Pelosi-backed US candidate calls for ‘full arms embargo’ on Israel

What the report says

Connie Chan, a Democrat running in California’s 11th congressional district with former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s endorsement, said in a televised debate that she wants a “full arms embargo” on the Israeli government. According to Al Jazeera, Chan told moderators she would vote on her first day in Congress to help “end a genocide in Gaza” and to oppose U.S. funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.

Chan, a San Francisco supervisor, is competing against fellow Democrat and state Senator Scott Wiener for the seat Pelosi is leaving. Pelosi, who is not seeking re-election, has historically been a strong supporter of Israel and backed military aid to the country while in Congress. The primary will be decided as mail-in ballots are prepared for California voters, though the article did not specify the exact election date.

The race reflects wider tensions inside the Democratic Party over U.S. policy toward Israel amid the war in Gaza and violence in the occupied West Bank. Al Jazeera noted that Wiener also described Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide and said he would oppose military aid and offensive weapons for Israel. The piece also cited recent congressional efforts, including a failed Senate push for a State Department report on Israel’s human rights practices and a new House proposal targeting illegal settlement activity.