AIPAC

American Israel Public Affairs Committee
FoundedJanuary 3, 1963; 61 years ago (1963-01-03)[1]
53-0217164[2]
Legal status501(c)(4) organization
HeadquartersWashington, D.C., U.S.[2]
Coordinates38°54′02″N 77°00′53″W / 38.9004676°N 77.0146576°W / 38.9004676; -77.0146576
Betsy Berns Korn
Mort Fridman
Howard Kohr[2]
Subsidiaries251 Massachusetts Avenue LLC,
American Israel Educational Foundation,
AIPAC-AIEF Israel RA[2]
Revenue (2014)
$77,709,827[2]
Expenses (2014)$69,267,598[2]
Endowment$258,533[2]
Employees (2013)
396[2]
Volunteers (2013)
60[2]
Websiteaipac.org
American Israel Education Foundation
Founded1990
52-1623781
Legal status501(c)(3) organization
Revenue (2014)
$55,234,555
Expenses (2014)$50,266,476
Endowment$24,527,692
Employees (2013)
0
Volunteers (2013)
39
American Israel Public Affairs Committee Political Action Committee
Founded2021
Registration no.C00797670
Legal statusPolitical Action Committee
Location
  • Washington, D.C.
Treasurer
Justin Phillips
Federal Election Commission[3]

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC /ˈeɪpæk/ AY-pak) is a pro-Israel lobbying group that advocates its policies to the legislative and executive branches of the United States.[4] One of several pro-Israel lobbying organizations in the country,[5] it has been called one of its most powerful lobbying groups.[6]

AIPAC was founded in 1954 by Isaiah L. Kenen, a lobbyist for the Israeli government,[7][8] partly to counter negative international reactions to Israel's Qibya massacre of Palestinian villagers that year.[9] AIPAC only became a powerful organization during its peak influence in the 1980s.[10] In 2002, AIPAC expressed intent to lobby Congress to authorize use of force in Iraq,[11] and in 2003, the Iraq War was defended at AIPAC events.[12][13][14] In 2005, a Pentagon analyst pleaded guilty to espionage charges of passing U.S. government secrets to senior AIPAC officials, in what became known as the AIPAC espionage scandal.[15]

Until 2021, AIPAC did not raise funds for political candidates itself; its members raised money for candidates through political action committees unaffiliated with AIPAC and by other means.[16] In late 2021, AIPAC formed its own political action committee. It also announced plans for a Super PAC, which can spend money on behalf of candidates.[3][17][18] Its critics have stated it acts as an agent of the Israeli government with a "stranglehold" on the United States Congress with its power and influence.[19] AIPAC has been accused of being strongly allied with the Likud party of Israel, and the Republican Party in the U.S. An AIPAC spokesman has called this a "malicious mischaracterization".[16][20]

AIPAC describes itself as a bipartisan organization,[21] and the bills for which it lobbies in Congress are always jointly sponsored by both a Democrat and Republican.[22] AIPAC states that it has over 3 million members,[23] 17 regional offices, and "a vast pool of donors".[16] AIPAC's supporters claim its bipartisan nature can be seen at its yearly policy conference, which in 2016 included both major parties' nominees: Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.[24][25] AIPAC has been criticized as being unrepresentative of American Jews who support Israel, and supportive only of right-wing Israeli policy and viewpoints.[26]

  1. ^ "American Israel Public Affairs Committee[permanent dead link]". Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs. Government of the District of Columbia. Accessed on March 24, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax". American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Guidestar. September 30, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference FECPacDatabase was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference About AIPAC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Bennis, Phyllis (July 15, 2014). "Why Opposing the Israel Lobby Is No Longer Political Suicide". The Nation. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  6. ^ Hussain, Murtaza (November 18, 2023). "Meet the Secret Donors Who Fund AIPAC's Israel Trips for Congress". The Intercept. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  7. ^ Nelson, Nancy Jo (1980) The Zionist Organizational Structure, Journal of Palestine Studies, 10:1, 80–93, doi:10.2307/2536485. p.84.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference TG1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference Rossinow 2018 pp. 23–43 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wertheimer95 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference AIPACIraqStatement was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Cite error: The named reference Milbank was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Post-friendship was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference JewishNews was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference ynn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ a b c Bruck, Connie (September 1, 2014). "Friends of Israel". The New Yorker. pp. 50–63. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference TOE-2021-12-16 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference JPost-2021-12-21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Mearsheimer, John (March 23, 2006). "The Israel Lobby". The Israel Lobby and the US Foreign Policy. Vol. 28, no. 6. London Review of Books. Retrieved December 31, 2013.
  20. ^ Terris, Ben (March 26, 2015). "Jeremy Ben-Ami, winning a place at the table for J Street". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  21. ^ "About AIPAC". Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
  22. ^ AIPAC: Claims and Facts 101 Archived December 23, 2012, at the Wayback Machine The Times OF Israel. February 12, 2012
  23. ^ "Home". AIPAC. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
  24. ^ "Biden Tells AIPAC Two-state Solution the 'Only Way' to Security | Voice of America – English". VOA News. March 21, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  25. ^ Sen. Kamala Harris, Sen. Bob Menendez (March 28, 2017). AIPAC Policy Conference, Senators Harris and Menendez. C-SPAN. AIPAC Policy Conference, Washington D.C. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  26. ^ Cite error: The named reference SAIP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).