The Democratic National Committee is facing criticism from some on the left wing of the party after it did not pass a resolution specifically condemning AIPAC at its annual meeting. The resolution reached at the three-day gathering was an overall condemnation of dark money, which included the American Israel Public Affairs Committee but didn't specifically mention the group. The move is an important step for a party trying to return to its working-class roots and show that it is listening to its voters.

Still, some believe that by not referencing AIPAC, it is falling short of what it needs to do to align with Democratic voters. AIPAC has become increasingly unpopular in recent years, leading some candidates to distance themselves from the pro-Israel lobby group. "The use of massive outside spending to support or oppose candidates based on their positions regarding international conflicts or foreign governments raises concerns about undue influence over democratic debate and policymaking, potentially constraining elected officials' ability to represent the views of their constituents," reads the resolution, issued by Florida DNC member Allison Minnerly, who pointed out AIPAC's large-scale spending in Democratic primaries.

Last year, she called for an arms embargo for Israel, which also didn't pass. Following the DNC's rejection of a resolution specifically referencing AIPAC, some on the left have voiced their opposition to the DNC resolution. "Today's vote once again showed that Democratic leadership is asleep at the wheel when it comes to one of the biggest existential threats to the party.

In 2024, AIPAC was the largest source of Republican money in Democratic politics," policy project executive director Margaret DeReus said in a statement. "AIPAC's extreme agenda for unconditional weapons funding to Israel is deeply out of step not just with most Democrats, but with the majority of the American people. We know DNC officials conducting their unreleased post-2024 autopsy found President Biden's support for Israel cost Democrats votes in the last presidential election and paved the way for Donald Trump to ascend to the White House.

Party leadership needs to wake up," she continued. AIPAC and several other pro-Israel groups voiced their support for the resolution, not referencing Israel, though they didn't clarify if they support the resolution condemning dark money. In light of criticism from the left, DNC Chair Ken Martin said in a public statement, "Let's be clear on what really happened: Today, the Resolutions Committee voted to pass a resolution condemning the corrosive influence of ALL dark money in Democratic primaries.

We had various resolutions that focused on different industries and groups, and instead of going one-by-one, we passed a blanket repudiation." James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute and a longtime DNC member who just returned from the annual meeting, supports the approach of a broad resolution condemning dark money. "They wanted to keep the resolutions focused on ending all dark money from every source," he told The New Arab.

He notes that this will be for presidential primaries and possibly state elections. However, he further noted, there's no consensus on whether to ban it for general elections, which he says could be considered "unilateral disarmament" if Republicans accept dark money in the same races. It is also important to note that the resolution could be used as moral leverage or guidance, but it is not a law that could keep someone off the ballot.

"What's important is there was a debate on the issue on the floor. In the 30 years I've been with the DNC, a handful of times we've had a debate on the floor. The resolution passed to ban dark money in presidential primaries. Right now, that's all that can be done," he said.