Trump acknowledges declining Israeli influence in US

US President Donald Trump acknowledged Israel's declining influence in the US at a speech made during Hanukkah celebrations in the White House on Tuesday.

During the speech, Trump said: "If you go back, 10, 12, 15 years ago, the most, the strongest lobby in Washington was the Jewish lobby, it was Israel. That's no longer true. You have to be very careful."

He added that "there's been a big change" in Congress, and singled out Democratic Party members Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar as examples.

He went on to claim that Omar, who has come under attack by Trump in recent weeks, "hates Jewish people".

"You have a lot of people in Congress that don't like Israel, that in a way… they hate Israel, and if you were to tell me 15 years ago if that's possible, I would've said there's no way," he added.

Since Israel's war on Gaza began in October 2023, criticism of Israel in the US, which has traditionally been its strongest supporter, has increased.

This, most notably, has come from the Democratic party, with an increasing number of congress members, particularly from the progressive wing, refusing to take money from the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), one of the largest pro-Israel lobby groups that funds candidates from both parties.

Newly-introduced legislation titled the 'Block the Bombs Act (HR 3565)' that would ban the sale of a range of offensive weapons to Israel, including ammunition for tanks and artillery and several types of bombs, has been backed by 50 co-sponsors.

Likewise, in November, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who has been a staunch critic of Israel, won the election.

However, criticism of Israel has also grown in the Republican Party, particularly among Trump's MAGA base, which has often taken an anti-war stance on US foreign policy issues.

Since Trump came to power earlier this year, several leading MAGA voices have taken a hardline stance against US support for Israel, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has criticised AIPAC money in US politics, as well as US support of Israel's strikes on Iran.

The prospect of US strikes on Iran in support of Israel generated heated debate within the Republican camp, with Steve Bannon, a key MAGA ideologue, saying that among young MAGA supporters there is "very little support for Israel".

Likewise, commentators Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens have also become key critics of Israel's war on Gaza.

In the latest example of growing Republican backlash against Israel, on Tuesday James Fishback, who is running to be Florida's next governor, released a new campaign ad defending the right to criticise Israel.

He said: "Is Netanyahu a war criminal? Did Israel commit genocide? If you say either of those things in public you could be convicted of anti-semitism."

"Criticising a foreign government, or any government, is always protected under our constitution… and I'll never let anyone steal it from you," he added.

The ad comes against the backdrop of a broad crackdown on criticism of Israel, which has largely focused on university campuses, with foreign students being threatened with deportation and universities facing fines.