My First AIPAC Experience

Baton Rouge, La. — This past March, I attended the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference held in Washington, D.C. My experience at AIPAC will be one that I will never forget. Mainly because I experienced many firsts. My first time in Washington, D.C., my first time being a part of a convention with over 18,000 attendees, my first time witnessing an organized, wide-scale protest, and my first time learning about the importance of a strong U.S.-Israel global partnership.

Before I get into what I learned while at AIPAC, let me give you its background. AIPAC was founded on January 3, 1963 as a pro-Israel lobbying entity. The organization advocates policies to Congress and the President that would be advantageous for the country of Israel. AIPAC practices bipartisan approaches for achieving its means. For the past 53 years, AIPAC has been very influential on the Hill, championing the passage of bills related to military and financial aid to Israel. Last year, in stark opposition to President Obama, AIPAC vehemently opposed the the Iran Deal. While it failed to stop the passage of this agreement, there are still movements on the part of AIPAC to rescind the deal.

Some Americans and many pro-Palestinian groups believe that AIPAC’s influence is dangerous and that the disproportional affects on Congress and Palestine are unconscionable. While controversial, it still attracted speakers such as President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama, CIA Director Leon Panetta, Senator Ted Cruz, and even presidential nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.

I was selected to attend AIPAC, along with 17 other young people from across the nation. We were featured in an article in Medium which highlighted our work with campaigns and causes in our respective states. AIPAC likes to engage young people in hopes of garnering more support from the demographic and since we seemed to be politically active students, AIPAC decided to invest some of its resources into us.

AIPAC taught me about the conflict between Israel and Palestine. It is all about one thing: Land. Palestine believes that Israel has claimed land that it rightly owns. While Israel believes it is its birthright. Nevertheless, it is yet another ideological war that is costing thousands of lives. While I appreciated the information I was able to learn while at AIPAC, I am interested in studying the issue further and eventually traveling to Israel. I believe this is necessary before taking a stance on this particular issue. Once I do, I hope that I may be able to play a small part in the bringing of peace between Israel, Palestine, and their religious affiliations.

To learn more about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, go to aipac.org.