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Draft:Reject AIPAC

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  • Comment: Future projections are useless. You might as well say "a bajillion."
    Who's leading the coalition? I mean that in terms of groups within it, as well as people within (or perhaps separate from) those groups.
    Please also clean up the author lists in the citations. If Mary Smith and John Brown write an article, it would be best to do something like {{cite news ... |last1=Smith |first1=Mary |last2=Brown |first2=John ...}} Snowman304|talk 05:05, 22 October 2024 (UTC)


Reject AIPAC
FoundedMarch 11, 2024
Websitewww.rejectaipac.org

Reject AIPAC is an American progressive coalition opposed to the American pro-Israel lobby group American Israel Public Affairs Committee(AIPAC). The coalition calls on candidates for federal office to not take endorsements or contributions from AIPAC and its affiliated political action committees.[1] It also vowed to assist progressive candidates targeted by AIPAC.[2]

History

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AIPAC vowed to spent $100 million USD during the 2024 US election cycle to support pro-Israel candidates, including removing progressives, in part for their support for Palestinians.[3] AIPAC also spent funds on advertisements attacking politicians critical of the organization.[4]

After the outbreak of the Gaza war and subsequent criticisms of Israel and its tactics, a split formed in the Democratic Party between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel members. The aggressiveness of the Israeli counteroffensive had sparked international condemnation, including the charge that Israel is committing genocide.[5] The Squad, a progressive group of the party in Congress, and other pro-Palestinian members such as Cori Bush, were threatened with pro-Israel primary challengers by AIPAC.[6][7] Ultimately, two members of the group, Jamaal Bowman and Bush, lost their respective primary elections; they had faced outside spending in their races.[8]

Critical of AIPAC's influence on the US, the coalition was formed in March 2024, led by IfNotNow, while some politicians, such as Republican House of Representative member Thomas Massie, spoke up against AIPAC.[9][10][4] The coalition's campaign accompanied the increasingly organized movement within the Party protesting Joe Biden's support of Israel.[11] Biden has been a top recipient of the pro-Israel lobby, receiving $5.2 million over the last 34 years, the most of any Congressional recipient, according to campaign finance watchdog, OpenSecrets.[11]

Some members of the coalition saw it as an attempt to highlight AIPAC's alliance with the far right. Beth Miller, the political director of Jewish Voice for Peace Action and a member of the coalition, stated that AIPAC was "endorsing insurrectionists[;] they’re backing extremist, far-right candidates".[12]

Participants

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More than 20 progressive groups formed the coalition to counter pro-Israel groups before the 2024 US election.[13]

Groups participating in the coalition include Jewish peace organizations, Arab-American organizations, big tent groups, and other progressive organizations such as:[1]

Partnerships

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The organization partnered with actor Wallace Shawn in 2024; he narrated a video calling on others to join their mission. Shawn serves on the advisory board for Jewish Voice for Peace.[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b "REJECT AIPAC". REJECT AIPAC. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  2. ^ Neukam, Stephen (2024-03-20). "Scoop: Top progressive group endorses Summer Lee, Andy Kim". Axios. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  3. ^ Nicholas Wu and Madison Fernandez (April 17, 2024). "Progressives seek to neutralize AIPAC's spending threats". POLITICO.
  4. ^ a b "Aux Etats-Unis, certains se rebellent face à l'emprise du lobby Aipac en faveur d'Israël - Le Temps" (in French). 2024-06-13. ISSN 1423-3967. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  5. ^ Stanage, Niall (2024-03-11). "Progressive groups launch new coalition to counter AIPAC". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  6. ^ Ramirez, Nikki McCann; Perez, Andrew (2024-03-11). "Progressives Launch Campaign to Counter Pro-Israel Election Spending". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  7. ^ "A pro-Israel super PAC helped defeat one Squad member. Now it's going after another, Cori Bush". AP News. 2024-08-01. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  8. ^ Inskeep, Steve (August 14, 2024). "A pro-Israel group is challenging 'The Squad.' Why did it sit out Ilhan Omar's primary election?". NPR.
  9. ^ Kornbluh, Jacob (2023-08-03). "A progressive Jewish group is pressuring Democrats to reject AIPAC endorsements". The Forward. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  10. ^ Kornbluh, Jacob (2024-03-11). "'Reject AIPAC' launches to counter pro-Israel spending in 2024". The Forward. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  11. ^ a b Kelly, Stephanie (March 12, 2024). "Pressure rises on Biden, Democrats to reject AIPAC funds". Reuters.
  12. ^ Herman, Alice (2024-03-11). "Progressive campaign launched to counter Aipac's influence in US politics". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
  13. ^ "More than 20 progressive groups form a coalition to counter pro-Israel groups before the election". AP News. 2024-03-11. Retrieved 2024-10-17.
  14. ^ Ramirez, Nikki McCann (2024-04-11). "Wallace Shawn Narrates Ad for Coalition Opposing America's Biggest Israel Lobby". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
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