Yes, AIPAC does a lot of damage and needs to be called out IMO. But, we are NOT all AIPAC.

AIPAC did there best to take out Daniel Biss a Jewish candidate with an Israeli mother and the grandson of Holocaust survivors. Daniel Biss does not want a blank check to Israel's military. AIPAC spent 7 million dollars trying to defeat Biss. He won. He will be in the House. A republican cannot win in his district.

To lobby for Israel. It has done that job extremely well over the years. if you think it’s a horrible organization then you’re saying that lobbying for Israel is a horrible thing.

Aren’t you really saying that Israel is a horrible country? Didn’t you only start saying this after Israel was brought to its knees by the Hamas attack, and had to fight for its very existence? How many attacks like the Hamas attack could a tiny country like Israel survive.?

How much pro – Palestinian lobbying have you been hearing? I know it’s a lot because it’s been right here on DU for quite some time — And being swayed by? Are the pro Palestinian lobbying institutions horrible also?

Period. End of statement.

That the netanyahu regime is corrupt and committing war crimes makes it even more awful.

I weep for the Jews, arabs, Christians, and every one else who have suffered under Netanyahu's and the PLO and affiliated opposition terror.

That does not make me antisemitic. It makes me anti criminal.

Unfortunately, bibi is as much a symptom as a cause.

I want big money and all foreign money out of politics. AIPAC should not be able to buy elections. We wouldn't want Putin, the CCP, or any other foreign power to gave that pull in elections.

The floodgates were opened with the Supreme Court's decision in the sarcastically named Citizens United case.

https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/citizens-united-explained

AIPAC supports Israel’s continued committing of war crimes, and is therefore awful as well. It’s like any other bad Conservative influence group or think tank.

Hamas fighters committed horrific war crimes on Oct. 7th, and, continue to commit war crimes.

Israel is not in itself bad. Rather, Its current leadership needs to be in prison, just like that of Hamas. Both sides have extremist leadership that have done horrific things and terrorized civilians.

But are they controlling the Democratic party?

they support a lot of dems that many here on du wd like to see defeated. but compared to the plainly evil oligarchs who flat out want to buy this country, they’re such small potatoes.
anyone who rants about them gets a heavy side eye from me.

As usual, based on nothing and become meaningless insults.

But it's fine to constantly demonize "Progressive" or "populist" Democrats though?

Not to mention that little war with Iraq?

everything to do w the mic, oil companies, and evil american oligarchs.

but this is exactly what we’re talking about here.

u act like they were the only 1s in the room.
this is what we’re talking about- aipac as the big, controlling boogie man.

AIPAC’s hardline stance on Iran
AIPAC has long championed a hardline approach to Iran, viewing the Islamic Republic as Israel’s foremost strategic threat. It led opposition to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), backing “Citizens for a Nuclear Free Iran,” which reportedly spent $20–40 million lobbying against President Obama’s agreement. Even after the deal took effect, AIPAC pushed for renewed sanctions, arguing that any relief fueled Iran’s regional ambitions and weakened Israel’s security.

Under the Trump administration, AIPAC backed efforts to dismantle the JCPOA and endorsed the “maximum pressure” campaign despite warnings from non proliferation experts that it would accelerate Iran’s nuclear advances and embolden hardliners. Framing Iran’s “malign behavior” as proof of the deal’s failure, AIPAC fueled a policy shift culminating in Trump’s 2018 withdrawal and sweeping renewed sanctions.

https://alonben-meir.com/writing/how-aipacs-betrayal-of-its-own-cause-fueled-the-iran-war/

is my point.
u do understand that iran’s proxies have contributed to much death and destruction in israel, rt? what shd they do? roll over? send valentines? do u think they shouldnt defend themselves? even rhetorically?

And in supporting the Iraq war, they ended up empowering hardline factions in Iran...for a start.

it wasnt so much their support, it was the part where they stood up a separate pac to cover their involvement.

themselves of it.

There is a correlation between its dramatic uptick and Netanyahu's devastating policies. That is merely demonstrable fact. One cannot appropriately and righteously denounce the former without acknowledging what is giving a perception of "license" and very misdirected "justification" for this behavior.

For those who do not make a distinction between the policies horrifically impacting Gazan, Lebanese and other nonviolent citizens--as well as Israelis themselves, and the role of Netanyahu in manipulating Trump into this devastating self-destructive war with Iran-- and the absolutely unacceptable antisemitism being advanced as a response, well there can be nothing but denunciation. But one cannot ignore the former while condemning the latter either and likewise escape condemnation in my honest opinion.
'

There's been a strong uptick in overt anti Jewish rhetoric over the past ten years.

A lot of other things have happened in the same timeframe and Israel's actions are only one of them.

Personally, my observation is that the same online propaganda that elected Trump in 2016 and gave Britain Brexit has been aimed at stirring up latent dislike of Jewish people.

The online communities consumed by young people, especially young men, promote a virulent kind of bigotry that encourages consumers to punch down (literally) at women, Jews, non-whites, gay people, liberals, and anyone else who is not drinking the incel koolaid.

The absolute worst response to increasingly frequent episodes of antisemitism is to blame it all on Israel.

It's reductionist, colonialist, and frankly embarrassing.

--no matter how inappropriate-- to try to excuse the inexcusable does not justify the denial that this is ongoing as well. Some seek to ignore that or to use the unforgivable ongoing antisemitism to attack those who voice the anger toward Netanyahu for his actions and policies and to conflate that anger with antisemitism. Neither is defensible. Not here either.

Literally just saw a TikTok from some "genius" blaming The UK's heatwave on Israel.

There is NOTHING and I mean NOTHING some will not blame on Israel or AIPAC. It is the lipstick they use to gussy up an anti-Semitic pig!

If only Jewish people were so all powerful. I for one would welcome Jewish overlords. Great food, a culture that values reading, art, and music, arguments with God...

I love how a Nazi symbol is a "youthful oopsie" and thinking it is something that should have been a disqualifier or at least given "vetters" some pause, it is seen as "purity" being screeched by people who "won't vote for ANYONE who got money from AIPAC!!!". Talk about "purity test".

and that to suggest justified criticism of Israeli governmental policies and actions in any manner is, as you just put it, "lipstick used to gussy up an anti-Semitic pig." That is horrendous as hell, Behind the Aegis. If you really believe that, you must have zero respect for anyone even slightly in disagreement with your beliefs and an overwhelming contempt for an awful lot of people both on DU and elsewhere who have lived their lives supporting Jews and Judaism throughout the world, and Israel specifically. I sincerely hope that is not the case. Do you really believe that criticizing Netanyahu is synonymous with antisemitism? What about criticizing Trump? Do those of us who do so with zealous fervor hate this country and all fellow Americans?

Many here have dealt with hate directed at themselves-- their race, ethnicity, gender, and many other immutable features, yet have managed to realize that is not the majority of those with whom they may come into contact--either in the US or elsewhere. These people exist (and I am one who has experienced it, including violent hatred and resentment toward me specifically for my gender), but I do not let it color my reactions to all who come my way. Again, I sincerely hope that is not the case with you as well, Behind the Aegis.

i 🙄🙄🙄 so hard, i saw my brain.

I have a young man in my life who has fallen prey to this.

had support from one specific PAC while ignoring all the other "dark money" out there. Janet Mills was criticized right here on DU for taking AIPAC money - even though, IIRC, she didn't.

are bots or trolls designed to mislead or waste your time. Remember how Russian troll farms influenced the 2016 election.

where the poster is a real person with many posts on different subjects.
And I have heard people say the same thing.

...it's alright to name-and-shame here. I'd say it's a duty after saying this.

but I don't have any specific instances here.

they just make sure to word it in the acceptable costumes of the day. “aipac” “gaza” “netanyahu”
never a word about what israel is up against, and has been since b4 1948. no indication that they know a wit of history.

but the other side is that the a lot of Israel supporters remain silent when there's reports of the horrors Israel is committing in Gaza or when Israeli "settlers" launch murderous attacks and outright steal territory.

every death that occurs is sold as ‘settler violence’ when in many cases it is flat out self defense. to think that palestinians in the west bank r peaceful folks just trying to get along is outright foolish.

Last edited Mon Jun 1, 2026, 03:07 PM - Edit history (1)

I will repeat what my father told me when I was 12 years old that the hardest part about being a liberal progressive will be dealing with the antisemitism coming from the left. That was in 1965. The first real experience I had with that particular brand of antisemitism was when Israel defeated the Arab armies in 1967, and all the lefty publications that came to our house were decrying their victory, and bemoaning the loss of Pan-Arabism.

The second thing is that all these terrorist groups (a.k.a. “Freedom-fighters”)promising to “eradicate” Israel, and the Jews therein, have quite possibly learned the meaning of that word and its implications. It’s horrifying , as were the crimes perpetrated on that fateful day by terrorists at the Festival and Kibbutz. For many years Israel was forced to liberate hundreds of prisoners in order to recover one or two Israelis held captive or even to reclaim their corpses. So if that’s the proportionality in one direction, the terrorists quite possibly learned it holds in the other. Not nice, but war is not nice. Perhaps they will think twice before another act is contemplated and executed.

the inversion of history disturbs me deeply.

Often the top recipients of AIPAC money are Centrist Democrats that have defeated Progressives in primaries as well as Republicans. Personally I don't like that AIPAC donates to Republicans that supported the insurrection and works to defeat Democrats that I like.

Whether AIPAC is why Congress is more supportive of Israel than the US population I can't answer that question but I have seen criticism of Israel which often comes from the left labeled as antisemitic so I tend to be skeptical especially when it comes to Israel.

But I have seen posts (not here) that claim anything bad going on from any Liberal party worldwide is because Israel is behind it.

Not everyone who dislikes our policy towards Israel is antisemitic. I personally don't think a done of taxpayer money should go to any other country as long as the needs of the American people aren't met

where I said anything like that.

aid to other countries buys us more peace and security than $$ spent on war.

The U.S. Government is not the American people. The Israeli Government is not the Israeli people or the Jews.

I have seen it today.

no, it barely does. ‘the jews control the world’ is an absolutely ancient trope, trotted out by antisemites for generations.

I don't see it on "other Social Media" from "Leftists" either, but I don't consume a lot of "other" SM thankfully. Maybe I've successfully curated my FB algorithm to avoid it.

I've seen anti-Zionist anger over the indiscriminate tactics employed in Gaza, over decades of Settlement expansion in the West Bank, and over the current IDF-abetted Settler violence. I've seen some of that come from Jewish people I know; relatives, friends.