Brad Lander at a Seder in the Streets on April 06. Photo by Gili Getz
April 10, 2026
Brad Lander, a Jewish Democrat running for Congress who has described himself as a liberal Zionist, has joined some progressive House members in calling for an end to U.S. aid to Israel.
Lander, the former New York City comptroller who ran for mayor last year, is challenging Rep. Dan Goldman, a two-term incumbent, in a Democratic primary in lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn.
He made the remarks at a meeting Thursday with the New York Editorial Board, a group of New York City journalists, including Forward editor-in-chief Alyssa Katz, who interview political candidates and civic leaders.
Asked whether he agrees with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) that the U.S. should end funding for Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, Lander responded:
“We need to follow the Leahy Law and condition all of our foreign policy aid on human rights and international law compliance,” Lander said. “At the moment, Israel is very far from complying with human rights and international law. So I would not vote for any more aid at this moment.”
He added: “But I hope it gets there.”
Both Lander and Ocasio-Cortez had previously drawn a distinction: they both opposed offensive arms aid to Israel but supported aid to help Israel’s defensive Iron Dome system, high-tech missile interception that protects lives, property and infrastructure against assaults from Iran and allied groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah.
But last week, Ocasio-Cortez announced that she opposed Iron Dome funding and all U.S. aid to Israel, saying “The Israeli government is well able to fund the Iron Dome system.” Her move increased pressure on other members of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing to follow suit.
This is not the first time Lander, who has been endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, has called for curbs on aid to Israel. In February, he announced that if elected he intends to cosponsor the Block the Bombs Act, which would restrict certain offensive arms sales to Israel and currently has 60 sponsors.
Lander’s position opposing U.S. aid to Israel marks a shift as he seeks to rally progressive voters. During last year’s mayoral race, Lander said he supports continued U.S. funding for Iron Dome and other defensive systems.
In a statement to the Forward on Friday, Lander said “Iron Dome is critical to ensuring the safety of civilians in Israel. Israel should have access to purchase it with their own funds.”
However, he added — citing the Leahy Law, which requires withholding funding in cases of “gross violations of human rights” — the U.S. ”should not provide taxpayer-funded financial aid for it at this time.”
The statement concluded: “I genuinely hope that changes in the future, speedily and in our day, as part of a deal that protects the human rights and safety of all civilians in the region.”
The Lander-Goldman showdown
Growing opposition to U.S. military aid to Israel comes amid President Trump joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch a joint war on Iran and reflects a broader shift taking shape ahead of the midterm elections, as criticism of Israel grows and Democratic voters become more polarized over U.S. policy.
Aid to Israel has become a flashpoint in the high-stakes primary between two prominent Jewish candidates, with Lander attempting to knock out an incumbent from his own Democratic Party.
Lander’s challenge highlights deepening divisions within the party over Israel and U.S. aid. The 10th Congressional District, which includes Borough Park and Park Slope in Brooklyn as well as parts of lower Manhattan, voted heavily for New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist and outspoken critic of Israel. Mamdani, who endorsed Lander, said he agreed with Ocasio-Cortez’s position opposing defensive aid to Israel.
Goldman, an heir to the Levi Strauss fortune and former Trump impeachment prosecutor who was elected in 2022, is aligned with the mainstream positions of national Democrats on Israel: supportive of Israel’s security while finding a pathway for a two-state solution, sharply critical of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government, and opposed to settlement expansion and settler violence.
A spokesperson for the Goldman campaign told the Forward that the incumbent “will always support defensive systems that keep civilians out of harm’s way,” adding that the Iron Dome provides that critical protection “to millions of civilians and saves hundreds of innocent lives every day.”
Goldman has, however, crept closer to the progressive wing in the heat of the election. In response to a questionnaire by the Brooklyn Young Democrats, Goldman said he believes that U.S military aid to Israel should “certainly be conditioned on human rights compliance.”
Goldman noted that he “cannot commit to a blanket ban on aid to Israel that is divorced from circumstance, especially in light of Iran’s stated aim of eradicating Israel, which motivates its terrorist proxies that surround Israel.”
In 2023, Goldman had said he opposed any conditions. “Broadly speaking, I am against conditioning aid to Israel. We have never done that,” he told Business Insider. “I think that the pathway toward having some of these conversations, which are important conversations, should be done on a diplomatic level, not in connection to the aid.”
Asked if he believes Israel has violated human rights and would therefore be subject to certain conditions, Maddy Rosen, a Goldman spokesperson, said he supported former President Joe Biden’s restrictions on offensive weapons that would be used to perpetuate violence against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank. “Dan continues to strongly oppose any U.S. aid for Israel’s illegal and immoral actions in the West Bank,” Rosen said.
Both candidates are allies with J Street, a progressive, pro-peace group that backs limits on
offensive weapons to Israel and demands Israel’s compliance with U.S. and international law. J Street has endorsed Goldman’s reelection and “primary approved” Lander. A recent poll commissioned by the organization found that 70% of American Jews support placing some conditions on military assistance, including 26% who favor halting aid altogether. AIPAC opposes any conditions on U.S. military aid to Israel.
Israel looms over midterms
A few years ago, this level of support for even modest restrictions on arms sales to Israel would have been unthinkable. But last year, amid the Gaza war, a record 27 Senate Democrats — a majority of the caucus — supported a pair of resolutions introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Jewish Vermont Independent and longtime critic of U.S. aid to Israel, to block weapons transfers.
The vote, supported by some liberal Jewish organizations, signaled growing concern about the policies of the Israeli government and highlighted a willingness among Democrats to challenge the historically bipartisan consensus on unconditional support for Israel amid the war in Gaza.
Lander lambasted his opponent in his interview with the NY Editorial Board, accusing him of “utterly failing to meet the moment to see Palestinian lives as just as valuable as Israeli and Jewish lives,” which Lander called “catastrophic for Palestinian families” as well as “catastrophically bad for Israel and catastrophically bad for American foreign policy.”
The Goldman campaign pushed back agianst Lander’s attacks, calling it “deeply offensive” and patently false,” and accused Lander of running a “disgusting sewer campaign.”
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