When asked how he and Kamala Harris would address the war in Gaza, Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz did not mention Hamas by name or directly blame the terrorist group for the October 7 massacre.
When asked Thursday by National Public Radio affiliate WCMU in Michigan, “The Harris-Waltz Administration [would] The Minnesota governor said how he would handle the conflict and whether he would “break ranks with the Biden administration in some way.” Briefly mentioned It reported the “horrific” terrorist attack without identifying the perpetrators.
“I think what we saw on October 7th was, first and foremost, a horrific act of violence against the Israeli people. They certainly have a right to defend themselves, and the vice president and I have said that, and the United States will always support that,” Waltz said, quickly adding, “But we cannot allow something like what happened in Gaza to happen.”
“The Palestinian people have a full right to life and a full right to freedom, and I think we need to continue to use our influence to help move forward toward a two-state solution,” Waltz continued.
“I think we're at a critical point right now. [Israel Prime Minister Benjamin] The Netanyahu government will start moving in that direction.”
“But I think the people who are speaking out in Michigan are speaking out for the right reasons. This is a humanitarian crisis. We can't let this continue,” concluded the man who may be one step away from becoming president.
“And we need to find a way for people to coexist in this situation. We have said and continue to say that the only way forward is to achieve a ceasefire with the return of the hostages and to move towards a sustainable two-state solution.”
Both Harris and Waltz issued statements paying lip service to defending the Jewish state's right to self-defense, but then condemned questionable reports of civilian death tolls in Gaza without naming Hamas as responsible.
Critics have accused the Democratic presidential and vice presidential candidates of morally equating the Israeli military with Hamas, and pro-Israel activists again denounced Walz after his comments became public.
“So Israel has the right to defend itself, but not when it needs to defend itself. Hamas does not exist in this story. No Americans were killed by Hamas this weekend. My Zionist grandparents in Minnesota are turning over in their graves over this disgrace.” Commentary editor John Podhoretz writes about X:.
“Do Kamala Harris and Tim Walz want to pressure Israel to allow Hamas to survive and kill again?” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) asked.“And do they believe that pro-Hamas militants are 'speaking for the right reasons'? Moral equivalence is repugnant.”
On Sunday, Walz literally dodged a question about Hamas' recent killing of six hostages, including American Hersh Goldberg Pollin, at the Minnesota State Fair.
“What is your reaction to the discovery of six hostages dead in Gaza?” a reporter asked.
Waltz ignored the question, turned around, waved to the attendees and reporters, then said, “Okay, thank you, everyone,” and walked away.
He later issued a statement calling Hamas a “brutal terrorist organization.”
“The grief of losing a child is something no family should have to endure. Gwen and I send our deepest condolences to the Goldberg-Polin family whose son, Hersh, was murdered by Hamas,” Waltz posted on X.
“Hamas is a brutal terrorist organization and we condemn in the strongest possible terms their continuing atrocities against both the United States and Israel.”
Key 2024 states like Michigan are home to large Muslim American populations as well as anti-Israel Democratic voters who refused to support President Biden in the Democratic primary because of his support for Israel during the war.
Harris met with organizers from the group Unfettered National Movement in July and reportedly agreed to discuss an arms embargo against Israel.
The vice president's national security adviser, Phil Gordon, denied the exchange, saying Harris would “always ensure that Israel can defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups.”
Harris told CNN last week, in her first interview as a Democratic presidential candidate, that she would not change policy but suggested Israel's actions could influence whether the U.S. would withhold aid.
Rep. Ro Khan (D-Calif.) said days later that voters could expect Harris to chart a “new course” on Israel and discuss different ways the U.S. could divest military funding from Israel.
“The Vice President has been clear that Israel will always have what it needs to defend itself against Iran and its Iranian-backed terrorists, including Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis,” Dean Lieberman, spokesman and deputy national security adviser, said in a statement following Khana's remarks.
