House Democrats Add Three Pro-Israel Lawmakers to Foreign Affairs Panel, Including Atop Middle East Subcommittee

Despite Democratic voters turning strongly against American support for Israel, House Democrats are adding two pro-Israel lawmakers to the powerful Foreign Affairs Committee. A third pro-Israel lawmaker will also take over as the top Democrat on the subcommittee which covers the Middle East and North Africa. In primary elections across the country, support for Israel has proven to be a weight around the necks of some pro-Israel Democrats. More House Democrats have lost renomination in this year’s primary election cycle than in any cycle since 2002. In total, seven House Democrats have lost their primaries this year, with four of them being stridently attacked for past pro-Israel positions. The ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Gregory Meeks, announced that two pro-Israel colleagues — Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Congressman Wesley Bell — will be joining him on the committee. One progressive lawmaker who has consistently voted against sending arms to Israel, Congressman Mark Pocan, was also added to the committee’s roster. “Their experience, commitment, and expertise will strengthen our work and help guide the committee as it addresses urgent challenges in national security and diplomacy,” Mr. Meeks said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. Mr. Meeks also announced that Congressman Jared Moskowitz, who recently won a contested primary against an anti-Israel member of the Democratic Socialists of America, will take over the top slot on the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee. If Democrats take the majority in the House next year, Mr. Moskowitz is all but guaranteed to serve as chairman of the subcommittee, and would have a great deal of power in blocking any anti-Israel legislation from coming to the floor. “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. I’m ready to get to work,” Mr. Moskowitz wrote on X. The subcommittee which Mr. Moskowitz may lead come January deals primarily with security agreements and diplomatic relations in the region, and oversees the State Department’s actions across the Middle East and North Africa. Like Mr. Moskowitz, Ms. Wasserman Schultz and Mr. Bell also recently won their primaries over anti-Israel opponents. Both candidates were backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The issue of Israel has been roiling the party for nearly three years now, since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on the Jewish state. Many left-wing candidates, some of whom are either members of or have been endorsed by the DSA, have sought out the endorsement of Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who in the past said America “deserved” the September 11 attacks. In recent days, Mr. Piker was the focus of criticism among some Democrats after he said that American Jews who are “singularly” dedicated to Israel may be inviting violence from anti-Israel fanatics. On Monday, the minority leader, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries — a staunch Israel supporter — decried Mr. Piker’s comments without using the streamer’s name. “The malicious claim that American Jews are inviting violence against themselves is dangerous and antisemitic. There is zero justification for threats against the safety of our Jewish brothers and sisters at a moment of rising hate,” Mr. Jeffries said. The comments from Mr. Piker over the weekend also deepened what were already significant rifts within the Democratic Party of Michigan, where the streamer campaigned with this year’s Senate nominee, Dr. Abdul El-Sayed. A state senator, Jeremy Moss, who is the Democratic nominee in the race for the 11th Congressional District, has refused to endorse Dr. El-Sayed thus far, citing his relationship with Mr. Piker. Congresswoman Hillary Scholten, a Grand Rapids Democrat, also has refused to endorse Dr. El-Sayed due to the Senate candidate’s refusal to denounce Mr. Piker.

House Democrats Add Three Pro-Israel Lawmakers to Foreign Affairs Panel, Including Atop Middle East Subcommittee

House Democrats Add Three Pro-Israel Lawmakers to Foreign Affairs Panel, Including Atop Middle East Subcommittee

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