Connie Chan, the California Democrat endorsed by former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, has pledged to support a full arms embargo on Israel if elected to Congress.
Speaking in a televised debate, Ms Chan said she would vote “on day one in Congress” to “end a genocide in Gaza and to end an apartheid state”. She also said humanitarian aid should be prioritised and that she would not support funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system.
Ms Chan, a San Francisco supervisor, is competing against California state senator Scott Wiener for the Democratic nomination in the 11th congressional district. Ms Pelosi, 86, is not seeking re-election.
The contest comes ahead of November’s midterm elections, when all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 Senate seats will be contested.
Mr Wiener has also described Israel’s assault on Gaza as a genocide and said he would oppose funding for the Israeli military, as well as the provision of bombs or offensive weapons.
“This government, and it’s not just [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, is an absolute abomination, in my view, in terms of what it has inflicted on Gaza, in terms of Israel empowering settler violence and land grabs in the West Bank,” Mr Wiener said during the debate.
Ms Chan’s position marks a sharp contrast with Ms Pelosi’s long-standing support for Israel while serving on Capitol Hill. The former House speaker condemned efforts to boycott or sanction Israel and voted in favour of military aid.
The debate took place amid divisions among Democrats in Congress over US support for Israel. Nearly all Senate Democrats recently backed an unsuccessful proposal requiring a State Department report on Israel’s human rights practices, including the killings of nine Americans in the occupied West Bank.
Several House members have also introduced the Stop the Settlements Act, which would impose sanctions on people and entities involved in building or expanding Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
