New York Senate Winner Aber Kawas Says Tax Dollars Should Fund Domestic Needs
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- Aber Kawas won a New York State Senate seat with about 75% of the vote, according to the supplied report.
- Kawas described Trump’s reported decision to end military aid to Israel as a victory for Americans who had campaigned against the funding.
- She said tax revenue should support domestic needs rather than wars or foreign militaries.
JAKARTA, Indonesianpost.com — Palestinian American Aber Kawas has won a seat in the New York State Senate, marking a political milestone she linked to broader calls for changes in US foreign policy. She described President Donald Trump’s reported decision to end military aid to Israel as a victory for the American people.
Kawas, who secured about 75% of the vote in the November 3 election, said the policy shift reflected public demands for tax revenue to serve Americans’ needs rather than finance wars and military support for other countries.
In an interview with CNN, reported by Anadolu on November 13, 2026, Kawas said people in New York and across the United States had long campaigned to end US military aid to Israel.
She called Trump’s decision “a victory for the American people,” following nearly three years of campaigning against the assistance.
Kawas’ victory carried significance beyond the election result. She was reported to be the first Palestinian American woman and the first woman who wears a hijab elected to the New York State Senate.
After her victory, she wrote on social media: “We have made history.”
Her approximately 75% share of the vote reflected strong support among voters in the race.
Tax Dollars, Not War
Kawas said ending military aid to Israel should be considered a moral issue, not merely a budgetary decision.
She said Americans wanted their tax dollars spent on domestic needs rather than on wars, what she described as genocide, or support for other countries’ militaries.
Her remarks placed public spending and foreign policy at the center of her response to the reported decision.
On November 3, Trump reportedly announced an end to $4 billion in aid to Israel, equivalent to about 72.3 trillion rupiah.
Trump said an agreement had been reached to end the assistance by the end of the year.
“We will no longer give money to Israel,” he said.
The announcement reportedly caught Israeli defense officials by surprise.
Israel’s public broadcaster, KAN, reported that Trump’s remarks, delivered on the day of the US midterm elections, were unexpected among Defense Ministry officials and senior military leaders.
Growing Political Pressure
The developments highlighted the prominence of Palestinian issues in US domestic political debate.
Kawas’ victory and the dispute over military aid to Israel illustrated the domestic pressure facing Washington’s policy toward the Israeli government.
For the Palestinian solidarity movement, the developments offered an opportunity to press for changes in US foreign policy, particularly the use of tax revenue and military assistance to Israel. [Inilah/Bilah]
