Jan 29, 2020

A pro-Israel super PAC has launched a $700,000 television ad campaign targeting presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., as he rises in the polls in the crucial days before the Iowa caucuses next week.

Democratic Majority for Israel, a group with close ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobby, started airing ads that target the senator in Iowa today. Interestingly, the ads do not mention Israel or foreign policy and instead argue that self-identified socialist cannot beat President Donald Trump in a general election. They also express concern over the 78-year-old candidate’s health because of his heart attack last year.

Sanders’ rebuttal — posted online Tuesday — also did not address Israel or foreign policy and instead focused on his campaign finance reform platform.

“The big money interests can run all the negative ads they want, but it’s not going to work,” said Sanders.

Why it matters: Although neither side appears to want to make Israel an issue ahead of the Iowa caucuses on Monday, the ads are the result of an increasingly heated debate between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian factions within the Democratic Party.