By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
NEW JERSEY — Democratic Rep.-elect Adam Hamawy declined to directly affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state during a Nov. 13 interview with NJ PBS, while again refusing to characterize Iran as an adversary of the United States despite repeated questions about his foreign policy positions.
During an appearance on NJ PBS News with Rob Nelson, Hamawy maintained that his priorities as an incoming member of Congress would center on domestic issues, including healthcare, education, childcare and economic policy, rather than continued American involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts.
Nelson questioned Hamawy about an earlier CNN interview in which anchor Pamela Brown repeatedly asked whether he considered Iran an American adversary. Hamawy had declined to provide a direct answer, instead arguing that American actions had contributed to the conflict.
Revisiting the question, Nelson asked, “And, listen, by my account, she asked you five times if Iran is an adversary. I will ask you a sixth to see how you handle that today. Is Iran an adversary, and why do you not want to say that? Obviously, you don’t believe it is.”
Hamawy again declined to answer directly.
“I will say, we don’t want to make adversaries. And it’s not a binary yes or no [thing]. We are provoking and creating the situation that we are in right now, where we’re in a war, and it’s making lives worse for Americans. And they’re making, definitely, lives worse for regular Iranians, who are suffering because of this as well. So, how do we get out of this? We don’t get out of this by pointing and saying, this is an adversary or not an adversary. It’s like, how do we make it better for both Americans and for Iranians?” Hamawy said.
The exchange followed Hamawy’s Nov. 10 appearance on CNN, during which Brown pressed him on whether Iran was an adversary and Israel was an ally of the United States. Hamawy argued that Washington had contributed to the hostilities and expressed opposition to continued American military assistance to Israel.
Nelson also challenged Hamawy about statements from that interview comparing American and Iranian rhetoric and military actions.
“Part of the exchange you had on CNN was kind of, you’re getting pushed on the idea, well, they’ve said death to America for decades. And you said, well, they’ve — we’ve said death to Iran. And then she said, well, they’ve killed Americans. And you said, well, we’ve killed them. Just to be clear, when it comes to the action and the rhetoric of America and Iran, do you see a moral equivalence?” Nelson asked.
Hamawy responded by criticizing President Donald Trump’s statements about Iran.
“Well, we have President Trump saying that we should nuke Iran. That is a genocidal statement, that we are going to destroy their civilization and bomb them out of existence. So, I think that, just saying there is rhetoric on both sides that should be discontinued and that it is not productive at all.”
The interview subsequently turned to Israel and whether Hamawy believed the country should continue existing specifically as a Jewish state.
“And just to be clear, you do believe — or I should say, do you believe that Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state?” Nelson asked.
Hamawy answered by acknowledging Israel’s existence while emphasizing equal rights and civil liberties.
“It currently exists. It’s the same question that everyone keeps asking over and over again. I think every country has a right to exist, but it should be providing equal rights to its people and providing civil liberties, human rights. And so, it currently exists. It’s a moot argument. But we want something like the United States, where everyone can coexist and have a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That’s what we should be enforcing around the world.”
Nelson pressed the incoming congressman to distinguish between acknowledging Israel’s existence and affirming its right to exist.
“It’s kind of like, when you ask Republicans, sometimes, did Joe Biden legitimately win the 2020 election? And they go, Joe Biden was sworn in as president. And you’re like, well, that’s not what I asked you. I asked you, was the election fair? And, on this Israel question to you, yes, we all know they do exist. The question is, should they exist?”
Hamawy responded by questioning the interview’s emphasis on Israel and reiterating his commitment to domestic priorities.
“So, this is the question that I [am] asking you is, why are we talking about — so much about Israel? I got elected to be a Rep. from New Jersey, to take care of the people of New Jersey, and people here in the United States. And I want to be using my tax dollars to make sure that we have a healthcare system that works, that we have education, that we have childcare, that we unrig this economy, that we don’t have, like, ICE roaming through our streets and killing Americans. And yet we have spent this entire interview talking about Israel. Honestly, I don’t care what’s going on right there more than what I care about the American people. I want to take care of people here at home.”
He subsequently added that “everyone has a right to exist, but everyone needs to follow the laws.”
Earlier in the discussion, Hamawy argued that voters in the Nov. 3 midterm elections had expressed opposition to continued military involvement overseas.
“[M]y perspective is that I don’t take a binary view on all these issues. Americans, last week, voted that they don’t want war, that we want to be focusing on our domestic policy, we want to be focusing on making American lives better, and, also, how do we make Americans more safe. And creating enemies around the world is not the way to do it.”
Hamawy’s comments come as Democrats prepare to assume control of the House of Representatives in January 2027, with disagreements over American military assistance to Israel and the conflict with Iran remaining prominent foreign policy questions.
The congressman-elect has advocated ending military aid to Israel and redirecting federal resources toward domestic programs. His position differs from that of lawmakers in both parties who support continued American military assistance to Israel.
Throughout the NJ PBS interview, Hamawy maintained that American foreign policy should prioritize reducing hostilities and improving conditions for civilians. He did not provide an explicit affirmation of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state or directly identify Iran as a U.S. adversary, despite repeated questions from the host.
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