There was a time when it was pretty much mandatory for any Democratic candidate for the presidency to attend the annual conference of AIPAC, the premier Israel lobby group, and proclaim their unwavering allegiance to Israel irrespective of whatever horrors the government there unleashes on the Palestinians. That has changed, thanks to pressure from grassroots organizations that include progressive Jewish groups like IfNotNow.

This year so far, of all the candidates, only Michael Bloomberg has announced that will be attending. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, and Pete Buttigieg have said they are skipping it. Joe Biden and Tom Steyer have still not publicly said if they are going but a Biden spokesperson said that he will go.

The increasing distancing of the Democratic party from the apartheid policies of the Israeli government is why the Israel lobby has stepped up its efforts at all levels to punish critics of Israel and to get colleges and state and local governments to act against the BDS movement.