Three pro-Israel Democrats join House Foreign Affairs Committee
The House Foreign Affairs Committee has appointed several Democrats with varying views on Israel, highlighting increasing divisions within the party regarding U.S. policy towards the country. Notably, Rep. Jared Moskowitz,a strong supporter of Israel,was named ranking member of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee,emphasizing his commitment to strengthening U.S. alliances in the region. Other appointed members include Congress members Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Wesley Bell, both pro-Israel advocates who won their primaries against progressive challengers critical of Israel. The committee also features Rep. mark Pocan, a critic of Israeli policies and supporter of reducing military aid, and Rep. Jonathan Jackson, who has sponsored legislation to restrict arms transfers to Israel and acknowledged accepting campaign contributions from AIPAC. These appointments reflect ongoing debates within the Democratic Party over U.S. support for Israel and influence the party’s stance as it heads into the 2026 midterm elections amid rising intra-party tensions on foreign policy issues.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee added several Democrats with differing views on Israel to its ranks Tuesday, underscoring the growing divide within the party over U.S. policy toward the country.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) was named ranking member of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee, which oversees U.S. policy toward the region, including aid to Israel. Moskowitz, a staunch supporter of Israel, defeated an anti-Zionist Democratic challenger in his primary last week.
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“At a moment of enormous change across the region, I’ll work to strengthen America’s relationships with Israel and our Gulf allies, expand regional peace, advance American diplomacy, and ensure our foreign policy is grounded in strength, security, and reality,” Moskowitz wrote on X. “I’m ready to get to work.”
Moskowitz, who has consistently affirmed giving military aid to Israel, said he would use his new position to influence policy in the region.
“If Democrats take control of the House, I’ll be in a position to help steer U.S. policy on Israel and the Middle East,” Moskowitz told Axios.
Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Wesley Bell (D-MO) were also appointed to the committee. Both are strong supporters of Israel and defeated progressive primary challengers who criticized their positions on the country. Wasserman Schultz, who won a competitive primary in Florida’s newly drawn 20th Congressional District against a progressive challenger, has received $1.5 million from pro-Israel PACs throughout her career, according to the watchdog group Track AIPAC. Bell, who is supported by AIPAC, defeated Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidate Cori Bush. Bush has been a vocal critic of the Jewish state, repeatedly referring to the war in Gaza as a “genocide.”
The committee will also include Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), a progressive and outspoken critic of Israel and AIPAC. Pocan recently supported efforts to reduce U.S. military assistance to Israel, including an amendment to cut $3.3 billion in funding. The amendment failed, but 103 Democrats voted for it, and 98 opposed it, highlighting the party’s divisions over U.S. support for Israel.
Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) is also moving into the ranking member position on the committee’s Oversight and Intelligence Subcommittee.
Jackson has said he would accept campaign contributions from AIPAC but has also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his policies toward Palestinians. He has sponsored legislation seeking to restrict arms transfers to Israel.
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Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY), the committee’s ranking member, said the new members’ “experience, commitment, and expertise” would strengthen the panel’s work as it confronts challenges to U.S. national security and diplomacy.
The appointments come as Democratic candidates face growing pressure from both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian factions within the party, making Israel policy an increasingly prominent issue heading into the 2026 midterm elections.
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