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

By Al Jazeera Staff. Published On 3 Oct 20263 Oct 2026.

Key points

• All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats are at stake in November's midterm elections, with both parties vying for control of Congress.
• Chan, a San Francisco supervisor, faces fellow Democrat and California state Senator Scott Wiener in the race to succeed Pelosi.
• While on Capitol Hill, Pelosi long backed Israel, condemning efforts to boycott or sanction the country and voting in favour of military aid.
• This week, a number of House members additionally introduced the Stop the Settlements Act.
• Chan remarked humanitarian aid must be prioritised and informed debate moderators she would not backing funding for Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system.

Connie Chan, the US Democrat endorsed by former House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to succeed her in California's 11th congressional district, has pressed a "full arms embargo on the Israeli government".

In a televised debate on Thursday night, days before mail-in ballots are sent to California voters, Chan remarked that "on day one in Congress" she would vote to "end a genocide in Gaza and to end an apartheid state".

Chan, a San Francisco supervisor, faces fellow Democrat and California state Senator Scott Wiener in the race to succeed Pelosi. The former House speaker, 86, is not seeking re-election.

Wiener has additionally described Israel's assault on Gaza as a genocide and stated he would oppose funding for the Israeli military and the provision of bombs or offensive weapons.

"This government, and it's not just 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, " Wiener remarked.

Notably, the race comes against the backdrop of divisions in Congress over US backing for Israel. Almost all Senate Democrats lately 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.

This week, a number of House members additionally introduced the Stop the Settlements Act. It would impose sanctions on individuals and entities involved in building or expanding illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

For now, pelosi-backed US candidate calls for 'full arms embargo' on Israel remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.