Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sat down with Reuters earlier this week and gave his opinion on the possibility of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Kennedy told the news outlet that he was uncertain as to what a ceasefire in Gaza would mean right now, saying that Hamas has used previous ceasefires to “rearm, rebuild” and launch a new surprise attack on Israel.
Just got off the phone with @RobertKennedyJr to thank him for being a real friend to the Jewish people and State of Israel.
For the record: @potus & @SenSchumer this is what true friendship looks like.
Wish the Dems would take a lesson from him but doubtful they will put… pic.twitter.com/YV09YgdGbz— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) March 20, 2024
The 70-year-old is a proud and unapologetic supporter of Israel, stating that the country did not decide to start the war and compared it to the U.S. becoming involved in World War II after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor. He referred to Israel as a “moral nation” and said that it has a “right to self-defense.”
According to Kennedy, war is either a moral decision that should be pursued or a choice that should be avoided. He said that the Israeli government had no choice but to act after Hamas killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 253 hostages on Oct. 7.
“Any other nation that was adjacent to a neighboring nation that was bombing it with rockets, sending commandos over to murder its citizens, pledging itself to murder every person in that nation and annihilate it, would go and level it with aerial bombardment,” he said. “But Israel is a moral nation. So it didn’t do that. Instead, it built an Iron Dome to protect itself so it would not have to go into Gaza.”
This is what people do not comprehend. Israel has been extremely careful. Any other nation on earth would have annihilated Gaza. I assure you if Mexico launched an attack like that on the United States, there would be no more Mexico. https://t.co/fD3rarkZBb
— Carmine Sabia (@CarmineSabia) March 20, 2024
Kennedy’s support for Israel might affect his approval ratings among younger Americans who see what Israel is doing as genocide.
“I’m not concerned about whether people disagree with me,” said Kennedy. “If somebody shows me that I’m wrong about an issue, I’m going to change my opinion.”
According to a recent Gallup Poll, only 38% of young adults ages 18 to 34 have a favorable opinion of Israel. Gen Z tends to view Israel’s attack as genocide, not self-defense, which might hurt Kennedy in the polls.
Kennedy’s stance also puts him against most of his former Democratic colleagues. Several Democrats have outwardly spoken up demanding a ceasefire. Earlier this month, Vice President Kamala Harris called for an “immediate ceasefire.”
