Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. offered support for Israel in an interview with Reuters, saying that the country reacted appropriately to Hamas and questioning the need for a six-week ceasefire that has been backed by President Joe Biden and others in Kennedy’s former party.
“I don’t even know what that means right now,” Kennedy said about a temporary ceasefire. “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.”
“But Israel is a moral nation,” he added. “So it didn’t do that. Instead, it built an Iron Dome to protect itself so it would not have to go into Gaza.”
Kennedy’s reaction to a potential ceasefire puts him at odds with many in his former Democrat Party. A group of Democrat lawmakers even introduced a ceasefire resolution on Oct. 16, 2023, just days after the Hamas attack against Israel, that included Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO).
Taking this stance in opposition to Biden and the rest of the Democrat Party may be an attempt to set himself apart from the other two candidates Biden and former President Donald Trump.
RFK Jr. to AlArabiya re: calls for ceasefire:
“It’s part of the propaganda war that Gaza has the densest population in the world, it doesn't. Tel Aviv has twice the population density as Gaza and Gaza has been firing missiles at civilian populations for 30 years….” pic.twitter.com/n2yKhMXt7o
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) February 22, 2024
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that Kennedy would be backed by approximately 15% of all registered voters if his name is placed on the ballot as a third-party candidate. If his name is placed on the ballot, Kennedy could significantly affect the outcome of the election.
According to the Reuters poll, “It appeared that Kennedy could siphon similar shares of votes from Trump and Biden.”
Kennedy has remained pro-Israel since the time of the bombing and continues to be now. According to the Times of Israel, Kennedy said that Israeli leaders had no other choice than to attack Gaza after Palestinian terrorists launched their attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
“The scale of these attacks means it is likely that Israel will need to wage a sustained military campaign to protect its citizens,” Kennedy said on Oct. 7.
“Statements of support are fine, but we must follow through with unwavering, resolute, and practical action,” he added. “America must stand by our ally throughout this operation and beyond as it exercises its sovereign right to self-defense.”
