Fetterman says anti-Israel campus protests ‘working against peace' in Middle East, not putting hostages first
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., on Sunday slammed the anti-Israel protests that have taken over college campuses nationwide as working against peace in the Middle East, adding that he’s frustrated that those taken hostage by Hamas during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel have not been put first.
Fetterman, who has been outspoken against the protesters, wondered why they are demonstrating against Israel and not Hamas, which he says has refused a recent cease-fire deal during his appearance on CBS's "Face the Nation."
"These kinds of protests haven’t been helpful, and ironically, they are actually working against peace in the Middle East as well," Fetterman said. "And it’s also very strange to me that they’re not actually protesting for a cease-fire now. There’s been a very valid cease-fire that’s been on the table now and Hamas has refused to take that on."
"And I don’t know why if we’re going to protest, why aren’t we protesting that, demanding Hamas to take that kind of a cease-fire," the senator continued. "And that would end all of the trauma and chaos going on there in Gaza."
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Fetterman went on to say that he does not support any kind of conditions being placed on Israel, and instead he put responsibility for the current situation entirely on Hamas.
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"The situation could end right now if Hamas just surrendered and they just sent all of those hostages home again," the senator said. "That’s also a thing that I’ve been frustrated, too, is that those hostages should really be in front of the conversations about the situation in Gaza. Sending them home would really, again, end all of this immediately."
The war in Gaza began after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel in which the terrorist organization killed 1,200 people and took about 250 people hostage.