When Majority Leader Chuck Schumer appeared on the Senate floor Thursday to deliver a sharp rebuke to Israel's leadership in its war against Hamas, he broke with a longstanding precedent in American foreign policy.
But the response from the most prominent pro-Israel group so far, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, has been largely muted, underscoring the difficulties it faces in navigating a conflict that will test its political clout. The war is also becoming increasingly difficult for Democrats and making things uncomfortable between AIPAC and some of the party's longtime allies.
AIPAC also did not name Schumer for his comments, calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “major obstacle to peace” and saying new elections are needed. Instead, the group emphasized Israel's sovereignty, called for more resources for the country and blamed Hamas for the conflict.
“Israel is an independent democracy that makes its own decisions and elects its own leaders when elections are held,” AIPAC said in a statement.
Bobby Rehnitz, a California businessman close to Netanyahu, said Schumer's speech put the group in a “difficult position.” He said that historically, AIPAC has included the speaker, the majority leader, the minority leader, a sitting president, and the secretary of state.
“They may be very uncomfortable with these comments and they may feel blindsided by them, but as far as action goes, I don’t know what they can do to affect change at this point after these types of comments have been made. ” said.
Nonetheless, Rechnitz, a Republican, argued that Schumer had thrown AIPAC and other similar organizations that support Democrats “under the bus.”
Other AIPAC donors privately agreed with Rechnitz's concerns, especially Schumer's call for another election in Israel.
The group plans to spend $100 million to help elect pro-Israel candidates during the 2024 cycle, and is eyeing the demise of progressives it sees as hostile to Israel. Among the targets are Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-Mo.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who face competitive primary challengers. Schumer, a longtime friend of AIPAC and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official, cannot run for re-election until 2028, and even then he would be an extremely unlikely target.
So far he doesn't seem worried about ruffling any feathers.
“Our decades-long relationship with AIPAC extends beyond one president and prime minister,” Schumer said in a statement to POLITICO. “We both share a deep-rooted love for Israel and the common goal of maintaining bipartisan support for Israel. “We will continue to work together to strengthen and support U.S.-Israel ties.”
A former Schumer aide who was granted anonymity said Schumer's remarks were aimed at “domestic consumption, [rather] than international consumption.” The former staffer said the speech seemed political given the level of concern about Israel's actions within his caucus.
Democrats are under increasing pressure from their base to push out the Israeli government, which has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians in its bombing of the Gaza Strip. Hundreds of thousands of Democrats have voted 'cancel' in primary races across the country in recent weeks in response to President Joe Biden's rebuke of his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
“[AIPAC] “Schumer recognizes that he has a problem on the left, just as the Israel lobby has a problem on the left,” said a Democratic consultant who works with major Jewish donors and was granted anonymity to discuss the issue candidly. “Stay with someone who has always been there for you, but also allow him some breathing space to say what he needs to say if it helps on the left side.”
Biden, whose staff was notified in advance of Schumer's comments, refused to distance himself from the Senate majority leader on the issue. On Friday, the president said Schumer gave a “good speech” and shared the same sentiments as many Americans.
A strategist who works with several Jewish groups said there was personal support within the community for Schumer's comments, but some questioned his timing.
But surely AIPAC “would have to live under a rock not to know how toxic and unpopular Netanyahu is both in the United States and in Israel,” the person said.
A former Democratic Senate aide who worked with AIPAC said AIPAC is sophisticated enough to know that its relationships with Democratic leaders depend on whether those leaders can maintain the support of voters. Schumer's relationship with AIPAC has always been “strong, decisive, candid and open.”
“They understand bare-knuckle politics and how it works,” the person said. “True career relationships don’t disappear with one statement, one vote or one policy position.”
This is not the first time AIPAC has had to walk a hard line while working within America's centers of power.
Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of J Street, a progressive pro-Israel group, has previously pointed to the confrontation between AIPAC and the Democratic Party. The 2015 Iran nuclear deal was intended to hinder Iran's nuclear capabilities, and AIPAC campaigned aggressively against it.
At the time, Schumer had to navigate tensions between AIPAC and the Democratic administration and ultimately voted against the Iran deal. Meanwhile, then-Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz supported the deal. AIPAC continued to support her.
“[AIPAC said]'God forbid, vote for this and support it [Barack] About this deal Obama will never talk to you again and he will run a candidate [against] You don't save any more dollars. ' said Ben-Ami, who has long been a sharp critic of AIPAC. “Then they talked to them again, and they didn’t run a candidate against them. “I think there’s a lot of bark here, not bite.”