AIPAC, or the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, describes itselfs the most important organization affecting the U.S. relationship with Israel.  With a budget of $65 million, and membership now standing at over 100,000, it is no wonder that congressional staffers consider it one of the most powerful and effective lobbies on Capitol Hill. 

Once a year, AIPAC holds its annual conference in Washington DC.  In March of 2012, it was attended by over 12,000 participants.  Its annual policy conference is one of Washington’s largest gatherings of lawmakers, topped only by the President’s State of the Union address. Guests this year included President Obama and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi,Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu . However, since Stop AIPAC went online about 6 years ago, something has changed.

This year, like last year, the AIPAC policy conference was directly confronted and challanged by hundreds of citizen-activists from around the country who held a conference of their own, supporting peace with justice and an end to the racism and militarism supported by AIPAC. Under the banner "Occupy AIPAC", politicians were confronted with a different voice.

We *still* rarely hear a critical word uttered among politicians regarding AIPAC and its associates that support unjust and aggressive (and disastrous)  U.S. policies toward the peoples of the Middle East. Politicians still mostly pander to an unjust status quo, even while giving lip-service to "change".  Yet we are determined as ever to change that. 

For too long, policies that support Israeli militarism and occupation have gone unchallenged.  Political voices raising even minor disagreements with prevailing policies are silenced or subject to campaigns of intimidation.  We must open the door to full debate regarding U.S. relationship with Israel and U.S. policy with other countries in the region. 

These pages will examine how AIPAC and related institutions (usually collectively known as the "Israel Lobby") support a dangerous status quo, including AIPAC's support for U.S. military aid to Israel, which amounts to over $3 billion per year.  We will examine its support for even the worst of Israeli policies, and its support for further U.S. military action in the region.

We will provide resources to counter AIPAC initiatives before Congress, such as the current legislation in Congress to punish the Palestinian people.  You will hear many voices and listen to the debate among those who want U.S. policy to change but differ on how influential the "Israel Lobby" really is in formulating that policy. 

Most importantly, we will serve as a  resource for people organizing actions to challenge the status quo.  We believe that changing U.S. policy is really the bottom line.  The people of the United States, and the people of the world, deserve better than policies of endless war, occupation, and support for dispossession of the Palestinian people.   We the people want a policy based on fairness and mutual respect.  Therefore, we welcome the participation of those who want a U.S. foreign policy based on adherence to international law and support for human rights for everyone.