2024 Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie blasted some “Squad” Democrats for their responses to the Hamas attacks against Israel after several of them called for a ceasefire and deescalation without placing blame on either side.
“These are people who have no business, absolutely no business, being listened to or respected regarding what America’s role in the world is and what Israel’s role is as the only democracy in the Middle East,” Christie said in a Monday interview with Fox News on America Reports.
WHAT IS HAMAS, AND WHO IS THE COMMANDER KNOWN AS ‘THE GUEST’ BEHIND THE TERROR ATTACK ON ISRAEL?
“Look, you cannot have terrorists like Hamas launch the type of attack against innocent civilians that you saw launched this weekend, and then say it’s time now, after those murders, for deescalation and a lack of violence. Where were their calls for this when this was going on?” the candidate said.
Hamas launched a land, air, and sea attack against Israel early Saturday, and the death toll continues to rise on both sides after Israel declared war against the terrorist group, the first time the nation has done so since 1973. It’s the largest assault on Jews since the Holocaust, with militants killing hundreds of people and kidnapping soldiers and civilians.
Several members of the Squad, including Reps. Cori Bush (D-MO) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), have called for a broader return to order and peace instead of placing blame on either side.
Tlaib released a statement on the “ongoing violence in Israel and Palestine” on Sunday, echoing similar comments made by several Harvard student organizations and other pro-Palestine groups. She said she is determined to fight for a “just future” where “everyone can live in peace,” calling for an end to the “occupation” and funding for the “apartheid government” in Israel.
“The fact is, Israel has an absolute right and obligation to defend itself and to take out these folks in Gaza who perpetrated this slaughter on civilians,” Christie said, echoing similar statements made by President Joe Biden, several Democrats, and most Republicans.
Christie referenced the deaths of nearly 260 people whose bodies were discovered at the site of the Nova Festival, a music festival celebrating the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Several attendees were kidnapped and taken hostage, while others were killed by Hamas militants.
“These folks are Israel zealots, they are against Israel, they are pro-Palestinian folks who believe any action by a Palestinian is justified, and I just ignore what they have to say,” Christie said of some Squad Democrats.
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Israel’s death toll has risen to 900, most of whom were civilians. Another 2,150 Israelis have been reported wounded, according to an Israeli Embassy spokesperson via CBS News. At least nine U.S. nationals are among the dead, and an undetermined number of Americans remain missing or unaccounted for. On the Palestinian side, the Gaza Ministry of Health is reporting 590 deaths and nearly 2,900 injured in the Israeli counterstrikes.
In the coming days, Israel is expected to launch an incursion into the Gaza Strip, a small, densely packed region sandwiched between the Mediterranean Sea to the west and Israel to the north and east. Hamas is the governing body of the Gaza Strip and has controlled the region since 2007.
