As Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip rolls into its sixth week, the United States continues to offer its overwhelming support to its ally. When asked about the chance of a cease-fire last week, President Joe Biden shot back, “None. No possibility.”

According to the Gaza Health Ministry, over eleven thousand Palestinians have been killed as a result of Israel’s assault. In 2023, Israel is scheduled to receive $3.8 billion in annual American military assistance as part of a decades long-agreement — and may receive another $14 billion, after Biden’s emergency aid package passed the House of Representatives. A cease-fire resolution introduced by Representative Cori Bush, a Missouri Democrat, has been cosponsored by just seventeen other lawmakers. Meanwhile, the House has censured Palestinian-American congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, a Michigan Democrat, for her rhetoric in support of Palestine. Along with 212 Republicans, twenty-two Democrats voted to censure Tlaib.

What could explain this mostly unflinching and unexamined backing of Israel among Republicans and Democrats alike? In large part, this is a political moment created by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israel lobbying group. In 2022, for the first time, AIPAC targeted Democrats in primaries — including a Jewish, self-proclaimed pro-Israel Democrat. Now, every Democrat likely knows that supporting anything short of the full AIPAC line — which currently equates to unwavering support of Israel’s siege — means that, in your next election, you may just be spent into the ground.