The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the most powerful Israeli lobby in the US capital, has launched a massive advertising campaign against lawmakers who supported Senate resolutions aimed at halting arms sales to Israel.

The 30-second digital ads—which will run on streaming sites and social media—will air in 11 states where senators voted in favor of measures introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), which sought to block $8.8 billion in offensive bombs and other munitions. The measures were overwhelmingly defeated, with only 15 Democrats supporting them.

An AIPAC spokesperson declined to comment to the media on whether the ads were part of a broader strategy to target senators facing primary or general election challenges.

“Bernie Sanders is putting the safety and security of the Jewish state at risk while it wages a seven-front war against Iran and Iranian-backed terrorists,” AIPAC spokesman Marshall Whitman said in an email. “These ads will educate constituents of senators who voted with Bernie Sanders to undermine America’s partnership with our democratic ally.”

“Experts say such votes are counterproductive and will prolong wars,” says the narrator in one ad targeting Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, accusing him of voting to “weaken” Israel. The ad, first reported by Politico, also cites a recent Gallup poll stating that “94% of Democrats see the importance of defending our allies,” though the poll question asked whether the United States should play a role in world affairs.

This vote—similar to the failed resolutions passed by some liberal Jewish organizations last November—suggested a growing willingness among Democrats, in the midst of the Gaza war, to challenge the historic bipartisan consensus on unconditional support for Israel. Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, whose support for some restrictions on Israel last November prompted Democratic donors and Jewish leaders in his state to encourage Republicans to challenge him in 2026, voted against Sanders's resolutions.

AIPAC's influence in Washington

While the Israeli government deals directly with US administrations, it has traditionally relied on AIPAC to mobilize support for Israel, pressure Congress on key issues, and blackmail members and leaders of Congress.

The organization has often been described as "powerful" by its critics, in part because it directs its 4 million members to make political donations to candidates based solely on their pro-Israel voting record.

But most American Jews vote Democratic, and AIPAC has been criticized for supporting the right-wing Israeli government's policies on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Israel's war of annihilation in Gaza, and for engaging in an aggressive campaign—led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—against the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. AIPAC spent nearly $30 million trying to thwart the agreement, negotiated by former President Barack Obama, before it was approved by the Senate. The group has also been criticized in recent years for running digital ads that defame progressive members of Congress critical of Israel. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has bolstered its reputation by rejecting Netanyahu's campaign rhetoric and alliances with right-wing extremists, and by emphasizing bipartisan support for Israel.