Moskowitz named top Middle East Democrat on House Foreign Affairs Committee

Pew poll finds Israel favorability declining across US electorate

Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Wesley Bell of Missouri were appointed to the House Foreign Affairs Committee this week, while Rep. Jared Moskowitz, also of Florida, was named the ranking Democrat on the Middle East and North Africa subcommittee, The Guardian reported Wednesday. All three had recently defeated primary challengers who made their pro-Israel positions a campaign issue.

Moskowitz last week defeated Oliver Larkin, described by The Guardian as an anti-Zionist democratic socialist. During the campaign, Moskowitz accused Larkin of antisemitism and refused to debate him, The Guardian reported. One rabbi reportedly urged Republican congregants to register as Democrats in order to vote for Moskowitz.

Moskowitz said he would use his new role to advance US support for Israel. “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,” he posted on social media. According to The Guardian, Moskowitz said that if Democrats retake the House in November’s midterm elections — a possibility suggested by many polls — he would be “in a position to help steer US policy on Israel and the Middle East.”

Wasserman Schultz won her primary after her congressional district was heavily redrawn, defeating her main challenger, 27-year-old Elijah Manley, who had criticized her support for Israel and her acceptance of financial contributions from AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Bell, a Missouri Democrat, defeated former Rep. Cori Bush in a rematch of their 2024 primary contest. Bush had been a vocal critic of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza.

The appointments come against a backdrop of falling US public support for Israel. A Pew Research Center poll conducted in April found that favorability toward Israel has declined across the US electorate, with the drop particularly pronounced among younger voters. Majorities holding favorable views of Israel were found only among older Republicans and white evangelicals, the poll found.

Also joining the committee is Rep. Mark Pocan, a progressive Wisconsin Democrat who has publicly criticized AIPAC.

Separately, Angie Nixon, identified by The Guardian as a leftwing Democrat and vocal critic of Israel, won a special election last week to become the Democratic Senate candidate in Florida in November.