Cory Booker’s Documented Israel/Palestine Record

This is the November 3, 2026 GENERAL ELECTION, not a primary. Cory Booker appears on the verified statewide ballot for U.S. Senate with the ballot designation Democratic. [^1]

For voters trying to sort through a painful and often polarizing subject, the most useful starting point is the public record itself. Booker’s documented record is issue-specific: he has expressed support for Israel’s security and right to exist, while also calling for ceasefires and humanitarian aid in Gaza, supporting Palestinian self-determination, criticizing particular Israeli-government actions, and taking two 2026 votes on proposed arms sales. [^5] [^6] [^8] [^9] [^11] [^12] This is not a single-label record.

Why a U.S. Senate race matters here

A U.S. senator votes on federal legislation and resolutions. The Senate also plays roles in military-policy oversight and appropriations, treaty approval, and confirmation of ambassadors and other executive nominees. [^3] Those powers can affect U.S. diplomacy, humanitarian policy and proposed foreign military sales, but one senator cannot personally make U.S. foreign policy or end a war.

Booker has represented New Jersey in the Senate since 2013 and serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. [^4] That committee assignment and the Senate’s powers make his publicly documented positions relevant to New Jersey voters considering this statewide office. [^3][^4]

Support for Israel’s security is part of the record

Booker’s statements do not treat a ceasefire or Palestinian self-determination as a rejection of Israel’s security. In a January 16, 2025 statement welcoming a ceasefire deal, he called for a two-state solution that protects Israel’s right to exist as a democratic Jewish state and Palestinians’ right to self-determination and a state. He also described rebuilding a Gaza free from Hamas’s terror. [^5]

He made a similar distinction in May 2025, when he joined a letter urging the president to press for renewed Gaza humanitarian aid and Israel-Hamas hostage-and-ceasefire negotiations. The letter called for a deal that would release hostages, bring a ceasefire and create a postwar Gaza security force without Hamas. It also reaffirmed what it called an unequivocal commitment to Israel’s security and right to defend itself. [^6]

Those statements are about several different things: Israel and the Israeli government are not the same; Hamas is not Palestinian identity; and Judaism is not a government policy. The cited record supports Booker’s statements about Israeli security, Hamas, and a democratic Jewish state. It should not be used to assign views about Jewish people or all Palestinians that he did not state. [^5][^6]

Ceasefire, aid and Palestinian self-determination

Booker has repeatedly backed a ceasefire paired with hostage release and humanitarian aid. In January 2025, he welcomed a deal intended to release hostages and increase humanitarian resources for Palestinian civilians in Gaza, and called for further negotiations toward a lasting ceasefire. [^5] On October 9, 2025, he called an announced Israel-Hamas agreement a step toward ending the war, releasing hostages and increasing Gaza humanitarian aid; he again urged implementation and a two-state solution. [^7]

His legislative record includes S.Res.224, introduced on May 13, 2025. Congress.gov lists Booker as an original cosponsor. The resolution called for urgent humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza, an end to the blockade on food and humanitarian aid, release of hostages and a durable end to the conflict. It was referred to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and remained at the introduced stage in the record reviewed. [^8]

These actions document support for aid, negotiations and Palestinian self-determination. They do not, by themselves, answer every question about how Booker would approach future negotiations or the full range of U.S. policy.

Criticism of specific Israeli-government policies

Booker has also criticized identified Israeli-government actions. On February 11, 2026, he said an Israeli Security Cabinet decision to expand control over the West Bank was a green light for unilateral annexation. He said it violated the Oslo Accords, threatened Israel’s security and should be reversed. His statement linked that reversal both to Israel remaining a democratic Jewish state and to Palestinians having freedom, self-determination and a viable state. [^9]

In August 2026, Booker, Adam Schiff and Chuck Schumer led 45 senators in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The letter asked him to prevent West Bank violence, investigate violations, hold people responsible for violence against Palestinians—including Palestinian Americans—accountable, halt additional settlements and address the deaths of U.S. citizens. It said settlement expansion and fighting would harm Israel’s long-term security and prospects for peace, prosperity and freedom for Israelis and Palestinians. [^10]

That is documented criticism of specific policies and violence. It is not evidence that Booker opposes Israel’s existence or its defense, which he separately affirmed. [^5][^6]

The 2026 arms-sale votes: narrow but important

On two April 2026 Senate votes, Booker voted Yea on motions to discharge S.J.Res.32 and S.J.Res.138. Each measure concerned congressional disapproval of a proposed foreign military sale to the Government of Israel. Both motions failed: one by 40–59 and the other by 36–63. [^11][^12]

Those roll calls establish votes on those two proposed sales, not a blanket position on every security relationship or arms transfer. Booker’s April 15 statement said he did not support more weapons continuing the Iran war, whether to the U.S. government or a close ally, while saying he would always support Israel’s defense and deterrence capabilities. [^13] In a July 2025 statement about then-pending disapproval resolutions, he had also argued that restricting future U.S. security guarantees would not itself end the war or increase aid, while calling for immediate aid and an immediate ceasefire. [^14]

What the public record does not show

The reviewed campaign homepage and biography pages do not provide a standalone Israel/Palestine policy page. That is a gap in those campaign materials, not proof that Booker lacks a view. [^15]

The record also does not establish that Booker supports S.Res.410, a September 2025 resolution concerning recognition of a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. Congress.gov lists nine cosponsors, and Booker is not listed among them. [^16]

Finally, the two April 2026 roll calls and Booker’s accompanying statement do not settle his view on every possible future weapons package or every aspect of U.S.-Israel policy. Their documented scope is two proposed sales and his stated concern about continuing the Iran war. [^11][^12][^13] The reviewed materials likewise do not provide a separate, comprehensive account of his views on antisemitism; readers should not fill that gap with assumptions based on his statements about Israel, Judaism, Hamas or Palestinians. [^15]

Bottom line

The available record shows a combination of positions rather than a simple binary label: stated support for Israel’s security and right to exist; calls to free hostages and remove Hamas from postwar Gaza; support for ceasefire efforts, Gaza aid and Palestinian self-determination; criticism of West Bank annexation and settlements; and two votes to advance specific arms-sale disapproval measures. [^5][^6][^8][^9][^10][^11][^12]

For New Jersey voters, the practical question is what this documented record says about a candidate for a federal office with real but limited influence over U.S. foreign policy. The source record gives evidence for several answers. It does not justify treating any one of those answers as the whole story. [^3] [^5] [^6] [^8] [^9] [^11] [^12]

Record update: other policy areas and voting history

Updated October 12, 2026. The sections below separate recorded votes, sponsored or cosponsored bills, campaign proposals, public statements, and gaps in the public record. They are included to help readers examine the evidence themselves; they do not recommend a candidate or a conclusion.

What Else Is in the Public Record

Israel/Palestine is covered in the preceding section. Beyond that issue, Cory Booker’s recent public record includes named bills, recorded cosponsorships, and public statements on domestic questions that reach daily life in New Jersey. Booker is an incumbent senator, so it is important to say exactly what the evidence shows: sponsoring or joining a bill is a public policy action, but it is not the same as a bill becoming law or a Senate roll-call vote. [B13] The items below are current through October 12, 2026.

Affordability and taxes: a proposed change to the standard deduction

Booker sponsored S.4042, the Keep Your Pay Act, which he introduced on March 10, 2026. The bill was referred to the Senate Finance Committee and remained at the introduced stage in the official record reviewed. [B1]

The proposal would raise the federal income-tax standard deduction to $37,500 for an individual and, under the joint-return formula, $75,000 for a married couple filing jointly. It would also change some top tax rates, adjust earned-income-credit rules, and create a refundable monthly child tax credit. [B2] Those are proposed federal tax-code changes, not current benefits. They would require passage by Congress and a presidential signature.

For ordinary New Jersey households, this matters because federal deductions and credits can affect how much income is taxed and when families receive help with child-related expenses. The record supports saying that Booker has put forward this specific tax-and-family-income approach. It does not establish what any particular household would save, or how Congress would ultimately finance or change the measure.

Health care and reproductive policy: coverage and pharmacy access

On broader health coverage, Booker was an original cosponsor of S.1506, the Medicare for All Act, introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders on April 29, 2025. That distinction matters: Booker joined the bill; he did not sponsor it. The official Congressional Research Service summary says the proposal would create a national health-insurance program administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, with automatic enrollment and a broad set of covered services. It describes no cost sharing except for prescription drugs, and includes hospital care, prescription drugs, mental-health and substance-use treatment, dental and vision care, long-term care, and reproductive care. The bill remained referred to the Senate Finance Committee. [B3]

Booker is the sponsor of a more specific reproductive-health bill: S.2302, the Access to Birth Control Act. Introduced July 16, 2025, it would require pharmacies that stock FDA-approved contraception to provide it without delay. When a product is not in stock, the bill would require a timely referral, transfer, or expedited ordering option. It would also bar certain intimidation, interference, deliberate misinformation, confidentiality breaches, and refusal to return a valid prescription. The text keeps particular exceptions, including professional clinical judgment, so its reach is not unlimited. [B4] [B5]

These are proposals, not enacted federal rules. Still, they show documented Booker activity on the cost and scope of health coverage, as well as access to contraception at the pharmacy counter—issues that can shape medical bills, prescription access, and family planning.

Immigration enforcement and detention accountability

On January 27, 2026, Booker sponsored S.3699, the Federal Officers Camera Use for Safety Act, or FOCUS Act. The bill would require federal law-enforcement officers engaged in or supporting immigration enforcement to wear and operate body cameras. Its definition also reaches authorized private contractors. The proposal sets rules for retaining footage, seeking it through government-records procedures, reporting failures to use cameras, potential discipline, and annual DHS reporting. It was referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee and remained introduced. [B6]

Booker and New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim also announced a separate August 2026 proposal to restore funding for DHS’s independent Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman. Their release said the measure would pause payments to detention contractors when the ombudsman found violations until corrective actions were taken. Booker said people in federal custody should receive dignity and that contractor misconduct should have consequences. [B7]

For voters, this is a record centered on oversight and transparency in federal immigration enforcement and detention. It is not, by itself, a complete answer to every question about border policy, immigration levels, or enforcement priorities. Neither measure had become law in the source record reviewed.

Energy, climate, and the electricity bill

Booker was an original cosponsor of S.3682, the Power for the People Act of 2026, introduced by Sen. Chris Van Hollen on January 15, 2026. The bill was referred to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and remained introduced. [B8]

Its central subject is the fast-growing electricity demand of data centers. The legislation would require local transmission-upgrade costs caused by an interconnecting data center to be allocated to that data center. It would have states consider data-center-specific utility rate classes and would create a federal load-queue framework. That framework favors new, lower-carbon energy supply and includes prevailing-wage and registered-apprenticeship conditions for covered construction. [B9]

That is a concrete proposal about who should bear certain grid-expansion costs, how new data centers connect to the electric system, and what standards apply to new power supply. New Jersey households may care because electricity costs and reliability affect home budgets. The bill does not set a New Jersey rate, and the public record does not support promising that it would produce a particular bill reduction.

Democracy and voting rights

Booker’s public record also includes a current voting-rights statement. In interviews collected by his Senate office after the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais decision, Booker said the Court had “eviscerate[d] the Voting Rights Act” and described fair elections and representation as the issue at stake. That is Booker’s stated response to the decision; this article does not treat his language as a substitute for the Court’s own ruling. [B10]

On September 23, 2026, Booker was an original cosponsor of S.5481, introduced by Sen. Elizabeth Warren and officially titled “A bill to expand youth access to voting, and for other purposes.” It was referred to the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and remained introduced. [B11] Congress.gov said the bill text had not yet been received as of September 25, so the available official record does not support claims about its particular registration or voting rules. [B12]

For New Jersey readers, these actions connect to who can participate in federal elections and how representation is protected. They do not amount to a complete record on campaign finance, ethics, or every question of federal election power.

Taken together, this is an issue-specific public record: a tax proposal, health-care and contraception legislation, immigration-enforcement oversight bills, an energy-cost proposal, and voting-rights advocacy. Readers can weigh those documented actions alongside other issues, while keeping clear the difference between a senator’s proposal or statement and a policy that is already federal law.

Voting Record and Israel-Related Public Actions

Cory Booker has an official federal voting record as a U.S. senator. The record below separates recorded legislative actions from statements or other public activity. A vote documents the question actually before the Senate; it does not by itself establish a senator’s view of every provision in a package, their reasons, or a broader moral or legal conclusion.

On February 5, 2019, Booker voted Nay on final passage of S.1, the Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act. Among other provisions, S.1 authorized Foreign Military Financing for Israel through FY2028, extended loan-guarantee authority, and authorized certain precision-guided-munitions transfers. The Senate passed the bill, but it did not become law. [V1]

After October 7, 2023, Booker voted Yea on S.Res.417, a nonbinding resolution “standing with Israel against terrorism.” That was not an aid or arms-transfer bill. [V2] In November 2023, he voted Yea to table the motion to proceed to H.R.6126, the House-passed Israel Security Supplemental. That was a procedural vote that ended Senate consideration of that version; it was not a final Senate vote to provide the funds. [V3]

Booker voted Yea on the Senate’s final-passage vote and final concurrence vote for H.R.815, the 2024 national-security supplemental. The enacted law, P.L.118-50, included emergency supplemental appropriations for Israel, including Foreign Military Financing and cooperative missile-defense funding, along with major provisions concerning other countries and programs. The record also shows his Yes votes on the related Senate procedural and substitute-amendment votes. [V4]

Several broader defense or appropriations packages contained specific Israel-related provisions. Booker voted Yea on the FY2024 consolidated appropriations package, which included Israeli missile-defense and Foreign Military Financing provisions. He voted Nay on the FY2024 NDAA conference report, the FY2025 NDAA final package, the FY2025 continuing-appropriations law, the Senate and final FY2026 NDAA packages, and the FY2026 consolidated appropriations law. Those were votes on whole packages, not stand-alone votes on their Israel provisions. [V5]

On proposed arms-transfer disapproval resolutions, Booker voted Nay on motions to discharge three resolutions in November 2024 concerning tank rounds, mortar rounds, and a license amendment for JDAM and Small Diameter Bomb variants. He also voted Nay on four discharge motions in 2025 concerning proposed bomb-body, rifle, and related transfers. In April 2026, he voted Yea on two discharge motions concerning proposed bulldozer and 1,000-pound bomb-body transfers. Each of these was a vote on whether to bring a disapproval resolution out of committee for Senate consideration; none became law. [V6] [V7] [V8]

The record also includes Foreign Assistance Act oversight votes. In January 2024, Booker voted Yea to table a motion to discharge S.Res.504, which would have requested information about Israel’s human-rights practices, U.S. security assistance, and end-use monitoring. In September 2026, he voted Yea on a motion to discharge S.Res.852, another request for State Department information under that Act; the motion failed. These are oversight votes, not votes appropriating aid or approving an arms transfer. [V9] [V10]

This section reports verified roll calls through October 12, 2026. Public statements, campaign materials, endorsements, and speeches are not legislative votes and should be evaluated separately. A vote on one measure should not be presented as proof of agreement with every item in that measure or as a complete account of a candidate’s position.

Sources and references

[^1]: New Jersey Federal Candidate Series — Verified Roster and Editorial Standard (https://www.nj.gov/state/elections/assets/pdf/election-results/2026/2026-official-general-candidates-us-senate.pdf), verified statewide general-election list, accessed through the supplied roster. [^3]: U.S. Senate, “Powers and Procedures” (https://www.senate.gov/about/powers-procedures.htm). [^4]: Congress.gov, “Senator Cory A. Booker” (https://www.congress.gov/member/cory-booker/B001288); Booker Senate Office, “Committee Assignments” (https://www.booker.senate.gov/about/committee-assignments). [^5]: Booker Senate Office, “Booker Statement on Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Deal,” January 16, 2025 (https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-statement-on-israel-hamas-ceasefire-deal). [^6]: Booker Senate Office, “Booker, Coons, Colleagues Urge Trump to Press for Immediate Resumption of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza and Return of Israel-Gaza Hostage and Ceasefire Negotiations,” May 9, 2025 (https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-coons-colleagues-urge-trump-to-press-for-immediate-resumption-of-humanitarian-aid-to-gaza-and-return-of-israel-gaza-hostage-and-ceasefire-negotiations). [^7]: Booker Senate Office, “Booker Statement on Israel-Hamas Peace Agreement,” October 9, 2025 (https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-statement-on-israel-hamas-peace-agreement). [^8]: Congress.gov, S.Res.224, 119th Congress (https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-resolution/224/all-info). [^9]: Booker Senate Office, “Booker Statement on Recent Israeli Security Cabinet Decision to Expand Control Over the West Bank,” February 11, 2026 (https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-statement-on-recent-israeli-security-cabinet-decision-to-expand-control-over-the-west-bank). [^10]: Booker Senate Office, “Booker, Schiff, Schumer Lead 45 Senators in Urging Netanyahu to Immediately Crack Down on Settler Violence in West Bank, Protect U.S. Citizens,” August 2026 (https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-schiff-schumer-lead-45-senators-in-urging-netanyahu-to-immediately-crack-down-on-settler-violence-in-west-bank-protect-us-citizens). [^11]: U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote 80, 119th Congress, 2nd Session (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1192/vote_119_2_00080.htm). [^12]: U.S. Senate Roll Call Vote 81, 119th Congress, 2nd Session (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1192/vote_119_2_00081.htm). [^13]: Booker Senate Office, “Booker Statement on Joint Resolutions of Disapproval,” April 15, 2026 (https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-statement-on-joint-resolutions-of-dissaproval). [^14]: Booker Senate Office, “Booker Statement on Joint Resolutions of Disapproval,” July 2025 (https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-statement-on-joint-resolutions-of-disapproval). [^15]: Cory Booker for Senate, “About Cory” (https://corybooker.com/about-cory/), campaign pages reviewed in the supplied research report. [^16]: Congress.gov, S.Res.410, 119th Congress (https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-resolution/410/all-info).

[B1]: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4042/all-info "Congress.gov, S.4042 — Keep Your Pay Act (introduced March 10, 2026)"

[B2]: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4042/text "Congress.gov, introduced text of S.4042 — Keep Your Pay Act (March 10, 2026)"

[B3]: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/1506/all-info "Congress.gov, S.1506 — Medicare for All Act (introduced April 29, 2025)"

[B4]: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2302/all-info "Congress.gov, S.2302 — Access to Birth Control Act (introduced July 16, 2025)"

[B5]: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2302/text "Congress.gov, introduced text of S.2302 — Access to Birth Control Act (July 16, 2025)"

[B6]: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3699/text "Congress.gov, introduced text of S.3699 — FOCUS Act (January 27, 2026)"

[B7]: https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/booker-kim-introduce-legislation-to-strengthen-oversight-of-immigration-detention-facilities-and-hold-private-contractors-accountable "Booker Senate Office, detention-oversight proposal (August 7, 2026)"

[B8]: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3682/all-info "Congress.gov, S.3682 — Power for the People Act of 2026 (introduced January 15, 2026)"

[B9]: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3682/text "Congress.gov, introduced text of S.3682 — Power for the People Act of 2026 (January 15, 2026)"

[B10]: https://www.booker.senate.gov/news/press/icymi-booker-responds-to-scotus-decision-attacking-vra-this-is-now-a-movement-election "Booker Senate Office, Booker's Voting Rights Act response (April 30, 2026)"

[B11]: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5481/all-info "Congress.gov, S.5481 — A bill to expand youth access to voting (introduced September 23, 2026)"

[B12]: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/5481/text "Congress.gov, S.5481 text availability notice (September 25, 2026)"

[B13]: https://www.congress.gov/member/cory-booker/B001288 "Congress.gov member profile, Senator Cory A. Booker"

• [V1] Senate roll call 16 (2019) (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1161/vote_116_1_00016.htm); S.1 record (https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/1/all-info)

• [V2] Senate roll call 261 (S.Res.417) (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1181/vote_118_1_00261.htm)

• [V3] Senate roll call 309 (H.R.6126) (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1181/vote_118_1_00309.htm); H.R.6126 record (https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6126/all-info)

• [V4] Senate final-passage roll call 48 (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00048.htm); final-concurrence roll call 154 (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00154.htm); P.L.118-50 text (https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/815/text)

• [V5] CRS official vote inventory (https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48289); H.R.2882 Senate roll call (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00114.htm); H.R.7148 Senate roll call (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1192/vote_119_2_00020.htm)

• [V6] S.J.Res.111, RC 292 (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00292.htm); S.J.Res.113, RC 293 (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00293.htm); S.J.Res.115, RC 294 (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00294.htm)

• [V7] S.J.Res.33, RC 165 (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00165.htm); S.J.Res.26, RC 166 (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00166.htm); S.J.Res.41, RC 454 (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00454.htm); S.J.Res.34, RC 455 (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1191/vote_119_1_00455.htm)

• [V8] S.J.Res.32 roll call (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1192/vote_119_2_00080.htm); S.J.Res.138 roll call (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1192/vote_119_2_00081.htm)

• [V9] S.Res.504 roll call (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1182/vote_118_2_00008.htm); S.Res.504 text (https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-resolution/504/text)

• [V10] S.Res.852 roll call (https://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_votes/vote1192/vote_119_2_00252.htm); S.Res.852 text (https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-resolution/852/text)