Pro-Israel Lobby J Street Raises $6 Million for Harris
Like Kamala Harris, J Street does not support an arms embargo on Israel.
The Kamala Harris campaign has received more than $6 million from the pro-Israel lobbying group J Street, with $2.7 million of it coming during the third quarter of this year.
Like Harris, J Street, a liberal alternative to the more hawkish American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), has called for a ceasefire by Israel, but has not endorsed an arms embargo where the U.S. would halt weapons shipments until Israel stops its attacks on Gaza.
Several public opinion polls have found that a majority of U.S. adults want to stop sending weapons and supplies to Israel, and a poll commissioned recently by the Arab American Institute found that Harris’ national support would grow from 44% to 49% if she were to “suspend arms shipments and withhold diplomatic support for Israel until there was a ceasefire and withdrawal of forces from Gaza.”
Disclosures filed yesterday with the Federal Election Commission show that J Street bundled $2.7 million in contributions for Harris from the beginning of July through the end of September. The bundled contributions were provided to Harris Victory Fund and Harris for President, and were given by J Street’s PAC. The group’s strong fundraising in the third quarter put its total raised for the campaign at over $6 million, including funds that were given while Biden was the nominee, according to J Street.
J Street’s bundled contributions for the Harris campaign came from hundreds of individual donors, including dozens who gave more than $10,000 and a handful who gave $100,000 or more.
“Our community is tremendously energized to elect Kamala Harris and the new generation of leadership she represents,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said. “She has the chance to chart a bold, fresh approach to Israel-Palestine and the wider Middle East, rooted in our shared values and unburdened by what has been.”
J Street did not respond to Sludge’s questions about its position on suspending arms shipments until a ceasefire is reached. On its website, J Street says it does not support the U.S. putting any conditions on the billions in military aid it provides to Israel.
