AIPAC, Stick To Your Mandate

AIPAC’s official mission is to “support pro-Israel policies that strengthen and expand the U.S.-Israel relationship in ways that enhance the security of the United States and Israel.” A large part of that mission, for the past 60 years, has been recruiting national lawmakers to support aid packages. Over the years, AIPAC has become a major contributor to the political campaigns of Israel-friendly congressional candidates.

There is nothing wrong with a AIPAC legally donating to the campaigns of sympathetic candidates. There is nothing wrong with AIPAC calling out candidates who are openly hostile to Israel. There is, however, something very wrong with AIPAC engaging in character assassination when a candidate does not back a policy, especially monetary aid. AIPAC has conducted just such a campaign against Kentucky’s Thomas Massie.

Massie has been a consistently popular and effective national legislator for Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District since 2012. He is an America First Republican who is seriously concerned with America’s climbing debt, and the unavoidable correction that will result in loss of individual wealth. He is also a strong 1st Amendment proponent for free speech. Some of Thomas Massie’s supporters are less than thrilled by the prospect of their tax dollars going to Israel.

Is it true that Massie has consistently opposed aid to Israel? Yes. Massie has stated that all US foreign aid, including aid earmarked for Israel, should be reviewed for how this aid directly benefits the American taxpayer and impacts the national debt. Massie has also consistently opposed aid to Ukraine and House resolutions which might possibly results in committing US assets, including troops, to foreign war zones.

But Israel is not “under attack” by Thomas Massie. He is not in the same category as Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, all of whom have indicated moral support for Hamas even after the October 7 massacre. While he does consistently oppose sanctions as effective policy, he has not expressed support for Iran or Hamas. He unequivocally condemned Hamas for the October 7 attack. And yet these false equivalencies were made in AIPAC-financed United Democracy Project (UDP) ads targeting Massie in Kentucky.

AIPAC and UDP are perfectly entitled to support the primary or general election opponents of Thomas Massie. They are perfectly entitled to lay out the facts about Massie’s voting record. But they should do so honestly. Otherwise, they feed the antisemitic claims that Israel is manipulating the US taxpayer and pushing an influential US legislator to actively oppose Israel.

Massie is also not immune to criticism. He has voted against resolutions expressing moral support for Israel, a democratic US ally beset by Islamist foes. This in itself isn’t “anti-Israel.” But Massie disagrees with the claim that anti-Zionism is antisemitism. He justifies his record stating that criticizing the government of Israel is a from of “anti-Zionism,” and should be protected as free speech.

These resolutions, however, do not contadict Thomas Massie’s 1st Amendment concerns. Zionism is the national movement advocating that Jewish people are entitled to live in their indigenous, ancestral national homeland. Anti-Zionism, the converse, condemns the national aspirations of Jews in their homeland. Criticizing the government of Israel is not always applied anti-Zionism. House resolutions expressing solidarity with Zionism do not give Benjamin Netanyau, nor anyone else in Israel’s government, carte blanche to act with immunity from criticism. Quite the contraty, criticizing the government of Israel is a zionist national pastime.

An underlying principle of free speech that people have the right to be wrong. Thomas Massie indeed has that right, and fights for the cause of American democracy. AIPAC has to avoid mischaracterizing principled America Firsters who are not Israel’s foes, lest it spurn the historical goodwill of many American citizens. In laying out its case for Israel, and Israel-friendly legislative candidates, AIPAC must not short-sightedly turn Thomas Massie into its tar baby.