Altman, a candidate who ran on unconditional military aid to Israel and who supported
pre-emptive strikes on Iran in 2024 converted a policy argument about the Iron Dome — one now supported by notable progressive Congressional representatives — into an accusation that a surgeon who performed 120 surgeries on Gaza's children is “wishing for the deaths of Israeli children.”
Background
PRINCETON, NJ (04/21/2026) — A coalition including CAIR Action NJ, CAIR NJ, NJ Muslim Civic Coalition, American Muslims for Palestine - NJ, Palestinian American Community Center (PACC), Emgage Action, Climate Revolution Action Network (CRAN), Jewish Voice for Peace, If Not Now, Hindus for Human Rights Action, and Resistencia en Acción New Jersey condemn Sue Altman's mischaracterization of Dr. Adam Hamawy's comments on the Iron Dome as a continuation of one of the most anti-Muslim rhetorical patterns in post-9/11 American politics. Altman’s distortion of a Muslim, Arab American candidate’s policy argument into a baseless accusation that he secretly desires the death of civilians is deeply Islamophobic and anti-Arab. The Coalition calls on Sue Altman to retract her mischaracterization and unfounded accusation of Dr. Hamawy's Iron Dome comments as an expression of desire for Israeli civilian death and to commit to a campaign that engages voters on the substance of policy. Additionally, the Coalition also calls upon those elected officials and organizations who have endorsed, and will endorse, Sue Altman, to hold her accountable for her anti-Muslim rhetoric.
About Dr. Adam Hamawy
In May 2024, Dr. Adam Hamawy volunteered with the Palestinian-American Medical Association and the World Health Organization to provide medical care at the European Hospital in Khan Younis, Gaza where over the course of 21 days, he performed 120 surgeries on civilians, more than half of whom were children. When Israel seized and closed the Rafah border crossing and trapped the medical team inside Gaza, Hamawy was offered early evacuation. He refused to leave until every member of his team, including doctors from Jordan, Egypt, and Australia, could depart with him. Testifying before Congress after returning, he said the level of civilian suffering he witnessed was "beyond hell" and unlike anything he had seen in any war zone. He told the New York Times that the children he operated on who had lost limbs said they wished they had died, and that some wanted to kill themselves.
"Dr. Hamawy went to Gaza when almost no one else could get in. He operated on children. He refused to leave until his whole team was safe. He came home and testified before Congress about what he saw. This is the man Sue Altman is accusing of wishing for children to die,” said Basim Elkarra, Executive Director for CAIR Action. “Sue Altman's accusation is not just unfair. It is the inverse of the truth. Her anti-Muslim and anti-Arab inflammatory statements reflect a broader pattern of politicians stoking hatred for political gain.”
Context – The Iron Dome Debate
While Altman is accusing Dr. Hamawy of taking an extreme position on the Iron Dome, the question of whether and how the U.S. should fund the Iron Dome is now actively being debated at the highest levels of the Democratic Party. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Congressman Ro Khanna, Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal and other representatives have called for ending all U.S. military aid to Israel, including for defensive systems. Even the current Congresswoman of the 12th District, Bonnie Watson Coleman, has taken consistent and principled positions against continued U.S. military aid and has called for a full arms embargo on Israel. She was also one of the first representatives to declare what Israel had conducted in Gaza a genocide. In fact, she invited Dr. Hamawy as her guest of honor to the 2025 President’s State of the Union address, conferring on him a great honor and public recognition of his long record of service and humanitarian work.
Far from being an extreme position, skepticism of U.S. military aid to Israel now reflects majority opinion within the Democratic Party. Below is current public opinion on U.S. military aid to Israel:
- 80% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents hold unfavorable views of Israel (Pew Research, 2026)
- 70% of American Jews oppose unconditional military and financial assistance to Israel (J Street / GBAO, 2026)
- 40/47 Senate Democrats voted to block a $295M sale of military bulldozers to Israel (Times of Israel, April 2026)
Stephen Shalom, an emeritus professor of Political Science from William Paterson University and member of Jewish Voice for Peace, the largest US based progressive Jewish organization, states, “A defensive weapon like Iron Dome, when combined with one of the world’s leading offensive military machines, is not defensive.”
A Familiar Playbook
This is not the first time this playbook has been used against Muslim and Arab Americans. In the weeks after September 11, Muslim and Arab Americans who expressed any ambivalence about U.S. foreign policy were told they were cheering for the hijackers. In the lead-up to the Iraq war, those who opposed the invasion were told they wanted Saddam Hussein to win. For a generation, the rhetorical move has been the same: convert a call for accountability into an accusation of rooting for civilian death. It has been used to justify surveillance, to end careers, to exclude communities from civic life. It is being used today in New Jersey's 12th Congressional District against a man who has dedicated his life to saving civilians.
“I am disappointed to see Sue Altman misconstrue Dr. Hamawy’s critique of US weapons transfers to Israel. Saying he cheers on the deaths of children after he operated on and saved the lives of thousands of children injured by the Israeli genocide in Gaza, echoes deeply Islamophobic sentiments from the 9/11 era,” stated Naureen Akhter, Public Affairs Director, CAIR NJ. “Our community was accused of cheering on the death and destruction of that terrible day - we didn’t deserve it then and we don’t deserve it now. Withholding security assistance is a legitimate way to pressure Israel to come to the negotiating table. Implying it’s anything other than a diplomatic means to an end is frankly dishonest.”
Coalition Response
“Sue Altman’s disgusting smear campaign is an attempt to demonize a Muslim candidate for speaking the truth about U.S. weapons and Israel’s assault on Gaza, Lebanon, and the Middle East. Instead of answering for her own support for the Iron Dome and military aid, she is resorting to Islamophobic fearmongering,” said Ben Dziobek, Executive Director of Climate Revolution Action Network. “Young people see exactly what this is, and our generation will not be intimidated into silence while children are being slaughtered, we are demanding justice and accountability, and if you can’t handle that you are not the candidate for this moment.”
"Sue Altman’s decision to mischaracterize Dr. Adam Hamawy is not only disappointing but irresponsible. In a moment of profound human suffering, we need leaders who elevate truth, not distort it,” stated Mohamed Gulla, Interim CEO for Emgage Action. “Ignoring the reality that Palestinian children are being denied safety, dignity, and any meaningful future is not balance, it’s a moral failure. A discourse that elevates one side’s right to protection while dismissing the other’s right to live in safety and freedom is fundamentally disingenuous regarding human rights and justice. Dr. Hamawy’s voice and service reflects the kind of moral clarity and courage this moment demands."
The call for justice and self-determination for Palestinians and accountability for Israel’s genocide has been supported by progressive Jewish organizations, such as If Not Now and Jewish Voice for Peace.
“This is an inaccurate interpretation of Dr. Hamawy’s statement,” states Gabi Rubinstein, If Not Now. “Calling for an arms embargo is a far cry from ‘cheerleading’ civilian deaths. Acknowledging the reality of how the US-funded Iron Dome system impacts the State of Israel’s engagement in negotiations is a necessary part of this policy discussion.”
“In calling for a total arms embargo Dr. Hamawy is recognizing the gross asymmetry of power between Israel with its advanced military supported by the world’s only superpower and the Palestinian people living under brutal occupation. Sue Altman’s clear manipulation of his words to imply that he wishes for the death of Israeli children reveals her total lack of recognition of Palestinian humanity. Her use of incendiary language to invoke fear is intended to detract from her continued support for Israel’s violations of international law and ongoing war crimes and lack of a platform to bring about a just peace,” stated Mindy Greenspan, Jewish Voice for Peace.
“Sue Altman is a candidate whose campaign has already been soiled by fraudulent petitions and deceptive tactics, she can’t misquote her way into Congress. Integrity isn’t optional — it’s the baseline, especially in a district that has been represented by Bonnie Watson Coleman who embodied Integrity, morals, and ethics. Distortion, division, and bigotry are not campaign strategies — they’re disqualifiers.” stated Ramsey Abdullah, Executive Director of New Jersey Muslim Civic Coalition Action.
Haliema Twam, Civic Engagement and Advocacy Manager of The Palestinian American Community Center added: “Sue Altman’s remarks rely on harmful and reductive stereotypes that frame Arab, Palestinian, and Muslim voices as inherently violent, while dismissing the lived realities and legitimate grievances of those directly affected by ongoing injustice. Attempts to silence or discredit voices like Dr. Hamawy’s only reinforces a double standard that devalues Palestinian humanity and shields power from accountability. We reject this framing and affirm the right to speak openly about injustice without being mischaracterized or dehumanized.”
Altman’s Record
During her 2024 congressional run, Altman published a position paper pledging support for continued U.S. military aid to Israel without conditions, described Israel as a "vital friend and ally," and opposed the BDS movement – positions for which she earned an endorsement from the Democratic Majority for Israel PAC. Altman is now pivoting her stance on holding Israel accountable – a position that, when expressed by her Muslim opponent, was baselessly framed as advocating for the death of Israeli children.
Closing Statement
The voters of New Jersey's 12th Congressional District — along with the Muslim and Arab-American communities who have long endured this harmful narrative — deserve better. So do the children Dr. Hamawy has fought to save, whose suffering is the reason he is calling for accountability in the first place.
CAIR Action NJ is an affiliate of CAIR Action, a 501(c)(4) organization. Our mission is to engage, educate, and mobilize Muslim voters, train emerging leaders, and champion policy priorities that enhance the well-being and representation of Muslim communities.
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