John Fetterman dismisses Bernie Sanders' criticisms of Netanyahu after Israel pager attacks
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., dismissed Sen. Bernie Sanders' criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday and praised Israel for its recent attacks on Hezbollah.
"Every time a deal appears close, Netanyahu moves the goalpost introducing new demands and torpedoing the deal. It is clear to me that Netanyahu is prolonging the war in order to cling to power," Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, said on the Senate floor.
A senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News this week that Israel is behind the explosions of pagers used by members of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Fetterman was asked if he agreed with Sanders' criticisms.
"No. Not at all. I want to be very clear, I thought what Israel chose to do about blowing up the pagers, walkie-talkies and then after targeting and eliminating membership and leadership of Hezbollah, I absolutely support that. In fact, if anything, I love it," Fetterman responded.
HEZBOLLAH PAGERS THAT EXPLODED WERE MADE IN HUNGARY, TAIWANESE COMPANY SAYS
"And Israel demonstrated that they will not allow terrorists not to be held accountable, and I fully support that and it’s not about nothing, like what my colleague has said," Fetterman said.
Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., took aim at Israel following the pager attacks.
"Israel’s pager attack in Lebanon detonated thousands of handheld devices across of a [sic] slew of public spaces, seriously injuring and killing innocent civilians," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on social media.
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"This attack clearly and unequivocally violates international humanitarian law and undermines US efforts to prevent a wider conflict. Congress needs a full accounting of the attack, including an answer from the State Department as to whether any U.S. assistance went into the development or deployment of this technology," Ocasio-Cortez continued.
Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, Mossad, planted explosives inside 5,000 pagers imported by Hezbollah months before Tuesday's and Wednesday's detonations, a senior defense official confirmed to Fox News.
Sanders introduced a pair of joint resolutions that would block U.S. arms sales to Israel.
The Biden administration in August approved a series of arms sales totaling $20 billion to Israel, including "several systems that are directly tied to tens of thousands of civilian deaths in Gaza," according to Sanders.
Fox News' Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.