AIPAC Rejects and Supports Candidates
An important goal of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is to build a bipartisan pro-Israel majority in Congress. In pursuit of this goal, AIPAC approved an ad run by an affiliated PAC attacking the candidacy of Tom Malinowski to replace New Jersey’s new governor, Mikie Sherrill, in Congress. Although Mr. Malinowski has said that he would not deny anything Israel needs to defend itself, the ad is apparently motivated by Mr. Malinowski’s refusal to rule out placing conditions on U.S. military aid to Israel. However, as a former member of Congress, Mr. Malinowski has been a steadfast supporter of Israel for many years. In fact, he has previously benefited from AIPAC support and traveled to Israel with a group tied to AIPAC. Several American Jewish leaders have asserted that he should be thanked by AIPAC for his loyalty to Israel, not attacked.
Polls indicate that Americans’ support for Israel has been declining. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have accelerated this decline by claiming that Israeli soldiers died because of a shortage of arms delivered during the Biden administration. Some Israeli officials dispute this claim. AIPAC must recognize that a majority of Americans, including many supporters of Israel, are appalled by 70,000 deaths in Gaza during more than three years of war precipitated by Hamas on October 7, 2023, when Hamas massacred and abducted Israeli civilians. By striking Hamas military targets deeply embedded inside civilian communities in Gaza, Israel has significantly degraded Hamas’s military capability and infrastructure. Hopefully, following the return of the last hostage in January 2026, the Israeli government will now change its tactics in Gaza from the use of artillery and airstrikes to diplomatic negotiations with the goal of replacing a fragile ceasefire with a peace treaty to be monitored by a committee of international observers.
As Israel prepares to negotiate with the United States for a new multiyear package of military aid, Prime Minister Netanyahu has vowed to phase out Israeli dependence on such aid. In contrast to the last 10-year package, Israel would have to use the American money to purchase American military systems exclusively.
Mr. Netanyahu added that he wanted Israel’s relationship with the United States to move “from aid to partnership.” The prime minister’s announcement should inform AIPAC that a pro-Israel candidate, such as Tom Malinowski, can support some restrictions on military aid to Israel.
