Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., ripped claims in a new interview that Israel has committed war crimes in its retaliatory strikes against Hamas following its Oct. 7 massacre in the country.
Fetterman told CNN anchor Abby Phillip Monday night that Hamas must be destroyed in order for Israelis to exist peacefully and said he values the lives of innocent Palestinian children as much as he does innocent Israeli children. The Democrat has taken heat from the party's left flank for his staunch support of Israel in media and public appearances.
Phillip brought up accusations Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.
"Do you believe that anything that Israel has done in these six weeks of fighting has amounted to a war crime?" she asked.
"Of course not. Of course not," Fetterman said. "And it’s like, let’s not forget what Hamas started. They broke the first cease-fire, and then they attacked Israel and murdered over 1,200 innocent, women, children, babies, everything, and brutalized it in the most unspeakable kinds of ways."
"And so… this is absolutely an unequivocal attack to destroy Israel and we must remember that’s [what] started all of this."
"But are you comfortable, Senator, with the number of Palestinians that have lost their lives? 7,000 children, 15 or 16,000 civilians dead. Do you believe Israel is doing enough to minimize civilian casualties?" Phillip asked.
"One death is too many. It is tragic," Fetterman said. "I don’t value any Palestinian’s child life any more than, or any less than, my own child as well, too. It’s heartbreaking and it is awful."
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Still, he clarified the necessity for the Jewish state to wipe out Hamas, adding, "But, I do fundamentally believe that Israel must destroy Hamas to achieve conditions that allow for peace to prosper."
Fetterman has been a strong supporter of Israel in the wake of Hamas October terror attack, a stance that has put him at odds with fellow progressives.
Former staffers have criticized his stance, with one stating that it "has felt like a gutting betrayal."
Last month, Fetterman also made news for waving an Israel flag in front of pro-Palestinian protestors attempting to confront him over his support for the country. Several of the protestors yelled "Shame!" at the lawmaker as he walked past, in addition to accusing him of supporting genocide.
