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New data shows depth of AIPAC's links to Washington and Tel Aviv

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, speaks live via satellite, at the 2019 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., March 26, 2019. (AFP Photo)
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Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, speaks live via satellite, at the 2019 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference in Washington, D.C., March 26, 2019. (AFP Photo)
May 21, 2026 02:34 PM GMT+03:00

Democracy for the Arab World Now, a U.S.-based NGO known as DAWN, published data mapping professional connections between staff of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC, and government institutions in both the United States and Israel.

According to DAWN's statement, at least 66 former AIPAC employees currently work in U.S. federal government institutions, including the White House and various branches of the military. Of those, 40 have worked in Congress. An additional 23 current AIPAC employees previously held positions in the U.S. government, 17 of them in Congress.

The data also shows that seven former AIPAC employees currently work in Israeli state institutions, while six current AIPAC employees previously worked on behalf of Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington, DC, March 6, 2018. (AFP Photo)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in Washington, DC, March 6, 2018. (AFP Photo)

Dataset covers 400,000 people across 2,000+ organizations

DAWN said the dataset covers approximately 400,000 individuals connected to more than 2,000 organizations, representing more than 1.2 million professional connections.

In its statement, DAWN described AIPAC as an organization that "shapes U.S. Middle East policy but operates in the shadows," adding: "AIPAC's tax-exempt status means that American taxpayers are effectively financing the pro-Israel lobby, and the public deserves to know how and for whom AIPAC works."

Then-US Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) 2020 Policy Conference in Washington, DC, March 2, 2020. (AFP Photo)
Then-US Vice President Mike Pence speaks during the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) 2020 Policy Conference in Washington, DC, March 2, 2020. (AFP Photo)

DAWN publishes AIPAC executive profiles

Alongside the dataset, DAWN published profiles of AIPAC's 50 top decision-makers, 41 board members and nine executives, noting that unlike comparable organizations of its size and influence, AIPAC does not maintain a public leadership page identifying who governs and directs its operations.

DAWN said AIPAC's directors and officers function as a "network of networks," simultaneously occupying leadership positions across major pro-Israel institutions in the United States.

The group cited several examples from the data. AIPAC Board Chair Betsy Berns Korn also chairs the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, an umbrella body coordinating more than 50 pro-Israel organizations, since June 2025.

Similarly, board member Harriet Schleifer also holds a position at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and previously led the American Jewish Committee. Another board member, Jamie Sprayregen, sits on the boards of governors of both the Middle East Forum and the American Jewish Committee. Alan Levow, an AIPAC vice president, also serves as vice president of the American Israel Education Foundation, which funds congressional trips to Israel.

DAWN further noted that under U.S. nonprofit law, AIPAC's board members and executive officers carry personal legal responsibility for the organization's conduct, including fiduciary duties of care, loyalty and obedience under the Washington D.C. Nonprofit Corporation Act.

The group said executive officers face potential personal liability for negligence in ways that directors do not, under D.C. Code provisions.

May 21, 2026 02:36 PM GMT+03:00
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