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Jamaal Bowman Calls for End to Iron Dome Funding, Denounces AIPAC as ‘Zionist Regime’
US Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) speaks during the National Action Network National Convention in New York City, US, April 7, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
US Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) has recently intensified his anti-Israel rhetoric, condemning the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as a “Zionist regime” and calling for an end to all US funding to the Jewish state, including for its vaunted Iron Dome air defense system.
Bowman, a left-wing lawmaker and longtime critic of Israel, has been scrambling in recent months to shore up support among progressives in the final stretch leading up to the June 24 Democratic primary. Recent polls show the congressman trailing his opponent, Westchester County executive George Latimer, by double-digits.
In a recent speech to a crowd of Muslim men, Bowman implored the audience to vote for him, exclaiming that he is “fighting against genocide” and therefore “being attacked by the Zionist regime we call AIPAC.” Notably, there was virtually no applause from the audience for these lines.
During a debate against Latimer on Tuesday, Bowman asserted that the US government should “stop all funding” to Israel, including Iron Dome.
Earlier this month, to secure funding from the Democratic Socialists of America — a prominent left-wing organization that has made anti-Israel activism its top priority — Bowman agreed to stop his support for Iron Dome funding. Iron Dome is an air defense system that saves Israeli lives from rockets and missiles launched by neighboring terrorist groups, such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Bowman asserted during the debate that there is no “military solution” to everlasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. Instead, Bowman called for both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to work together to negotiate a “permanent ceasefire” and an end to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Bowman then contended that “children are starving to death” in Gaza, an assertion that the United Nations Famine Review Committee has rejected. He also dodged a question from the moderator on whether America is “condoning” a genocide of Palestinians by Israel, despite making this claim several times before.
In another portion of the debate, Bowman accused Latimer of an unwillingness to “acknowledge the existence of the Palestinian people.” He also argued that AIPAC, the foremost pro-Israel lobbying organization in the US, has financed Latimer’s entire campaign under the condition that he reject Palestinian self-determination. Latimer responded, stating that Bowman has denied Hamas’ Oct. 7 atrocities and has partnered with activist groups that want to eradicate the Jewish state.
Bowman struck a far more moderate tone on Israel during a Wednesday night appearance on “The Late Show” with Stephen Colbert. He called for a “ceasefire” and the establishment of a “pathway to peace.” The congressman reiterated that he supports a “two-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and argued that the US foreign policy establishment should reorient its practices towards “leading through diplomacy” rather than securing peace through military strength.
The progressive lawmaker notably did not accuse Israel of “genocide” on “The Late Show” as he has done in other settings.
Observers speculate that Bowman’s repeated condemnations of Israel have made him a particularly vulnerable and weak candidate in the heavily-Jewish Westchester County district. In an attempt to save his floundering reelection campaign, the progressive firebrand has attempted to consolidate support among the most left-leaning voters by continuously castigating Israel.
Bowman on Wednesday apologized for dismissing widely reported and corroborated claims of Hamas terrorists raping Israeli women. He called such claims “propaganda” before being forced to walk back his comments after receiving widespread scrutiny.
The congressman has also argued that Israel is a product of “white supremacy” and “white nationalism,” despite the fact that about half of Israeli Jews are Mizrahi, meaning they are of Middle Eastern or North African descent.
An Emerson College poll conducted from June 6-8 shows Bowman trailing his opponent 48 percent to 31 percent.
The post Jamaal Bowman Calls for End to Iron Dome Funding, Denounces AIPAC as ‘Zionist Regime’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.