Progressive and pro-Palestine critics on Tuesday accused House Democratic leaders of ignoring the majority of party voters who oppose US military aid to Israel by appointing one of the most pro-Israel members of Congress as the top Democrat on a key Mideast subcommittee.
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the leading Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced the appointment of Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) as ranking member of the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) was assigned to the Oversight and Intelligence Subcommittee, Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) joined the Africa Subcommittee, and Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) was named to the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee.
Moskowitz thanked Meeks and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on social media "for this important responsibility" and, in a separate post, vowed to "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."
During his two terms in Congress, Moskowitz—who last week survived a primary challenge by pro-Palestine progressive Oliver Larkin—has repeatedly argued against conditioning armed aid to apartheid Israel on compliance with international law or protection of Palestinian civilians amid the ongoing genocide in Gaza and Israel's illegal occupation, colonization, and ethnic cleansing in the West Bank.
Moskowitz was one of only 12 Democrats who voted for a 2023 Republican aid package to Israel—which receives billions of dollars in annual US funding—as the Israeli military killed thousands of Palestinian civilians in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack.
Critics argued that placing one of Congress’ most outspoken supporters of Israel in a key Middle East policy position shows that Democratic leadership remains badly out of step with its own voters, a majority of whom concur with a United Nations commission of inquiry, human rights groups, scholars, and around 20 national governments who say Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
Moskowitz denies the Gaza genocide, has conflated criticism of Israeli crimes with hatred of Jews, and was denounced by House progressives including Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), the only Palestinian American in Congress, for authoring an amendment to ban US officials from using State Department funds to cite official Gaza casualty figures—which now include more than 250,000 Palestinians killed, wounded, or missing during Israel's onslaught.
Meeks' appointments come at a time when 3 in 4 Democratic voters oppose US aid to Israel—up from just 45% three years ago—and after the issue was a factor in former Vice President Kamala Harris' defeat by President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
In response to Moskowitz's appointment, the progressive organizing group Demand Progress issued a statement noting that the congressman "has consistently opposed placing conditions on military aid to Israel, repeatedly voted against the majority of House Democrats to sanction International Criminal Court officials, and earlier this year said he would oppose an Iran war powers resolution."
Demand Progress senior policy adviser Cavan Kharrazian said:
By making a hard-line Israel supporter their point person on Middle East policy, House Democratic leaders are doubling down on a failed approach to Israel that shows contempt for the clear and growing majority of Democratic voters who want to stop cutting blank checks for the Israeli government. Donald Trump’s ongoing wars in the Middle East and his commitment to keeping the US joined at the hip to Israel are wildly unpopular and have been a disaster for the nation. Elevating someone who consistently sides with Trump in support of Israel, and who has a long record as an Iran hawk, represents clear political malpractice on behalf of House Democratic leaders.
Palestine defenders and Democrats concerned about the possible fallout of elevating an Israel hawk to a top subcommittee post as the party seeks to win back control of Congress in November's midterm elections bdenounced the appointment of Moskowitz.
ReThinking Foreign Policy president Mitchell Plitnick called Meeks' move "very bad news."
"Moskowitz is a completely inappropriate choice, given how wildly out of step he is with Democratic voters on Mideast issues," he said on X. "It's yet another indication of why it is so desperately important that Democratic 'leaders' like Hakeem Jeffries and Gregory Meeks be replaced as soon as possible."
Erik Sperling, executive director at Just Foreign Policy, called the decision to appoint Moskowitz "shocking."
"Meeks and Jeffries are apparently intending to signal that the anti-war and pro-Palestinian movements are unwelcome in the [Democratic] Party?"
Writer Wajahat Ali asked on X, "How much damage will Democratic leaders cause to their own brand and party for AIPAC money?"
Ali was referring to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, whose campaign contributions have been a deciding factor in electing pro-Israel candidates to Congress and defeating those who advocate for Palestinian rights. So far, AIPAC has poured more than $100 million into the 2026 midterm elections—including around $30 million against Michigan Democratic US Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed.
According to the watchdog group Track AIPAC, Moskowitz has received $833,288 in campaign contributions from the Israel lobby over the course of his career, Wasserman Schultz has taken $1,542,327, and Bell—who ousted former Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.)—a staggering $18,126,578. Pocan, a pro-Palestine progressive, rejects AIPAC funding.
As for Jeffries and Meeks, Track AIPAC reports the former has taken $1,495,709 and the latter $986,946 in campaign contributions from the Israel lobby.
The local grassroots group NY Dumps AIPAC lamented Meeks' appointment of what it called "one of the most Islamophobic genocide cheerleaders in Congress to be the top House Dem overseeing Middle Eastern foreign policy."
"In doing so, Meeks is compromising world peace for the sake of AIPAC," the group said.
Some observers, including Zeteo News reporter Prem Thakker, noted that Tuesday's moves followed Jeffries' recent secret meeting with Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and special envoy for peace missions.
Responding to Moskowitz's promotion, Matt Duss, executive vice president at the Center for International Policy and a former foreign policy adviser to US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), highlighted polling published Monday by the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project showing that "Democrats in the first six states to vote in the 2028 presidential primary overwhelmingly demand sanctions and a total weapons embargo against Israel."
"At what point," asked Duss, "can Democratic voters finally have foreign policy committee leadership that actually represents the party’s anti-war majority instead of its small and thankfully dwindling hawkish minority?"
