Pro-Israel group AIPAC cancels 2022 conference over COVID-19 concerns

The Pro-Isreal group American Israel Public Affairs Committee announced Monday that the group would not be holding its 2022 policy conference over fears of COVID-19.

"We hoped that by now we would have had greater certainty, more clarity, and the definitive answers needed to determine whether we can safely host a Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. in 2022," AIPAC President Betsy Berns Korn said in a statement Monday, according to The Hill.

Korn said that there are still "too many questions that remain unanswered" regarding the pandemic, vaccinations, and gathering to hold the conference responsibly.

The financial commitments needed to host and set up the conference of nearly 18,000 people over three days would be "an irresponsible use of the resources you entrust us to use wisely," Korn said.

The statement said that AIPAC "will be as robust as in previous years — and even more so — with new and creative ways to engage members of Congress and their staff."