In a series of public statements made on Wednesday, Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, voiced his unwavering support for Israel.
He also took the opportunity to subtly criticize some of his Democratic colleagues, though he refrained from naming them directly.
Fetterman's comments came in response to the recent calls for a ceasefire and the accusations leveled against Israel for the devastating hospital explosion in Gaza. The Senator expressed his dismay at the readiness of some Congress members to accept Hamas' claim that an Israeli airstrike was responsible for the hundreds of deaths at a Gaza hospital. He found it "truly disturbing" that these members would so readily believe the word of Hamas over that of "our key ally."
"Who would take the word of a group that just massacred innocent Israeli civilians over our key ally?" Fetterman questioned in his statement on Wednesday. He went on to highlight the tragic loss of innocent Israeli lives in a terrorist attack, describing it as the "largest loss of Jewish lives since the Holocaust." He further clarified that the tragedy at the Gaza hospital was not caused by Israel.
Fetterman, who had previously condemned Hamas' brutal attack on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7, reiterated his support for Israel and its efforts to eliminate Hamas. "I will always stand with Israel and look forward to supporting any military, intelligence, or humanitarian aid to get the job done," he stated.
Later, Fetterman continued his commentary on the Israel-Hamas conflict, attributing the deaths of thousands of innocent Israelis and Palestinians to Hamas' attacks. He argued that the current situation was not conducive to discussions of a ceasefire. Instead, he advocated for supporting Israel in its efforts to neutralize Hamas, a group he accused of wanting to destroy Israel rather than seeking peace.
"I grieve for every innocent person and brave Israeli soldier killed since Hamas started this war. If not for the horrific attacks by Hamas terrorists, thousands of innocent Israelis and Palestinians would still be alive today," he wrote. "We can talk about a ceasefire after Hamas is neutralized."
Fetterman's statements came in the wake of Representative Rashida Tlaib's, a Democrat from Michigan, repetition of a debunked claim that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were responsible for the bomb that hit a Gaza hospital during a protest on Wednesday. Tlaib also urged President Biden to "wake up" and accused his administration of funding a "genocide" against Palestinians.
In response to these claims, the IDF has made public evidence indicating that the explosion at Gaza City's Al-Ahli Hospital, which resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths, was not Israels fault. On his visit to Israel on Wednesday, President Biden also stated that U.S. intelligence suggested the attack was the fault of terrorists and not Israel.
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