Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) defended his statement supporting actions against Hezbollah pagers, which were attributed to Israel, during an interview with The New York Times.
“It was targeted for members of Hezbollah. You know, no one uses beepers in that situation other than they were a member of Hezbollah,” said Fetterman.
The interviewer pointed out that a young child had been killed in the pager explosions, to which Fetterman replied, “Unfortunately, tragically, because Daddy was a member of Hezbollah. He brought that danger and evil into their home. That’s what tragically resulted in that poor child’s death, and that’s what’s so terrible. She paid the price because her father was a terrorist for Hezbollah.”
Asked about the “nuance” of the toll of the war on innocent lives in Gaza, Fetterman replied, “There isn’t any nuance.”
“The price is terrible. It’s awful. That’s history and that’s war, and Israel was forced to fight an enemy that are cowardly,” he explained. “They hide in tunnels. They hide in schools and in refugee camps, and they’re in those kinds of places.”
Fetterman added, “That forces them to reach them—they have to go through these civilians. That’s why they’re so evil, and that’s why that’s designed—the death and destruction and the misery, was designed by Hamas. They understood that that’s going to happen. They don’t care.”
“Some people blame Israel. Well, I blame Hamas,” he stated.
Fetterman has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Israel since Hamas’ attack on October 7, 2023. He put up posters of the Israelis who were abducted by Hamas in his front office and said that those photos will stay up until every single person is safely returned home.
When anti-Israel protesters showed up outside Fetterman's office, chanting accusations of genocide, he responded by waving an Israeli flag from the roof of the building.
Last June, Fetterman visited Israel and met both President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.