Sanders warns AIPAC spending $233M to target Netanyahu critics

US Senator Bernie Sanders warned on Friday that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee intends to spend $233 million to defeat congressional candidates who criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, highlighting the pro-Israel lobby's intervention ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

AIPAC's Electoral Strategy

Sanders took to social media platform X on Friday to detail the committee's spending plans. The organization "plans to spend $233 million to defeat candidates who dare to speak out against Netanyahu's extremist government," he wrote, noting that the group had already spent $33 million to defeat Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan's Democratic primary. "They lost. They are going to keep losing," Sanders added, framing the expenditure as evidence that massive spending cannot suppress dissent on US foreign policy toward Israel and Palestine.

Calls to End Military Aid

The Vermont independent delivered an unequivocal message regarding future aid packages. "NO MORE U.S. MILITARY AID FOR ISRAEL," Sanders said, aligning himself with progressive Democrats who reject unconditional support for the Netanyahu government's policies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. His comments come as polling suggests Democrats are favored to win the House and possibly the Senate, with many candidates taking harder lines against the displacement of Palestinians and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Political Fallout

El-Sayed, who is seeking a Senate seat in Michigan, has built his campaign on opposing military aid to Israel and condemning the Netanyahu administration's actions. The lobbying group's aggressive spending strategy reflects mounting anxiety in Washington over the potential erosion of congressional backing for the military partnership as the US electorate's view of Israel sours.