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

What Happened

In a televised debate on Thursday night in California's 11th congressional district race, Connie Chan — a San Francisco supervisor endorsed by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — called for a 'full arms embargo on the Israeli government' and said she would vote on her first day in Congress to 'end a genocide in Gaza and to end an apartheid state.' Chan said she would not support funding for Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system and that humanitarian aid must be prioritised. Her rival, California state Senator Scott Wiener, also described Israel's assault on Gaza as a genocide and said he would oppose funding for the Israeli military and the provision of bombs or offensive weapons. In Congress, nearly all Senate Democrats recently backed an unsuccessful effort to require a State Department report on Israel's human rights practices, including the killings of nine Americans in the occupied West Bank, while several House members introduced the Stop the Settlements Act to impose sanctions on individuals and entities involved in building or expanding Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The open seat in California's 11th congressional district was long held by Nancy Pelosi, a staunchly pro-Israel Democrat, so the campaign is a test of how far Democratic Party opinion on Israel has shifted. Both leading candidates are framing US military aid to Israel and settlement policy as central issues, and the race coincides with new congressional efforts to condition aid, scrutinise human rights records, and sanction Israeli settlement activity — signalling a possible break with Pelosi's legacy on Israel policy.

Watch For

Mail-in ballots for California voters are expected to be sent within days, and the November midterm elections will decide all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats. Watch for whether Chan's and Wiener's arms embargo and military aid positions translate into primary and general election turnout in the district, and track the Stop the Settlements Act in the House and any renewed Senate effort on the State Department human rights report.