But What Can You Do? tracks where 2026 candidates stand on U.S. weapons and funding for the government of Israel. How we check
Joshua Green
Democrat · Governor, Hawaii
✗Supports
How this mark works
We track key votes on sending U.S. weapons and money to the government of Israel. A check means every tracked vote they cast came down against sending more, on the side of peace and de-escalation. A question mark means a mixed record: they sided with sending up to half of the time. An X means they voted to send more weapons and money in over half of their tracked votes, even as the way those weapons and dollars were being used became more and more obvious. At exactly half, money this election cycle from a lobbying group we track, or an endorsement from a group that backs sending weapons, makes it an X. Only votes actually cast are counted. Where a candidate has no recorded votes on these bills, the mark comes instead from a reviewed reading of their public record (money from the lobbying groups we track, endorsements, and their own words since January 26, 2024). There an X also covers fully backing the conduct of the war by the government of Israel without significant reservations, and a question mark also covers speaking about Israel without saying clearly where they stand on U.S. weapons and funding. A dash means No Position Found: we found nothing in their own words about Israel, Gaza or the war.
Two reviewers, reading the public record as a whole, agree: His office's letter, answering petitioners, affirms the U.S. security-assistance agreements and calls the commitment to strengthening Israel's military capability sacrosanct, which supports the aid continuing. Reviewed by hand on 2026-10-01. This candidate has no recorded tracked floor votes.
A February 2024 letter from Green's office, printed by a group campaigning against its stance, says "this commitment to Israel’s security continues to be bipartisan and sacrosanct" and that U.S. security-assistance agreements with the government of Israel "further demonstrate the unwavering support for Israel’s security."
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Green is the incumbent Governor of Hawaii, in office since December 2022 and running for re-election. A governor does not vote on foreign aid or arms sales, so his in-scope record is what his office has said and done rather than any vote.
The substantive item is a February 22, 2024 letter from his office, emailed to campaigners who had petitioned against Hawaii's strategic partnership with Israel. As World BEYOND War printed it, the letter says: "Under Governor Green’s administration, this commitment to Israel’s security continues to be bipartisan and sacrosanct. The United States remains steadfast in preserving and strengthening Israel’s capability to deter threats and defend itself." It continues: "The historic Memoranda of Understanding on security assistance, signed by successive U.S. administrations, further demonstrate the unwavering support for Israel’s security." That is an endorsement of federal security assistance to the government of Israel from a state executive's office, which is why it leads. The letter has not been published by his office. Its text reaches us through one author, Ann Wright, who printed the same block in World BEYOND War on March 5, 2024 and in a Common Dreams opinion piece on March 7, 2024, and who campaigns against the position it states. The words are the office's, not his own spoken words.
In March 2025, during a federal Title VI review, he described the Gaza-war demonstrations at the University of Hawaii as "a little on-campus conflict during the recent war in Gaza" which "paled in comparison to what's gone on at other universities".
In their words
“Under Governor Green’s administration, this commitment to Israel’s security continues to be bipartisan and sacrosanct. The United States remains steadfast in preserving and strengthening Israel’s capability to deter threats and defend itself.”
“The historic Memoranda of Understanding on security assistance, signed by successive U.S. administrations, further demonstrate the unwavering support for Israel’s security.”
The notes behind this card: what we looked at, what we found, and where each item came from.
U.S. military aid and weapons to Israel
2024-02-22 [Position; the only source campaigns against the position]: A letter from the Governor's office, "received by email from the Governor’s Office on February 22, 2024", as printed in a block quotation by World BEYOND War: "Under Governor Green’s administration, this commitment to Israel’s security continues to be bipartisan and sacrosanct. The United States remains steadfast in preserving and strengthening Israel’s capability to deter threats and defend itself. Additionally, the pledge never to allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon remains integral to this partnership." Next paragraph: "The historic Memoranda of Understanding on security assistance, signed by successive U.S. administrations, further demonstrate the unwavering support for Israel’s security. These arrangements underscore the importance of Israel’s security to U.S. interests and regional stability." And: "Governor Green’s administration upholds the commitments outlined in the Joint Declaration, ensuring the enduring U.S.-Israel strategic partnership remains strong and steadfast." The printed letter does not use the word "essential", which an earlier version of this entry used to summarize it.
⚠ Sourcing caveat, and it is material. The letter is not published on governor.hawaii.gov. Its wording reaches us only through World Beyond War (2024-03-05), a Common Dreams opinion piece (2024-03-07), and a Veterans For Peace Hawaii post which does not name him in retrievable metadata. All three are campaigning against the position they quote. Both the World Beyond War and Common Dreams pieces are by the same author, Ann Wright, and print the same block, so they count as one source. The card quotes the letter as that source prints it and says who printed it.
2023-10-19 [Reaction window; on this page only]: In an interview with Hawaii Public Radio he said he has relatives living in Israel and that he always strives to err on the side of peace and humanitarian concerns.
2023-10-20 [Reaction window; on this page only]: Ordered flags lowered at state facilities, praying the conflict "ends quickly, that all of the hostages are returned safely to their families, and that no more civilians are hurt or killed". Official source, his own office.
2025-03 [Current position]: During a federal Title VI review he characterized University of Hawaii Gaza demonstrations as "a little on-campus conflict during the recent war in Gaza" that "paled in comparison to what's gone on at other universities". Reported by JNS (2025-03-19); related office release on federal support.
2025-09-28 [Current position]: In an interview with Honolulu Civil Beat he referred to global security challenges including the "wars... in Ukraine and Israel/Palestine" while emphasizing Hawaii's role in Indo-Pacific defense.
Rhetoric and lobbying
Undated: Profiles in the Forward covering his candidacy and background.
Safety and antisemitism (about him, not a position of his)
2026-06 [Current position]: A man was charged with sending antisemitic threats to kill the governor and his family. Also covered by Hawaii News Now and Civil Beat (2026-06-11). This is a crime committed against him and is not a position he holds; it is recorded here and is not on his card.
What came back empty or unusable
The February 2024 letter has no official source page. Locating it on governor.hawaii.gov, or obtaining it directly, would let the quoted phrases be published verbatim rather than described.
No statement located on U.S. aid to Palestinians, UNRWA or Gaza humanitarian funding.
No statement located from the 2026 re-election campaign itself.
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.
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