By: Fern Sidman

In a move that has deepened rifts within the Democratic Party and intensified scrutiny from Jewish organizations, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) took to X/Twitter on Monday to demand that all Democrats reject political donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The Algemeiner, which has closely followed Sanders’ longstanding antagonism toward Israel and its advocates, noted that this latest attack marks a new phase in Sanders’ efforts to delegitimize the pro-Israel lobby’s role in American politics.

In his post, Sanders accused AIPAC of aiding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in waging what he called an “illegal and immoral war against the Palestinian people.” The senator further asserted that “NO Democrat should accept money from AIPAC,” going so far as to blame the organization for having helped “deliver the presidency to Donald Trump.”

As The Algemeiner report indicated, this claim—blaming a bipartisan pro-Israel group for a Republican election victory—reflects Sanders’ increasingly conspiratorial rhetoric when it comes to Israel and its supporters in the United States. The Algemeiner report pointedly highlighted that Sanders’ comments appeared to echo previous smears that have sought to portray pro-Israel Americans as shadowy political manipulators—an accusation that Jewish leaders have often warned can slide into antisemitic tropes.

Sanders’ remarks came in response to former Obama foreign policy adviser Ben Rhodes, who during a recent episode of the podcast Pod Save the World, urged Democrats to cease accepting donations from AIPAC. Rhodes claimed that AIPAC has “influenced Democrats to take immoral stances on the Israel-Palestine conflict,” adding that the organization was among the “constellation of forces that delivered this country into the hands of Donald Trump and Stephen Miller.”

The Algemeiner report observed that while Rhodes, like Sanders, has a long history of frustration with Israeli leadership—particularly during Benjamin Netanyahu’s tenure—his remarks now align him squarely with the progressive faction calling for a political purge of pro-Israel voices within the Democratic ranks. Rhodes’ narrative reflects a growing belief among progressive activists that AIPAC’s bipartisan advocacy for Israel is incompatible with Democratic values, a position The Algemeiner report sharply criticized as historically blind and politically reckless.

Tommy Vietor, another co-host of Pod Save the World and a former Obama administration official, joined Rhodes in attacking AIPAC, alleging that the group has funneled money into organizations designed to “primary progressive Democrats.” However, The Algemeiner report clarified that AIPAC’s political engagement, particularly through its affiliated super PACs, has been openly focused on supporting pro-Israel candidates from both parties—many of whom are themselves progressives. The newspaper highlighted Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) as a prime example of a progressive Democrat who maintains strong ties with AIPAC, emphasizing that the organization’s support is based on candidates’ commitment to the US-Israel alliance, not their party affiliation.

Sanders’ animosity toward AIPAC is hardly new. In November 2023, Sanders attacked the organization for allegedly supporting “GOP extremists who are undermining our democracy” and called on Democrats to oppose AIPAC in the name of “peace, economic and social justice, and climate sanity.” Sanders’ anti-AIPAC rhetoric has been a consistent element of his political identity, often aligning him with the most radical voices within the Democratic Party’s progressive wing.

Ben Rhodes, too, has established himself as a frequent critic of Israeli policy, especially in relation to failed peace negotiations and settlement expansions in Judea and Samaria during the Obama years. Rhodes’ persistent framing of Israel as an impediment to peace ignores the complex realities of Palestinian governance, including the role of Hamas and other extremist factions. By choosing to target AIPAC—an organization that has championed bipartisan support for Israel for decades—Rhodes and Sanders are taking aim at the very foundation of US-Israel relations.

The Algemeiner report further highlighted Sanders’ broader pattern of hostility toward Israel, noting his repeated accusations that the Jewish state practices “collective punishment” and “apartheid.” Although Sanders condemned the Hamas massacre of October 7, 2023—in which 1,200 innocent Israelis were brutally slaughtered—he quickly pivoted to calling for a ceasefire, even as Hamas continued holding Israeli hostages and launching attacks. Sanders spearheaded a failed effort in 2024 to impose a partial arms embargo on Israel, a move widely condemned by mainstream Jewish organizations as undermining Israel’s right to self-defense.

Many Democrats have grown increasingly critical of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, often ignoring Hamas’s use of human shields and terror tunnels. Polls suggest that Democratic voters—especially younger ones—are turning away from support for Israel, putting pressure on party leaders to adopt harsher rhetoric toward the Jewish state.

The Algemeiner report warned that Sanders’ escalating attacks on AIPAC risk legitimizing a dangerous false narrative—that pro-Israel advocacy groups are somehow a malign force corrupting American democracy. The publication stressed that this line of attack ignores the vital role that AIPAC and similar organizations have played in strengthening the US-Israel relationship, promoting security cooperation, and ensuring bipartisan support for Israel in times of crisis.

Perhaps most concerning is that Sanders’ rhetoric may embolden those on the far left who seek not just to oppose Israeli policies, but to demonize Israel’s very existence. By framing AIPAC—and by extension, Israel—as responsible for everything from Trump’s election to supposed American democratic backsliding, Sanders risks fueling a political environment in which support for Israel is treated as a political liability rather than a point of bipartisan consensus.

At a time when Israel faces existential threats from Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, the last thing American politics needs is a smear campaign against those who stand with the Jewish state. The fight for peace, security, and democracy is not served by scapegoating AIPAC—or by indulging the dangerous narratives peddled by Sanders, Rhodes, and their progressive allies.