Sen. John Fetterman, R-Pennsylvania, reiterated his criticism of activists calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in an interview with FOX Digital, calling Democrats for their “insane” response to attacks launched by Iran against Israel. denounced.
“Showing up at Starbucks with a bullhorn and starting yelling at people is neither appropriate nor legal nor helps advance a cause,” he said in an interview on FOX News Digital on Friday.
He also claimed that such protests do not “ennoble you.”
“It just fills you with holes,” Fetterman said.
Since the beginning of the war between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas, anti-Israel demonstrations have broken out across the United States. Demonstrators sometimes took extreme measures to make their dissatisfaction with U.S. policy regarding Israel known. Some have illegally entered government buildings, blocked busy bridges, and entered private businesses with bullhorns, chanting chants at employees.
Fetterman has made it clear that he supports the right to protest and hold different opinions.
“It’s very American to protest and do it in an appropriate way,” he said. “I absolutely support that.”
He says his problem is when these demonstrations “disrupt lives.”
He pointed to the serious impact of protesters blocking traffic on busy bridges and roads, explaining: [are in] You might have an emergency, be late for work, potentially lose your job, or have to pick up and drop off your kids. ”
Although he opposes such forms of protest, he has not expressed interest in legislation to address it, telling Fox News Digital that it is “not a priority of mine.” .
“My priority is to talk about the hostages,” he said, referring to the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza.
The Pennsylvania senator has emerged as one of the Israel Democratic Party’s most vocal supporters, repeatedly emphasizing in interviews that “we can never forget that Hamas started this, and they are the most horrifying… “I chose to do something terrible and unspeakable.” ”
And Fetterman believes the cause of Palestinian statehood will go nowhere until the hostages, including Americans, still held in Gaza are freed.
“They have the right to decide today to bring everyone home and surrender, so they can end all the trauma, all the death, all of this in Gaza. “I can go back to ,” he said.
Many Democrats did not support Israel’s decision to retaliate against Iran, which directly attacked the country last weekend. They were concerned that any counterattack could spark a regional war and involve the United States, but Fetterman said: it’s their choice. ”
“I hope this doesn’t escalate into something like this.” [a] “The conflict is more widespread,” he added.
He criticized fellow Democrats for not immediately condemning Iran for attacking Israel directly. “I’m appalled that there are Democrats in our party who can’t even condemn Iran,” Fetterman said. “That’s crazy.”
He said he could not speak for other members of Congress, citing growing divisions within the Democratic Party over support for Israel. But he reaffirmed his position as “a very firm and consistent voice of support for Israel through all of this.”
