Jewish Voter Guide
Adam Hamawy
U.S. House · NJ · Democrat · District 12
Summary
The Democratic nominee for New Jersey's 12th District and a strong favorite in a heavily Democratic seat, Hamawy won the June 2026 primary to succeed retiring Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman. If elected, by the assessment of observers across the spectrum, he would enter the House as one of its sharpest critics of Israel.
The record
Positions come from public votes, statements and on-the-record interviews. Every claim links to its source. No aggregate score or grade.
Genocide and apartheid accusations
Hamawy repeatedly characterizes Israel's campaign in Gaza as a genocide. Writing in Newsweek in March 2025, he argued that the United States is not merely witnessing a genocide in Gaza but participating in it and complicit in it. He has said that what he witnessed in Gaza was not a war but a genocide, has accused Israel of apartheid in the West Bank, and has extended the charge regionally, describing a Gazafication of Lebanon and Iran.
Position on military aid and Israel's defense
Hamawy calls for an immediate and complete cutoff of United States military aid and arms sales to Israel, with missile defense, including the Iron Dome system, explicitly included. He frames this as part of a broader position of halting arms to any country he judges to be committing gross human rights violations. He authored a Newsweek op-ed arguing that an arms embargo on Israel is America's only moral option, and he supports the right of return for Palestinian refugees.
Antisemitism: his statements and the scrutiny he has faced
Hamawy has faced scrutiny over an association in the early 1990s with Omar Abdel-Rahman, the Blind Sheikh, who was later convicted in 1995 on terrorism charges connected to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and other plots. According to the transcript of Abdel-Rahman's 1995 trial, at which Hamawy appeared as a defense witness, the two had prior contact that included a long car trip together to a 1991 conference.
Sources
- Genocide and apartheid accusations — Newsweek, Hamawy's own op-ed (genocide, complicity, arms embargo): https://www.newsweek.com/democratic-rep-israel-arms-embargo-americas-only-moral-option-opinion-2051526
- Genocide and apartheid accusations — Democracy Now, his own words (apartheid, cut off arms, Gazafication, progressive except for Palestine) https://www.democracynow.org/2026/6/5/adam_hamawy_wins_nj_12
- Military aid and Israel's defense — Philadelphia Inquirer (opinion), end to all aid including missile defense weapons: https://www.inquirer.com/opinion/commentary/adam-hamawy-nj-12th-congressional-district-omar-abdel-rahman-blind-sheikh-terrorism-20260522.html
- Antisemitism statements and scrutiny — JTA, his statements condemning antisemitism, and the Blind Sheikh trial testimony, 1991 trip, Gottheimer's concerns, and campaign response https://www.jta.org/2026/05/29/politics/nj-12-candidate-adam-hamawy-decries-antisemitism-amid-scrutiny-of-his-israel-views
A note on methodology. This guide is published as an educational reference. The American Jewish Congress does not endorse candidates and does not publish aggregate scores. If you spot a position that needs an update or a better source, please reach the office.