Seven new progressives expected to join House as anti-Israel bloc grows
Incoming lawmakers from Michigan, New York, California, and New Jersey plan to challenge traditional Democratic support for Israel, citing genocide and US military aid.
By Tessa Cooper ·
A group of at least seven progressive Democratic candidates is expected to win House seats in Tuesday's midterm elections, forming a larger bloc in Congress that has openly criticized Israel's military campaign in Gaza. These incoming lawmakers, who will join the existing seven members of the SQUAD caucus, intend to challenge the traditional pro-Israel stance within the Democratic Party. Their platforms focus on ending or restricting US military assistance and imposing sanctions on the Jewish state.
Brad Lander, a former New York City comptroller, is poised to win the seat in New York's 10th congressional district. Lander was recently detained by the Israeli Defense Forces after entering a closed military zone in Judea and Samaria with roughly 60 activists. During the olive harvest activity, Lander quoted the biblical phrase "Bakesh shalom v'rodfehu." In a CBS News interview, he described the West Bank as undergoing "ethnic cleansing" and stated, "I'm telling you, it is what I saw." He also claimed that settlers drove Palestinians from villages in the Jordan Valley, leaving areas where 1,500 people once lived now empty.
Donovan McKinney, running in Michigan's 13th district, has labeled Israel's actions in Gaza as genocide. McKinney said he reviewed the United Nations definition of the term and reached the same conclusion as the international body. "Yeah, it is a genocide," McKinney stated. He added that he would support ending US assistance to Israel if a finding of genocide were confirmed.
In California, Angela Gonzales-Torres advocates for a tougher approach, describing support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement as a basic position rather than a radical one. "I think BDS is bare minimum," she said. Meanwhile, Dr. Adam Hamawy, a physician expected to win New Jersey's 12th district, plans to use his medical experience in Gaza to argue against current US funding levels. "There's so few people that have been on the ground and felt that and seen what's happening and seen the actual genocide and taking care of the victims," Hamawy said. He believes his work in Washington is necessary to challenge how taxpayer money is spent.
The shift mirrors views held by current House members like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who argued that unconditional aid to Israel helped enable a genocide in Gaza. "The idea of completely unconditional aid, no matter what one does, does not make sense," Ocasio-Cortez said. Delia Avila-Chevalier, a candidate in New York's 13th district, also criticized the continued flow of US funds, stating, "The thing that I have power over in this cycle of violence is where my government uses my tax dollar." The incoming group aims to test whether a Democratic presidential candidate can maintain a strong US-Israel relationship without alienating a progressive electorate that demands stricter conditions on aid.
