disproportionate to their size or spending. This verifies that the fight against AIPAC is a campaign of antisemitism rather than one of political progress.
Combating AIPAC’s made-up influence and amount of money does not do anything to tackle the dozens of issues important to US voters. While the movement to take down AIPAC wages on, all of the other issues these voters supposedly care about are going unresolved as those PACs continue to lobby on behalf of their agendas.
It’s become abundantly clear in the reasoning and narrative of the AIPAC witch-hunt that it is not about policy, but rather the latest way to make classical antisemitism palatable in our current society. Should they succeed in taking down AIPAC, not only would their issues with US policy persist, but the antisemitism would mutate yet again and find the next socially acceptable manifestation.
The writer is social media manager at DiploAct.