Josh Harder
Harder has made no public statement on U.S. weapons or money to the government of Israel in the position window; none found in source-checked research. His fullest statement on the war, from January 2024, called for a bilateral ceasefire in Gaza and a two-state solution.
We found no statement from Harder since late January 2024 on U.S. weapons or money to the government of Israel, or on U.S. aid to Palestinians. His fullest statement on the war is dated January 5, 2024, inside this site's months after October 7, 2023: he called on the Biden administration to back a bilateral ceasefire agreement, said "the situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate and is undeniably a humanitarian crisis," said "innocent Gazans should not be held responsible for the actions of Hamas," condemned the October 7 attacks, and restated support for a two-state solution and his criticism of extremist settler violence in the West Bank. Those quotes were verified against his House page.
A pro-Israel group's scorecard credits him with supporting several 2023-2024 antisemitism-related measures; those items are context, not weapons or funding positions, and sit on the research page. As earlier record: in May 2021, during that year's escalation, he affirmed Israel's right to defend itself while calling for de-escalation and a ceasefire to protect civilians.
Tracked votes: opposed sending U.S. weapons or funding to the government of Israel in 4 of 6 recorded votes.
Research
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
- No current-position statement found. 2021-05-13 [Earlier record]: Statement acknowledging Israel's right to defend itself while calling for immediate de-escalation and a ceasefire to protect civilians. Press release
- 2024-01-05 [Months after October 7, 2023; verified]: Called on the Biden administration and U.S. government to support a bilateral ceasefire agreement; said any long-term arrangement must address security for Israel alongside civilian protection. Harder House page
Characterization of the conflict
- 2021-05-13 [Earlier record]: Described the conflict as a crisis endangering innocent lives; condemned "Hamas' indiscriminate attacks on peaceful men, women, and children"; urged restraint from extremist forces in Jerusalem. Press release
- 2024-01-05 [Months after October 7, 2023; verified]: "The situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate and is undeniably a humanitarian crisis." "Innocent Gazans should not be held responsible for the actions of Hamas." "I unequivocally condemn the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7th." Backed a two-state solution with an independent, democratic Palestinian state; noted his past criticism of violent extremist settlers in the West Bank. Harder House page
Rhetoric and lobbying
- 2023-10-10 [Months after October 7, 2023; multi-member document, suspect]: Reported to have joined a bipartisan House-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group statement condemning the Hamas assault. The cited source is another member's press release listing page (kustoff.house.gov, page 13), a multi-member document that could not be tied to Harder specifically; treated as unconfirmed. Kustoff press list
- 2024-01-05 [Months after October 7, 2023; verified]: Said he had "taken some heat" for advocating a two-state solution and speaking out against West Bank settler violence, and maintained those positions. Harder House page
Safety and antisemitism (context, not a weapons or funding position)
- All three items below rest on an undated advocacy scorecard (AJP Action); dates come from the text itself and are treated as claims, not facts.
- 2023-11-02 [Months after October 7, 2023; date taken from the text itself]: Supported congressional statements condemning support for Hamas at institutions of higher learning, citing hostile environments for Jewish students.
- 2023-11-28 [Months after October 7, 2023; date taken from the text itself]: Backed resolutions affirming Israel's right to exist and identifying denial of that right as a form of antisemitism.
- 2024-04-16 [Current position; date taken from the text itself]: Supported legislative efforts declaring the phrase "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" antisemitic.
Also in this race: John McBride (Republican) · All California candidates.
See the full record →But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. Every claim on this page goes through at least two verification steps. Open the interactive card for votes, funding and contact details.