Gaza-born pro-terror Israel critic launches Senate bid challenging Fetterman

Ahmed Moor, who has defended Hamas attacks on Israel, is now setting his sights on the Senate seat held by pro-Israel Democrat John Fetterman.

An Arab-American writer who has defended Palestinian terrorism and argued that Israel has no right to exist as a Jewish state announced Monday that he will challenge US Senator John Fetterman in Pennsylvania’s 2028 Democratic primary.

Ahmed Moor, 42, a Gaza-born activist and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, became the first candidate to formally enter the race for Fetterman’s seat, setting up a potential contest between two politicians with sharply opposing positions on Israel.

Fetterman, one of Israel’s most outspoken supporters in Congress, has not yet announced whether he intends to seek a second six-year term.

Moor, who was born in Rafah and raised in Philadelphia, announced his candidacy on social media Monday, outlining a progressive platform combining domestic spending proposals with opposition to American military involvement in the Middle East.

“I’m running to end the war in Iran,” Moor declared, calling for universal healthcare, free childcare, affordable housing and what he described as “accountability for genocide.”

In a statement published on his campaign website, Moor accused American lawmakers of financing Israel’s military campaign in Gaza while neglecting domestic needs.

“A few years ago my birthplace was turned to rubble in a genocide funded by our tax dollars,” he wrote, criticizing politicians who supported American assistance to Israel while failing to adequately fund public transportation and school maintenance.

Moor told the Philadelphia Inquirer, which first reported his candidacy, that his campaign was motivated by concerns extending beyond Fetterman’s support for Israel.

“The truth is, I’m not really running against Fetterman,” he said. “I’m running for good government. I’m running for the rule of law.”

Nevertheless, the two men hold fundamentally different positions on American policy toward Israel.

Moor advocates ending US military assistance to Israel and imposing economic sanctions until Palestinians receive what he considers equal rights. He has proposed sanctions modeled on measures enacted against apartheid-era South Africa.

Fetterman, by contrast, has repeatedly defended Israel’s military operations against Hamas and opposed efforts in Congress to restrict American military support for the Jewish state.

Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre, Fetterman displayed photographs of Israeli hostages outside his Senate office. He also famously waved an Israeli flag from a rooftop in response to anti-Israel demonstrators protesting outside his office.

Moor’s criticism of Israel dates back nearly two decades.

In a 2009 article published by Electronic Intifada, he asserted that “‘Zionist Israel’ does not have the right to exist,” describing Zionism as racism and accusing Zionists of holding racist views.

During the 2014 Gaza war, Moor defended Palestinian rocket attacks against Israeli cities, arguing in a Huffington Post commentary that Palestinians were exercising their right to self-defense through the use of unguided missiles.

More recently, in a February 2026 interview with the Jewish newspaper The Forward, Moor challenged criticism of Palestinian terrorism.

“Why are Zionists so resistant to the idea of Palestinian resistance?” he asked.

In the same interview, Moor acknowledged that violations of international law had been committed by both Israelis and Palestinians, stating that “Everyone has committed crimes.”

Moor previously worked as a journalist covering the Middle East and co-edited the book After Zionism: One State for Israel and Palestine, which examines alternatives to Israel’s existing political framework.

He earned degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University, worked in finance and international development, and served on the Philadelphia Democratic City Committee. He has never held elected public office.

His candidacy comes amid growing tensions between Fetterman and progressive Democrats, particularly over the senator’s support for Israel and his willingness to cooperate with President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans.

In July, Fetterman warned that he could leave the Democratic Party if it formally adopted an anti-Israel position.

“That’s my red line,” Fetterman told CNN, although he emphasized that he had no immediate plans to change his party affiliation.

Fetterman’s position has attracted praise from Republicans and pro-Israel organizations while drawing criticism from progressive activists and Democratic lawmakers who oppose continued military assistance to Israel.

The senator’s relationship with his party has also become more complicated following the 2026 midterm elections, in which Democrats regained control of the Senate with at least 54 seats, including independents who caucus with the party.

Moor acknowledged to the Philadelphia Inquirer that he faces an “uphill battle,” particularly if more experienced Democratic politicians enter the primary.

Democratic Socialists of AmericaJohn FettermanPro-Hamas activism