Aipac halts candidate endorsements amid US backlash against Israel

Political candidates' once reflexive support for Israel has increasingly become a liability

When the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the most prominent pro-Israel lobby group in the US, announced on Wednesday that it would stop endorsing candidates or make direct contributions to them, its many critics were quick to hail the development as Aipac's admission of how toxic its brand had become.

The announcement marked a significant reversal that underscored just how profoundly US public opinion of Israel has shifted over the latest war in Gaza, and how political candidates' once reflexive support for Israel has increasingly become a liability.