How AIPAC Became What It Is Today
You may have heard of a lobbying group called AIPAC, which stands for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The main focus of this group is to advocate for pro-Israel policies in the United States. This organization has been deemed one of the most influential lobbying groups.
The Precursor to AIPAC
The American Zionist Council (AZC) was the original pro-Israel lobbying group that was founded in 1949, one year after the secular State of Israel was formed. The Council was tax-exempt, overarching body for many different Zionist groups in the United States. Within the Council, there was a branch called the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs, which would oversee lobbying in Washington. This was created in 1951 by Isaiah L. Kenen. In 1954, AZCPA was then separated from the AZC, as leaders did not want tax-exempted funds to be used for lobbying purposes.
At this point, the American Zionist Committee for Public Affairs is detached from the American Zionist Council and was an independent organization. The AZCPA began broadening its scope to encompass all Jewish organizations, not just Zionist organizations. It was at this time, in 1959, that the AZCPA was formally renamed to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which in turn cemented the commitment to defending Israel beyond just Zionism.
The Foreign Agents Registration Act
Better known as FARA, the Foreign Agents Registration Act was enacted in 1938, requiring foreign agents, defined as individuals or entities engaged in domestic lobbying or advocacy for foreign governments, to register with the Department of Justice and publicly disclose their finances, activities and relationships.
It’s important to note that this law does not ban lobbying on behalf of a foreign government, but rather promotes transparency in regards to foreign influence on US politics.
Both the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations heavily scrutinized the activities of the American Zionist Council, particularly its financial ties to Israel through the government-funded Jewish Agency for Israel. In 1962, attorney general Robert F. Kennedy ordered the AZC to register under FARA. After President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and conveniently for the AZC, Lyndon B. Johnson’s administration decided not to enforce the order.
Due to its plummeting credibility and a refusal to formally register under FARA, the American Zionist Council ceased to exist in 1966.
A Rising Influence in Washington
The reason that AIPAC is not required to register under FARA is because it is structured in a way that allows it to be designated a domestic lobbying group — similar to that of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and big pharma — and therefore cannot be classified as a foreign agent. Unlike the AZC, AIPAC is not funded by the Israeli government, but instead by American donors, most of whom are Jewish.
Even though AIPAC is legally a domestic lobbying group, their core mission has always been to advocate for policies that will strengthen Israel’s security and promote pro-Israel positions in U.S. foreign policy. This is a loophole explains why AIPAC is able to avoid registering under FARA, making it one of the most influential and controversial lobbying organizations in the country.
After the American Zionist Council dissolved in 1966, AIPAC very quickly became the primary pro-Israel lobbying group. The influence of AIPAC grew substantially after two major conflicts in the Middle East. The Six-Day War of 1967 reshaped the image of Israel in the eyes of policymakers in the United States, as the once small and vulnerable state established itself as a formidable and capable military power after defeating Egypt, Jordan and Syria. At the time, Egypt and Syria were aligned with the Soviet Union. Israel’s success showed Washington that it could serve as a strategic ally to the United States as a way to counter Soviet influence. AIPAC was able to capitalize on this victory by lobbying for increased aid to Israel, framing it as a moral obligation and strategic necessity.
On the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur in 1973, Soviet-backed Egypt and Syria, along with a coalition of Arab nations, launched a coordinated surprise attack on Israel. The United States provided an emergency airlift of weapons and supplies to support Israel, known as Operation Nickel Grass. While Israel ultimately gained back the territory they had lost and some, this situation highlighted the dependence that Israel had on the United States.
For AIPAC, this moment was pivotal as it provided them the leverage to argue in Washington that protecting Israel was not only a strategic necessity, but also a defense of what it framed itself as, “the only democracy in the Middle East.”
AIPAC’s Influence on Bipartisan Politics
Unlike many special interests groups, like the NRA, big pharma, and the Farm Bureau, that align themselves with one party, AIPAC has consistently supported both Democrats and Republicans, in an indirect way. The organization itself does not donate to campaigns, rather it coordinates a network of political action committees and individual donors who channel their contributions to candidates on both sides of the aisle.
This sort of bipartisan funding approach gives AIPAC an extraordinary leverage in Congress. Politicians on both sides know that AIPAC has the means to mobilize financial and grassroots support for those who back their agenda, while those who oppose it risk facing a well-funded challenger in their next primary.
In the 2023-2024 election cycle, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) received $618,530 from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which makes pro-Israel interests one of his top funding sources. On the other side of the aisle, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) also received a hefty $866,550 from AIPAC.
Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) said in an interview with Tucker Carlson, “Everybody but me has an AIPAC person … you go have lunch with them, they’ve got your cell number, and you have conversations with them.”
While Massie states that he is less familiar with know how it works on the Democrats’ side, it can be assumed that AIPAC embeds itself in a similar manner on the left. By developing relationships across party lines, AIPAC can ensure that its positions on policy are heard regardless of who is in power.
The fall of the American Zionist Council under FARA should have been the end for foreign-backed lobbying for Israel in our nations’ capital. Instead, AIPAP found a loophole that shaped itself as a “domestic” lobbying group. But it’s not domestically focused, it’s Israeli focused. AIPAC adapts to any party in power, because they support all of them. They have ensured its influence endures regardless of the political landscape.