While uncertainty surrounds the staying power of the peace forged by the Trump administration in the Middle East following the brokerage of a ceasefire that has tentatively brought an end to the war in the Gaza Strip, what is clear is that the battle being fought against Israel in the war of public opinion still rages on. Any triumph Israel has claimed from its military offensive in Gaza since 2023 has proven to be a Pyrrhic victory at best, as the fallout from the war has seen the nation’s global standing fall into disrepute. The visible shift in public opinion turning against Israel has transformed the nation from one that has steadfastly garnered the unconditional support of the Western world into one increasingly seen as a pariah. That decline in support is especially evident in the United States, where criticism of Israel’s influence has become one of the foremost topics of discussion in the country’s political discourse.
The fallout from the war in Gaza has become so severe that it has even put a strain on Israel’s relationships with its most steadfast allies in Congress. Under the weight of that scrutiny, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (“AIPAC”) has become the focal point of criticism over Israel’s influence on the US’ elected representatives and government at large. With AIPAC’s endorsement becoming a scarlet letter for many in Congress whose constituents have become increasingly at odds with them over their subservience to the State of Israel, the decision of one congressman to distance himself from the vanguard of the pro-Israel lobby may indicate a paradigm shift that Americans hoping to wrestle back control of their government from foreign influence have long yearned for.
Seth Moulton, the Democratic US representative for Massachusetts’ 6th congressional district since 2015, demonstrated how some members of Congress have finally started to see AIPAC as a liability in the court of public opinion when he announced his decision to return the campaign donations that he has received from AIPAC over the course of 2025. In total, Moulton will return around $35,000 that AIPAC and its affiliates have donated to him over the first three quarters of the year. Additionally, Moulton has decided to stop taking donations from AIPAC altogether.
AIPAC became Moulton’s largest donor during his last congressional term from 2023 to 2024 when the lobbying group and its affiliates donated $42,850 over that two-year period, with $32,850 coming from AIPAC directly and another $10,000 coming from PACs working under its auspices. According to a campaign finance record filed by Moulton’s office on Wednesday, AIPAC donated $15,650 to his current congressional campaign in the third quarter of 2025 alone. All refunds made to AIPAC from Moulton will be reflected in his campaign’s annual report for 2025, which is due on January 31st, 2026.
However, the remarks he made following his decision to reject support from AIPAC raise questions about whether or not it is representative of a true paradigm shift in how Israel influences Congress or if it is little more than a performative exercise of opportunism. “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 issued on Thursday. “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.”
Moulton’s remarks contextualized his decision to be one aimed against the ruling establishment of Israel under the regime of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instead of being an indictment against the pervasive influence the country has on American policymaking. Furthermore, Moulton’s decision to sever himself from AIPAC followed his announcement that he would be challenging incumbent Ed Markey in the Democratic primary for the 2026 Senate. Markey, the junior senator from Massachusetts since 2013, has not received campaign donations from AIPAC since 2019. With Democratic voters being especially outspoken against the State of Israel, Moulton’s decision to distance himself from the pro-Israel lobby appears to be one of pragmatism aimed at bolstering his chances in the 2026 Senate race rather than one rooted in principle.
A cursory examination of Moulton’s voting record highlights his steadfast support for Israel since first being sworn into Congress in 2015. Throughout his congressional tenure, Moulton has voted in favor of military aid to Israel. Moulton has voted in favor of various resolutions combating antisemitism, including the controversial Antisemitism Awareness Act of 2023, which raised serious concerns over infringements on Americans’ rights to free speech and assembly. He has also voted in favor of various pieces of legislation aimed against the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. Additionally, Moulton voted in favor of House Resolution 11 in 2017 that objected to UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which affirmed that Israeli settlements in occupied territories like the West Bank were illegal under international law such as the Geneva Conventions.
Although Moulton has maintained a strong pro-Israel voting record, his rhetoric increasingly took aim against the Netanyahu regime throughout the course of the war in Gaza. Moulton called for an immediate ceasefire in the war in March 2024 and repeatedly condemned Netanyahu for the IDF’s conduct in the conflict and the humanitarian crisis that it led to. Despite the emergence of those criticisms, Moulton has held his strong pro-Israel position, particularly on crucial aspects like continued US military aid and security assistance committed to the country.
In response to Moulton’s decision to refund past and refuse future campaign donations made by AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group vociferously disavowed the Massachusetts congressman. In a vitriolic response to Moulton’s decision to sever his ties with them, AIPAC characterized the move as disingenuous by highlighting his continued requests for the lobbying group’s support throughout the years. That criticism from AIPAC echoes the doubts that Moulton made his decision to distance himself from the pro-Israel lobbying group on any ethical grounds and instead did so in the hope of securing votes from a Democratic voting block increasingly against Israel that the fate of his 2026 Senate campaign hinges upon.
Although the decision by Congressman Seth Moulton to break away from AIPAC signals the increasing impact of the shift in the Overton Window over how Israel is viewed, it must be met with cautious optimism. While it does indicate a positive development in that even Congress is recognizing the deteriorating support for Israel among Americans, the true test of whether that impact will reshape US policymaking will be found in affecting how candidates vote and not just how they finance their reelection campaigns.