Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) spoke at the IAC submit in Washington DC to reaffirm his longstanding support for Israel.
"I'm a Democrat, but I'm all about and standing with Israel," he began. "Tonight, I want to recognize that Israel is at war. They just destroyed over one hundred batteries of rockets. I've always believed that the support of Israel should be fully bipartisan, and it is one of the proudest things I've done as Senator was voting for the $14B aid for Israel."
He referred to the upcoming elections. ''I'm proud to stand with Joe Biden. I'm not asking who you are voting for in 2024, and perhaps I'm on a different team than some of you politically, but I'm absolutely on your team about Israel."
Fetterman also spoke about his own trip to Israel, saying, "I also had the privilege of visiting Israel for the first time, and it was the trip of my life back in June. Israel stands and protects and projects the kinds of values that we live for in America."
He gave a warning for the future. "Things are going to change. It's going to get more and more poisonous, and antisemitism is going to continue to rise as we come closer and closer to that terrible anniversary of October 7th. I promise you that this voice and my office in the Senate is going to stand firmly on your side, and that's not going to change."
"I am so sorry about what Hamas has done to Israel. Any of you that have children or relatives in IDF right now in Gaza, I just want to thank you for the opportunity and the honor to express my solidarity to Israel and the Jewish community."
He later commented in an exclusive interview with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News: ''To me, it's not about politics, it's about a commitment to Israel. I just had to recognize that Israel just had to attack Hezbollah and destroy a hundred batteries of rockets. I can only project and stand with Israel throughout all of this.''
He insisted that his support would continue regardless of the results of the elections, promising: "Regardless of what might happen, I've always been very committed to supporting Israel. Of course, we have an election, and I think that that's warped some of it, but to me it's it's not about politics. I disagreed strongly with some of the things that Trump has said politically, but my commitment to Israel is absolute, regardless of political party."
He addressed the issue of radicalism in his party, adding, "I would ignore radicals in both parties. I have been a regular Democrat that has been absolutely and unapologetically standing with Israel, and this voice is going to continue to contain those kinds of views and values."