Adam Smith on Israel aid, the NDAA, and the DSA fight in the Democratic Party

Jul 21, 2026

A senior House Democrat is breaking with decades of pro-Israel policy while defending the party establishment against its left flank — a sign of how much the ground has shifted in Washington.

  • Adam Smith, the top Democrat on House Armed Services, voted to block aid to Israel and now wants a US-Israel weapons co-development provision stripped from the defense bill.
  • AIPAC dropped him from its fundraising site over that vote, though he says he would still take their money.
  • He says there is no good solution left in Israel-Palestine — a two-state deal is probably dead, and he wants sanctions on Israel's far-right ministers over the West Bank.
  • He won't vote for the defense bill because it funds Trump's war in Iran, which he calls illegal and disastrous.
  • He blames the party's collapse on three things: too little done on inequality, left positions like defund the police, and Joe Biden.

Outlook: Expect more Democrats to peel away from Israel aid as the party's primary fights sharpen between establishment incumbents and a rising socialist left.

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