Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) expressed support for both Israel and the people of Palestine, pointing out that “two things can be true.”
“Two things can be true at the same time,” Fetterman wrote in his post. “I unequivocally stand with Israel and demand the immediate release of all hostages.”
Fetterman continued on, “I grieve for all innocent Palestinian lives lost. We must minimize suffering in Gaza and our humanitarian aid efforts must match the need.”
The former lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania and first-term senator has spoken up in support of Israel in the aftermath of Hamas’ surprise attack on Oct. 7 in which thousands of rockets were fired into southern Israel and more than 1,400 people, including 32 Americans were killed.
More than 200 hostages have been reported to have been taken by Hamas during the attack. To date, four hostages have been released by Hamas.
Two things can be true at the same time:
— Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) October 25, 2023
I unequivocally stand with Israel and demand the immediate release of all hostages.
I grieve for all innocent Palestinian lives lost. We must minimize suffering in Gaza and our humanitarian aid efforts must match the need.
In response to the attack, Israel declared war on Hamas.
Since declaring war, Israel has delayed a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, though it has ramped up its aerial bombardments on Hamas.
Since Hamas’ attack, several student organizations from universities across the nation issued letters casting blame on Israel for the violence.
“Today’s events did not occur in a vacuum,” more than 30 student groups from Harvard University wrote in a letter. “For the last two decades, millions of Palestinians in Gaza have been forced to live in an open-air prison.”
Additionally, pro-Palestinian supporters have attended rallies across the nation calling for Palestine to be free from the river to the sea.”
The United Nations created Resolution 181 in 1947 which divided the British Mandate of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states, according to the Council of Foreign Relations website.
Several years later, the State of Israel was created on May 14, 1948, leading to the first Arab-Israeli war. While Israel won the war in 1949, roughly 750,000 Palestinians were left displaced as the territory was divided into the State of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.
In June 1967, Israel preemptively attacked Egyptian and Syrian air forces, leading to the Six-Day War. In the aftermath of the war, Israel gained control of the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip from Egypt, the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan, along with the Golan Heights from Syria.
Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist organization, took control over the Gaza Strip in 2007 after defeating its rival political party, Fatah. In response to Hamas’ takeover of the Gaza Strip, Israel imposed a blockade, limiting the goods allowed in or out through Israeli-controlled border crossings.