Boycott of AIPAC Conference by Dem Presidential Candidates: Another Sign of Growing Anti-Semitism on the Left

The annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) policy conference, which opened in Washington this week, has long been a required stop for American politicians.  Vice President Pence, Senate Majority Leader McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Schumer, House Speaker Pelosi and House Minority Leader McCarthy as well as about two dozen other congressmen will address the conference. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also will speak.

U.S. presidential candidates regularly attend and speak at the AIPAC conference. But this is not the case this year for most – if not all — Democratic candidates who gave in to demands by the far-left to boycott the event. As a result, Senators Elizabeth Warren, Kamala Harris, and Bernie Sanders as well as Rep. John Delaney, former Congressman Beto O’Rourke, Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana and former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro are not attending.

A March 20 article on the website of the far-left organization MoveOn.org said over 74% of its members did not want 2020 presidential candidates to attend the AIPAC conference. The MoveOn.org article criticized AIPAC for trying to defeat the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, having Netanyahu as a speaker at the conference, “giving platforms to Islamophobes,” and refusing to condemn the anti-Semitism of Republicans.

Most of the field of Democratic candidates have said little about the conference. No candidate has confirmed whether he or she will attend. A Sanders aide said he isn’t attending because AIPAC is providing a platform for leaders who have expressed bigotry and oppose a two-state solution in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. O’Rourke seems to be boycotting because he thinks Netanyahu “has openly sided with racists.” However, most of the other candidates gave no reason for their no-shows or blamed scheduling problems.

Most of the Democratic presidential candidates are trying to have it both ways – boycott the AIPAC conference to appease their energetic far-left supporters and not talk about it to avoid alienating Jewish Americans.

The Democratic presidential boycott of the AIPAC conference reflects how far-left, anti-Semitic groups like MoveOn.org are taking over their party. This is especially concerning since it comes amid current tensions over anti-Semitism in the Democratic Party due to Rep. Ilhan Omar’s anti-Semitic and anti-Israel comments, especially her despicable tweet about AIPAC money buying influence in Washington.

The American people are watching this shameless surrender by Democratic presidential candidates to far-left, anti-Semitic extremists.