Democrat lawmaker returns AIPAC funds as pro-Israel group's brand turns 'toxic'

A US lawmaker said on Thursday he will be returning donations received from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), and will not be taking further funds from the group.

Massachusetts Democratic congressman Seth Moulton said the decision was over the pro-Israel lobbying group's support for Israel's government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"I support Israel's right to exist, but I've also never been afraid to disagree openly with AIPAC when I believe they're wrong," Moulton said in a statement posted to X. "In recent years, AIPAC has aligned itself too closely with Prime Minister Netanyahu's government. I'm a friend of Israel, but not of its current government, and AIPAC's mission today is to back that government. I don't support that direction. That's why I've decided to return the donations I've received and will not be accepting their support."

Moulton, who has been mildly critical of Israel's conduct in its war on Gaza, received $32,850 from AIPAC-affiliated individuals for his 2023 and 2024 campaigns, according to OpenSecrets. This makes AIPAC the top outside contributor for Moulton's campaigns in those years.

An official from Moulton's campaign told The Hill that his team is in the process of returning $35,000 in donations from the pro-Israel group. The unnamed official added that the returned funds will be reflected on the campaign's 2025 Federal Election Commission report.

The statement on Thursday came a day after Moulton announced that he would be running against Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey in the Democratic primary for the 2026 Senate race.

Markey, considered on the progressive wing of the party, did not receive AIPAC contributions to his campaigns between 2019 and 2024, according to OpenSecrets.

In response to Moulton's decision, an AIPAC spokesperson delivered a scathing rebuke of the congressman, accusing him of "abandoning his friends to grab a headline".

"His statement comes after years of him repeatedly asking for our endorsement," AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittman was quoted by Haaretz as saying.

Moulton's announcement reflects AIPAC's increasingly toxic brand within US politics, particularly in the shadow of Israel's devastating two-year war on Gaza. Israel has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023, in an onslaught that is increasingly being recognised as a genocide.

From across the political divide, US politicians and influential commentators have become more vocal in their criticisms of AIPAC and its impact on US politics.

In recent weeks, Democratic representatives Morgan McGarvey, Deborah K. Ross, and Valerie P. Foushee announced they would no longer be taking AIPAC donations, despite having previously had the pro-Israel PAC as their top campaign contributor.

Among the Republicans, Trump ally and congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has called for AIPAC to be registered as a foreign agent, while MAGA-affiliated commentators Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson have used their platforms to criticise the pro-Israel group.