Adam Hamawy, Princeton, New Jersey, Sept. 6, 2024. Photo: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A newly formed political action committee aligned with pro-Palestinian advocacy is preparing to spend millions of dollars in a New Jersey congressional primary, escalating an already intensifying battle over US policy toward Israel within the Democratic Party.

The group, American Priorities PAC, announced that it plans to invest roughly $2 million to support Democratic candidate Adam Hamawy, a former US Army combat surgeon, in the race for New Jersey’s 12th Congressional District, according to federal filings and reports. The organization has already launched an initial $600,000 advertising campaign highlighting Hamawy’s background as an Army veteran and physician.

The move comes as outside spending tied to Middle East policy increasingly shapes Democratic primaries, with pro-Israel groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its affiliated political arms backing candidates who support continued US–Israel ties.

American Priorities PAC has positioned itself in direct opposition to that effort, backing candidates who are more critical of Israel and US support for its longtime ally. The group has raised nearly $4 million from a small group of wealthy donors, Federal Election Commission filings show, underscoring the growing role of concentrated outside funding in down-ballot races.

On Hamawy’s campaign website, he claims to have served in medical missions in Gaza, describing what he witnessed as a so-called “genocide.”

“In 2024 and 2025, I went on medical missions to Gaza. While bombs were falling, I treated patients. In three weeks, I treated more children than I have in all other warzones, combined,” his website reads. “We did not have basic medical supplies. What I witnessed was a genocide, paid for with American tax dollars and propped up by our foreign policy.”

The candidate also vows to implement an arms embargo against Israel, leveraging US human rights legislation to prevent the Jewish state from receiving American weapons.

“Rigorous enforcement of Leahy Laws and arms embargoes on countries that violate human rights,” his website states. “We should not be funding foreign militaries or making arms sales to countries committing gross human rights violations. I support cutting off military aid to these countries, including Israel.”

Recently, Hamawy participated in an interview with anti-Israel streamer Hasan Piker, who is notorious for declaring support for internationally designated terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Piker has also praised anti-American regimes such as the governments of Iran, Russia, and China and downplayed Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, dismissing evidence of Palestinian terrorists raping Israeli girls and women,

The crowded New Jersey contest has drawn particular attention because it is an open seat following the planned departure of longtime Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman. With a crowded Democratic field, outside groups are expected to play an outsized role in shaping the outcome.

Supporters of strong US–Israel relations warn that the emergence of well-funded groups opposing the bilateral alliance could shift the party’s stance at a critical moment, noting that organizations like AIPAC work to ensure continued bipartisan backing for Israel. However, AIPAC has emerged as a divisive lightning rod in Democratic primary competitions, with candidates often vowing not to accept any assistance from the group. 

The New Jersey race is likely to serve as an early test of how these competing forces resonate with voters—and whether the growing influx of money on both sides will reshape the party’s direction on one of its most divisive foreign policy issues.