LONDON: The American Israel Education Foundation has funded scores of extravagant trips for dozens of US Congress members since Oct. 7 2023 in a bid to build support for Israel in Washington, according to news reports.
The AIEF is a charitable affiliate of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which has lobbied several US administrations to support Israeli policies in the Middle East since 1954.
The charity has allowed AIPAC to avoid federal scrutiny of its sponsorship of overseas travel for US officials since its incorporation in 1988. In 2019, it sponsored 129 trips totaling $2.32 million for US lawmakers and their senior staff to Israel, funded by Jewish charities, The Intercept reported.
Since Israel launched its military campaign against Gaza in late 2023 the AIEF has sponsored a weeklong trip to Israel for at least 26 Democratic and 52 Republican members of Congress, who stayed at luxury hotels, dined at high-end restaurants and visited illegal settlements in the West Bank.
They also met senior government officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, military contractors and extremist figures who support the annexation of the occupied West Bank — a measure condemned by several European nations — and the displacement of Palestinians from Jerusalem.
