The Electoral Integrity Issue Isn’t Israel—It’s Islam
Seedy foreign money is shaping our culture and our politics, but it’s not coming from where the propagandists say it is.
The 2026 primary campaign season has been characterized by frequent condemnations of what is often referred to as the "Israel lobby." However, the real source of influence on American politics is not Israel, but Islamic groups and governments. Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, lost his primary due to his opposition to President Trump on domestic priorities, not because of any pro-Israel spending.
On the Democratic side, AIPAC, the America Israel Public Affairs Committee, has been a target of anti-Israel sentiments, but its influence is overstated. AIPAC is a group of activist Americans who lobby and donate money for an issue they care about, just like the NRA or the NAACP. In fact, AIPAC is no different from these organizations.
The real issue is the influence of terror-tied Islamic groups and governments. For example, Abdul El-Sayed, a successful Democratic candidate in Michigan, received $200,000 from his father-in-law, who is a founding committee member of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), an organization tied to Hamas and the broader Muslim Brotherhood network.
ISNA was named an unindicted coconspirator in the largest terror financing case in Justice Department history. El-Sayed has also raised over $115,000 from individuals who have worked for other unindicted co-conspirators from the HLF bust. CAIR, another organization with ties to Hamas and the Brotherhood, has also donated millions to Democratic candidates.
CAIR was co-founded by Nihad Awad, who expressed support for the Hamas pogrom of October 7, 2023. The United Arab Emirates, which designated CAIR as a terrorist organization, has also donated nearly $92 million to lobby for its interests in Washington. Saudi Arabia, a key ally of the UAE, has the most agents registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, followed by Qatar, which is the largest foreign funder of American higher education.
In conclusion, the influence on American politics is not coming from Israel, but from terror-tied Islamic groups and governments.
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