The founder of Whatsapp, Jan Koum has reportedly donated $2 million to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) campaign in last month’s Democratic primaries.
The donation is one of the largest the organization has ever received, far exceeding that of billionaires Paul Singer and Bernie Marcus, as well as donor Israeli-American democrat Haim Saban.
Details of the donation were revealed by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. According to the report, the multibillionaire has doubled his contributions to the controversial pro-Israel lobby, which critics say is an existential threat to the US Democratic Party.
In addition to the surge in funding that is expected to guarantee a win for the pro-Israel candidate, Koum, whose net worth is estimated at between $9.8 to $13.7, has also been known to double his previous high donations to the AIPAC’s United Democracy Project Super PAC.
His support for the Zionists has also been carried out from 2019 to 2020, when Koum who is a Ukrainian-born Jewish, is said donated $140 million in gifts to about 70 pro-Israel charities operating in the United States. On the other hand, the Jewish Telegraph Agency reports that the family’s foundation has also been quietly increasing donations to issues related to Jews and Israel over the past few years.
The billionaire is known to have also made a controversial $6 million donation to Friend of Ir David, which is the US fundraising arm of Elad. Elad, a right-wing NGO focused on settling Jews in Arab neighborhoods in occupied Jerusalem, has long been known as an Israeli weapon to steal Palestinian lands including private lands owned by Palestinians who fled Israeli aggression in 1948 or 1967.
News of Koum’s contribution to AIPAC comes following the successful release of AIPAC during the primary in Maryland which was seen as a warning of the threat facing the Democratic Party from the pro-Israel lobby group.
AIPAC is known to have spent $6 million on Tuesday’s contest in Maryland, more than any other political action committee (PAC). Critics say that the Super PAC used to raise millions of dollars in political donations that AIPAC founded is an existential threat to Democrats, especially since the funds used to defeat candidates critical of Israel often come from Republican donors.
