opinion
AIPAC’s Defense of Extremist
Candidates is Indefensible
BY JON GREENWALD
A 20
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio)
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas)
Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.)
How can an organization that purports to ground its support for
pro-Israel policies in the United States on the existence of shared
national values put its seal of approval on politicians … who remain
proud of their contribution to the fundamentally undemocratic activities
of Jan. 6 and to the poisonous half-life of that shameful day?
as the Middle East’s sole democracy
and the U.S. as the essential strate-
gic partner for securing that distinc-
tion. But can politicians who blatantly
undermine democracy at home be
relied on to uphold it abroad? Those
who undermine American democracy
are not true friends of Israel, and no
amount of pro-Israel posturing can
excuse endorsing them.

Many genuine friends of Israel have
said as much.

Washington Post columnist Jennifer
Rubin, for example, wrote: “First you
must be a defender of democracy ….

After all, democracy is at the root of
the Israel-U.S. relationship.”
Likewise, Council on Foreign Relations
President Richard Haas noted that what
ties Israel and the U.S. together is “a
commitment to democracy. An undem-
ocratic America could easily distance
itself from the Jewish state.”
And Abe Foxman, the former head
MARCH 31, 2022 | JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
of the Anti-Defamation League, said
AIPAC’s decision was a “sad mistake,”
and “those who undermine America‘s
democracy undermine America, and a
weak America will not be able to stand
and support its ally Israel.”
AIPAC’s letter stated that the orga-
nization “would base decisions about
political contributions on only one
thing: whether a political candidate
supports the US-Israel relationship.”
Endorsement of the 37 deniers of a free
and fair election, however, is the latest
indication that AIPAC is increasingly out
of touch with the views and values of
most Americans as well as most Jews.

For years, it has defended the Israeli
government’s actions under nearly all
circumstances, even as those actions
have eroded democracy in Israel and
led further away from the peaceful
two-state solution that AIPAC says
it supports. Now, the organization
seems to extend its lack of care for
democracy to include our own domes-
tic politics.

Americans who fear for the future
of democracy at home, in Israel and
around the world need to make clear
that AIPAC’s ideology and actions
do not speak for us. We must show
Congress and the world that most
pro-Israel Americans fiercely oppose
the kind of extremism AIPAC is now
fundraising for, and that true support
for Israel means defending democracy
rather than sacrificing it for the sake of
blind defense of Israel.

Simply put – AIPAC’s defense of
extremism is indefensible. JE
Jon Greenwald is a former U.S.

foreign service officer who worked
on issues including the Middle East,
counterterrorism and international
law. He is also a former vice presi-
dent at the Washington, D.C.-based
International Crisis Group.

“[Photographer Name]/[Collection Name]/Getty Images.

few weeks ago, the new political
action committee established by
the influential lobbying group American
Israel Political Action Committee
announced its first 130 endorsements
for members of Congress. The list
was divided almost evenly between
Democrats and Republicans – not a
surprise since AIPAC calls itself bipartisan.

But the inclusion of 37 Republicans
who refused to vote to certify Joe
Biden as president was a shock.

The vote in question, of course,
came on Jan. 6, 2021, a few hours
after a violent mob supporting then-
President Trump’s lies about a stolen
election had broken into the Capitol,
threatening the lives of senators and
members of Congress. The horrors of
that day were witnessed across the
country but experienced even more
personally by residents of Washington,
D.C. and its Virginia and Maryland sub-
urbs. And of course, the stolen elec-
tion lie remains a virulent element in
today’s fevered political environment.

How can an organization that
purports to ground its support for
pro-Israel policies in the U.S. on the
existence of shared national values put
its seal of approval on politicians like
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, Rep. Ronny
Jackson of Texas, and Rep. Scott Perry
of Pennsylvania, who remain proud of
their contribution to the fundamentally
undemocratic activities of January 6
and to the poisonous half-life of that
shameful day?
Last week, in a letter to its mem-
bers, AIPAC defended its endorse-
ment of the 37 by arguing that “this is
no moment for the pro-Israel move-
ment to become selective about its
friends.” But surely that argument is
deeply flawed.

The U.S.-Israel relationship is indeed
grounded on mutual respect for jus-
tice, equality and democracy. To say
that one supports that relationship
while simultaneously undermining its
shared values, however, involves a
dangerous contradiction.

AIPAC regularly describes Israel