Washington, DC – Pro-Israel groups in the United States are spending millions of dollars in elections to assert their influence over the rising anger towards Israeli policies.A set of primaries in the Midwestern state of Illinois on Tuesday represents an early test for the strength of pro-Israel politics in the US amid the countries’ joint war on Iran.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of listThe Chicago area Democratic primaries, where groups linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) have emerged as some of the largest spenders, come as Israel’s popularity in the US hits a historic low.As AIPAC’s brand becomes increasingly rejected by Democrats, newly formed political action committees (PACs) with generic names that share vendors with the pro-Israel lobby group have been spending heavily against progressives in Illinois.Several so-called dark-money groups that do not have to reveal their funders until after the vote have endorsed the same candidates as AIPAC.According to an investigation by Chicago’s public radio WBEZ, AIPAC and its donors have spent $13.7m on the primaries, including through funds funnelled to shadow PACs.Usamah Andrabi, a spokesperson for the progressive group Justice Democrats, said AIPAC is using “covert shell” groups because it is aware of the unpopularity of Israel, especially after the “live-streamed genocide” in Gaza.He noted that AIPAC’s election arm is called the United Democracy Project, a name that does not mention Israel.“AIPAC has always relied on voters not knowing the whole story,” Andrabi told Al Jazeera. Advertisement “AIPAC has become such a toxic force in the Democratic Party that voters now, when they see a candidate backed by AIPAC, they reject them simply for that support.”A source close to AIPAC told Jewish Insider this week tha …
