Pro-Israel lobbying group Aipac ends endorsements, direct funding to US candidates

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac), a pro-Israel lobbying group, has announced it will cease publicly endorsing political candidates and making direct financial contributions to them. This shift in strategy comes as voter sentiment towards Israel has become increasingly antagonistic. Aipac's statement said the organization will focus on building a more strategic, consequential, and nimble political operation, prioritizing increasing direct, organized contributions from individual Americans to candidates and maximizing emerging political fundraising tools.

Aipac's political action committee (PAC) has a $5,000 cap per candidate, per election cycle, but it has a separate Super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), which is not considered direct giving and has spent over $60 million in the 2024 election cycle. Aipac also uses shell PACs that it dissolves after transferring funds to UDP.

With the US electorate questioning why so much money has been spent on Israel, particularly as the cost of living dominates campaign trails, Aipac's new approach aims to adapt quickly and capitalize on new innovations to influence policy.