Steven Jay Israel (born May 30, 1958) is an American political commentator, lobbyist, author, bookseller, and former politician. He served as a U.S. representative from New York from 2001 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in New York's 2nd congressional district until 2013 and New York's 3rd congressional district until his retirement. At the time of his departure from Congress, his district included portions of northern Nassau County and Suffolk County on Long Island, as well as a small portion of Queens in New York City.
Israel chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee from 2011 to 2015 and Democratic Policy and Communications Committee from 2015 to 2017. Prior to his election to Congress, he served on the Huntington Town Board, starting 1993. After leaving Congress in 2017, Israel joined CNN as a political commentator. In 2019, he was appointed the inaugural director of the Institute of Politics and Global Affairs at Cornell University. As of 2022, Israel also serves on the Board of Advisors for lobbying firm Michael Best Strategies.
Israel was born in Brooklyn and raised in the Long Island community of Levittown, New York. He attended Nassau Community College and Syracuse University for one year before graduating from George Washington University with a Bachelor of Arts in 1982.
After earning his bachelor's degree, Israel became a staff member for U.S. Representative Richard Ottinger. He was later elected to the town council in Huntington, New York, in 1993.
After Rick Lazio left his House seat to run for the United States Senate in 2000, Israel was elected to his seat, receiving 48% of the vote, defeating Republican Joan Johnson, who received 34%, and four independent candidates. He was reelected seven times with relatively little difficulty, despite representing a swing district on paper.
On January 5, 2016, Israel announced that he would not seek reelection in November 2016.
Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development
Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies
Co-chair and founder of Congressional Center Aisle Caucus
House Cancer Caucus (Co-chair)
Long Island Sound Caucus (Co-chair)
House Democratic Caucus Task Force On Defense and the Military (Chair)
House Democratic Study Group on National Security Policy (Co-chair)
Israel voted to authorize George W. Bush to use military force in Iraq, even though more than 60 per cent of his Democratic colleagues in the House voted against the bill.
In his second term, Israel was tapped for a leadership position as Assistant Whip. In his third term, Israel was appointed to chair the House Democratic Caucus Task Force on Defense and Military, a group of 15 Democratic House members who reach out to the defense community and advise the House Democratic leadership on military policy.
In 2006, in response to Jimmy Carter's book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, Israel said, "I disagree with President Carter fundamentally. The reason for the Palestinian plight is the Palestinians."
Israel supported a study on the feasibility of switching from Tuesday to weekend voting.