Is Donald Trump Right That Israel ‘Literally Owned Congress’ Before Progressive Democrats?

US President Donald Trump, on the Ari Hoffman Show, recently mused that Israel “literally owned congress a decade ago,” but that progressive Democrats have eroded Tel Aviv’s influence over US lawmakers.

Trump’s opinion of the changing dynamics between Israel and the United States is representative of changing partisan feelings towards Israel, with the primary driver the conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis. Is the former president correct that Israel’s influence in Congress has diminished?

Over the past decade, Republicans have dramatically increased their support for Israel, while Democrats have displayed a near equal drop in support.

According to a 2018 Pew Research poll, 79% of Republicans participating in the survey were more sympathetic toward Israel than Palestine, compared to 27% of Democrats. While a gulf has always existed, it has never been this pronounced. In 2001, 50% of Republicans were reportedly more sympathetic towards Israel than Palestine, compared to 38% of Democrats.

This divergence in partisan opinion is likely what spurred Trump to suggest that "you have between [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] and [Rep. Ilhan] Omar — and these people that hate Israel, they hate it with a passion.” He later added that “they're controlling Congress, and Israel is not a force in Congress anymore.”

Trump’s highlighting of the US representatives both of who are progressive Democrats, is considered by some to be rooted in truth. The pair have been more critical of Tel Aviv, compared to more moderate Democrats.

In September, a group of eight Democrats, including Ocasio-Cortez and Omar, as well as one Republican in the House, voted against $1 billion in funding for Israel’s Iron Dome defense system. While progressives pushed back against the cash gift, the bill still passed by a vote of 420-9, indicating that Trump’s claim - that Ocasio-Cortez and Omar control Congress with regard to Israel - is overstated.

Trump continues to suggest, however, that Israel’s support in Congress has dwindled dramatically, saying, “Israel had such power — and rightfully — over Congress, and now it doesn't. It's incredible, actually.”

The United States and Israel remain close allies, but claiming that Congress is less supportive of Israel than it has been in the past is only half of the point. The real change is that, as Republicans have become more supportive of Israel, Democrats have become more supportive of Palestinians.

Support for Israel in the US Congress appears to have not so much diminished as changed, going from an issue Democrats and Republicans could find middle ground on, to a national issue said to be as divisive as gun control. Net support for Israel in Congress has changed little, but there is more resistance to supporting the government in Tel Aviv on all matters. The resistance tends to center on Tel Aviv’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.