US midterms put pro-Israel powerhouse AIPAC on defensive

Résumé détaillé

For years, the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC was a US political juggernaut, but deepening voter disillusion over US-Israeli ties and wins by openly Israel-skeptic candidates in…

For years, the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC was a US political juggernaut, but deepening voter disillusion over US-Israeli ties and wins by openly Israel-skeptic candidates in last week's midterm elections have left it reeling.

Candidates of all stripes long courted the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's support. But what was once an asset has become a liability in many races, as favorable opinions of Israel plummet over civilian deaths in Gaza and the costly Iran war.

In the Michigan Senate race, AIPAC's once irresistable force ran into an immovable object.

Democrat Abdul El-Sayed -- who tapped into anger over US funding for Israel's military -- faced AIPAC-supported candidates in both the primary and general election, but emerged victorious to become the first Muslim senator.

The tens of millions of dollars spent by an AIPAC-affiliated group, the United Democracy Project, not only failed to beat El-Sayed -- they helped him boost his own messaging.

"To AIPAC... Thank you for giving me the opportunity to beat you twice," the Michigan politician taunted in his victory speech.

The tables flipped so completely that allies of El-Sayed's Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, reportedly even asked the group to stop spending on him at one point.

"They definitely have become a liability," Adam Wood, a veteran Democratic campaign strategist with City & State Public Affairs, told AFP, noting several campaigns he worked on in years past "coveted" AIPAC's support.

Another Democratic Senate success story, James Talarico, won in Texas with a similar message of ending US funding for Israeli offensive weaponry and keeping distance from AIPAC.

Début de l'article, extrait de Al-Monitor. Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.