Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) announced that he will no longer accept donations from the powerful pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC � and will return all previous contributions � a move that immediately reverberated through both parties and underscored the widening fault line within the Democratic Party over U.S.-Israel relations.
�I�m cautiously optimistic that the recent breakthrough in Gaza will move us closer to ending the horrific violence in the region,� Moulton said in a statement, referring to the U.S.-brokered cease-fire signed this week by Israel, Hamas, and regional powers. �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.�
The Massachusetts congressman, who launched a primary challenge to Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) just one day earlier, said AIPAC had grown too close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu�s government, arguing the group�s mission now amounts to �backing that government rather than supporting Israel�s long-term security and peace.�
Moulton�s decision � a sharp break from his generally centrist reputation � drew swift backlash from AIPAC, Republicans, and even some pro-Israel Democrats.
�He�s abandoning his friends to grab a headline,� AIPAC spokesman Marshall Wittmann said. �Moulton has been repeatedly asking for our endorsement for years. Now he�s sending a clear message to AIPAC members in Massachusetts and millions of pro-Israel Democrats nationwide that he rejects their support and will not stand with them.�
According to OpenSecrets, AIPAC�s political arm and affiliated donors have contributed about $35,000 to Moulton�s campaigns since 2023 � including $15,560 in the latest quarter � making the group his top single source of support. His campaign confirmed that it is in the process of returning those funds.
Republicans quickly seized on Moulton�s announcement as evidence of Democratic drift on Israel.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) accused Moulton of �placating an antisemitic mob� and said the congressman �has no problem accepting support from the pro-Hamas wing of his party.�
Meanwhile, veteran Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby, a longtime pro-Israel commentator, said Moulton�s reversal reflected the broader pressure facing pro-Israel Democrats.
�Hostility toward the world�s lone Jewish state is now so overwhelming among Democrats that even mostly sensible members of the party cannot resist it,� Jacoby wrote, adding that Moulton �hasn�t announced a similar ban on Americans who support any other country.�
The announcement comes as Moulton positions himself as a pragmatic alternative to Markey, a progressive incumbent who has himself grown more critical of Israel in recent years and has not received AIPAC support since 2019. Markey responded by framing Moulton�s pivot as politically opportunistic.
�Moulton is a well-funded challenger with a record of walking back on progressive values to appease extremists in the Republican Party,� Markey said.
But Moulton�s statement aligns him with a new cohort of House Democrats distancing themselves from AIPAC amid the shifting political climate over Gaza. Reps. Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.), and Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.) have each recently rejected AIPAC contributions after years of accepting them.
The move also reflects the growing political tension following the Trump-brokered Gaza peace deal, which has forced lawmakers to rearticulate their positions on Israel�s security and the future of the U.S.-Israel alliance.
For Moulton, the decision could reshape his profile in Massachusetts politics � and test whether distancing from AIPAC can energize younger, more progressive voters without alienating the state�s traditional Democratic base.
�I�m a friend of Israel but not of its current government,� Moulton said. �A political resolution that allows Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace is exactly the kind of framework I�ve been calling for from the beginning.�
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1 Response
AIPAC is toast. When the pendulum swings back and the Democrats are in power again, the State of Israel will suffer immensely.