Fetterman on support for Rafah capture: ‘I follow Israel on this’

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) on Tuesday doubled his support for Israel shortly after the country’s forces took control of Gaza’s Rafah border crossing, where more than 1 million civilians are housed amid to the ongoing war.

Asked by Fox News if he supports Israel’s entry into Rafah, Fetterman said: “Well, I follow Israel on that. I mean, they would know the situation more than I do.”

“And I’m always trying to center this on people, where it’s like Hamas could… Well, they started it,” Fetterman continued on Tuesday. “They did these kinds of terrible things. And it could end right now if they sent all the hostages back home, and they could surrender… but they clearly don’t care about all the Palestinian death and chaos and damage. .”

His remarks came hours after Israel began moving military tanks into the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where a critical border crossing for the delivery of humanitarian aid is located. The Biden administration and other Western leaders have tried to steer Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu away from a full-scale invasion in recent weeks, arguing it would put civilian lives and the delivery of crucial aid at risk.

White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said Tuesday that the U.S. is closely monitoring Israel’s actions in Rafah, while noting that they have not risen to the level of a military operation in large scale that American officials have warned against.

Netanyahu said military operations in Rafah will increase pressure on Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007.

Fetterman argued Tuesday that Israel is taking precautions to protect civilian lives.

“Israel really cares about minimizing these civilian deaths. But Hamas sees this as just a kind of collateral damage,” he said.

“Israel is in this kind of war. And we — I don’t have the means. I never have. And I can’t imagine that I ever will,” he said in an earlier comment.

Israel told about 100,000 residents of eastern Rafah to evacuate on Monday, and UNRWA, the United Nations agency that provides food and medicine to civilians, said it intended to remain in Rafah despite Israel’s incursion.

Fetterman, who is serving his first term in the Senate, has been a staunch supporter of Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, often breaking with liberal Democrats over Israel’s handling of the war.

He has been an outspoken critic of the ongoing pro-Palestinian campus demonstrations taking place on college campuses across the country, accusing them of “working against peace in the Middle East.” He also called them “puppy tents” for Hamas in a separate interview.

Speaking to Fox News on Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Democrat suggested that protesters don’t understand exactly what they stand for.

“If you ask them, they’re not sure. They can’t — and now they’re no longer talking about a ceasefire. And now they’re talking about divestment and harming Israel in this. It’s crazy,” he told the Fox News anchor , Bret Baier.

“And Hamas is convinced that it has won the public relations war and continues to see all these types of protests across the country. [on] these campuses. And it doesn’t help, but it actually works against peace, I think,” he continued.

The US, along with Egypt and Qatar, spent weeks working on a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas that would result in the release of the Israeli hostages. Hamas said on Monday it had accepted an offer of a temporary ceasefire, but Israel said the group’s terms fell short of its main demands.

The White House on Tuesday pushed to finalize the deal despite Israel’s seizure of the Rafah border crossing.

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story