Aipac affiliate has funded lavish trips to Israel for dozens of Congress members since 7 October, filings reveal

Since 7 October 2023, at least 26 Democratic and 52 Republican representatives have attended AIEF trips in at least 15 delegations for members of Congress and their staff. Composite: Rita Liu/The Guardian/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Since 7 October 2023, at least 26 Democratic and 52 Republican representatives have attended AIEF trips in at least 15 delegations for members of Congress and their staff. Composite: Rita Liu/The Guardian/Getty Images Aipac affiliate has funded lavish trips to Israel for dozens of Congress members since 7 October, filings reveal Revealed: AIEF, a charitable affiliate of pro-Israel lobby Aipac, has spent millions on travel for lawmakers from both parties, even as voters’ support for Israel plummets Dozens of members of Congress and Capitol Hill staffers have enjoyed lavish gifted travel to Israel funded by an Aipac affiliate since 7 October 2023, amid Israel’s expanding wars on its neighbors and despite plummeting levels of support among Americans for the country’s policies, a Guardian analysis has found. Congressional ethics filings and other public records show the trips, led by the American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF), revolved around one-sided briefings on Middle East politics and Israeli domestic and foreign policy. Lawmakers and their staffers from both parties met Israeli officials, military contractors and civil society figures, including Benjamin Netanyahu and advocates for the annexation of the West Bank and the displacement of Palestinians from Jerusalem. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee ( Aipac ) and other pro-Israel groups have sponsored such trips for years, and both Democratic and Republican lawmakers have joined. But the continued participation of Democratic lawmakers and their staff on recent trips is particularly noteworthy given how much sympathy for Israel has ebbed among Democratic voters, and the pains that some Democratic politicians have recently taken to distance themselves from the lobby group. Aipac: toxicity of pro-Israel Super Pac’s money to be tested in US primaries Read more A recent poll found that eight in 10 Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents have an unfavorable view of Israel, along with six in 10 Americans broadly. The congressional ethics filings show that members of Congress and their staffers were hosted at luxurious hotels, dined at top-tier restaurants and received briefings in at least one West Bank settlement. While one of the trips referenced in this story has previously been reported in broad terms, the Guardian is revealing details relating to itineraries, costs and other trips for the first time. Since 7 October 2023, at least 26 Democratic and 52 Republican representatives have attended AIEF trips in at least 15 delegations for members of Congress and their staff. The Guardian analysis found that the group paid more than $4.2m for those delegations – an average of over $26,600 per member. A few members – including Democrats Steny Ho