Two Republican presidential candidates, Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy, have rallied behind Israel following the Hamas militant group’s unprecedented attacks that have left hundreds dead.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group launched around 5,000 rockets into the southern part of Israel on Saturday, which ended up killing over 600 people including soldiers, and wounding over 2,000 people.
The Israel Defense Forces or the IDF launched multiple air strikes targeting the key infrastructure of Hamas in response.
Around 1,000 people have been confirmed dead in Gaza and Israel which has proven to be the biggest escalation in decades between the two sides.
What the Presidential Candidates Have to Say
Republican presidential candidate, Haley told NBC News on Sunday that, Hamas and the backers who support them, the Iranian regime, were chanting ‘Death to Israel, death to America.’ That’s what we have to remember. We are united with Israel because Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the Iranian backers hate us.
She also added that we have to remember that what happened to Israel could happen to America and she hopes that everyone would stand united with Israel because they are in dire need of our support.
Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist militant group that has ruled over the Gaza Strip since 2007. The Gaza Strip is home to about 2.3 million people and is a 41km-long and 10km-wide territory surrounded by Israel, Egypt, and the Mediterranean Sea.
Haley has said that America is the only member of the Security Council to vote for denouncing Hamas. This is what Israel is up against a world that denies the evil in front of Israel. America did not bow to world pressure then and they won’t now.
Indian American Republican candidate Ramaswamy has said the key lesson that America can learn from the attack on Israel is that it cannot be complacent about defending its own borders as if it can happen to Israel then it can happen to America.
He added to his statement that the Southern Border of America is a disaster and he has visited the Northern Border which was wide open for invasion. Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, picked a moment when Israel was deeply divided over domestic politics, as America is at the moment.
Vivek Ramaswamy said this Sunday that their own foreign policy establishment has focused on distant foreign priorities while leaving them badly vulnerable on border defence, cyber and super-EMP defence, nuclear missile defence, and space-based defences. They can’t lose sight of that and should use the attacks on Israel as a wake-up call.
Bharat Barai, an Indian-American community leader, said that Hamas and Hezbollah are the most vile and barbaric terrorist organisations in the world and that Israel has every right to destroy Hamas for attacking Israel, murdering, abducting, raping and torturing innocent Israeli citizens. The entire world must condemn Hamas and other similar terrorist groups for such monstrosities.
Community leader Ajay Jain Bhutoria said that the terrorist attacks by Hamas on the people of Israel are absolutely horrific and that he stands with Israel in their unwavering right to defend themselves. His prayers are with the dead, reported hostages, and hundreds injured and all affected by these horrific attacks. He strongly condemns the terrorist attacks against Israel.