Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy told FOX News on Thursday the United States must exhibit strength toward the war in the Holy Land while utilizing a pledge of no direct military involvement to stave off greater consequences for America while supporting Israel's right to exist.
Ramaswamy said the current U.S. posture is leading toward a potential repeat of the same "mistakes" made in Iraq war, which he said lacked "clearly defined objectives."
"The way I look at this is what Hamas did to Israel was subhuman. It was wrong. And the US role here is to stand diplomatically for Israel's right to defend itself to the fullest. Israel has an absolute right to national self-defense and existence, and I think the U.S. is at risk of muddying the waters," he said.
Referencing Israel's state-of-the-art missile defense system, Ramaswamy said the U.S. should stand behind Israel in the form of a "diplomatic Iron Dome" to prevent criticism from the United Nations or the prospect of Israel being alone in its fight for existence.
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Israeli officials recently called for the resignation of U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres, after the former Portuguese prime minister claimed it is important to recognize that Hamas' attacks "did not happen in a vacuum" and that Palestinians have been subjected to five decades of "suffocating occupation."
On "The Story," Ramaswamy said returning U.S. hostages taken by Hamas is top priority. He maintained it is important to warn the Palestinians, Iranians or any other bad actor that striking U.S. bases or maiming Americans will not be tolerated as the war heats up.
"[Make clear] if you strike U.S. bases or U.S. forces in the region, there will absolutely be severe consequences,' he said. "But do that against the broader backdrop of clarity that the U.S. will not get militarily involved in this war but support Israel's right to defend itself. I think that would be the cleanest response."
This tactic has often been called "Big Stick" diplomacy, in a nod to former Republican President Theodore Roosevelt's mantra of "speak softly and carry a big stick," in utilizing the threat of hefty intervention, and not direct intervention as a way to quell threats.
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Ramaswamy underlined that Hamas is not trustworthy but may be "sending a signal" in terms of potential hostage releases, saying there is a reasonable path forward for the United States to wield simply the threat of overwhelming force to get its way.
."[T]hey have released at least two hostages at a time. Use that same pattern to be able to get more out against the backdrop of knowing that the U.S. will not engage militarily here." he said. "To the contrary, if you hit U.S. targets, you're going to have consequences to pay; U.S. bases or troops or otherwise."
When asked if that means potentially striking Iran or engaging in another form of "consequences," should things go south, Ramaswamy said the first step is making "more-than-proportional" consequences "crystal clear" if the U.S. or its bases and expatriates are affected.
Ramaswamy said that either way, direct military confrontation with Tehran is not in the United States' interest. He reiterated that an American pledge against military engagement -- so long as actions such as hostage releases are taken -- is in the nation's best domestic interests as well as defending Israel.
The candidate went on to suggest such tactics could also be used as potential blueprints for ultimate withdrawal of U.S. forces from Syria and Iraq.
"The $6.5 trillion that we spent in Iraq and Afghanistan, the thousands of our sons and daughters who died in those conflicts -- It is easy to criticize that now," he said. "But if we go back and understand the arguments that were being made, then they're not that dissimilar from what we're hearing now. And I refuse to make those same mistakes on my watch as commander-in-chief."
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