In response to how President Joe Biden and his administration have been throwing Israel under the bus, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) dedicated his Friday episode of "The Verdict" to the topic. As co-host Ben Ferguson put it, the Democratic Party is "going after" Israel.
Cruz responded by emphasizing "we are at a momentous time. It's not just the Democratic Party that is "turning hard against the State of Israel," but the White House, Biden, and the media. When it comes to this "historic pivot" Cruz warned "it is consequential" not just for Israel, but also Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, the Middle East, and the world.
During Wednesday's White House press briefing, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed "there are alternative ways of getting those Hamas operators... in Rafah."
NPR's Asma Khalid: “Can you articulate why there have been no consequences thus far for any types of behavior that the President has been outraged by?”
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 3, 2024
KJP: “Hey, look, we’ve had — we are having conversations with the Israeli government. We've been very clear about that. Those… pic.twitter.com/CVkDXsYe1t
Cruz responded the "non-alternative" way is to "eliminate Hamas," which Israel recognizes, with the senator later acknowledging "Israel is exactly right" and "every Hamas terrorist they eliminate is saving the lives of Israelis, and... the lives of Americans."
Once he laid down the facts about Hamas' atrocities, Cruz questioned "what the hell is [Jean-Pierre] talking about?!" He quipped that when it comes to "an alternative way to deal with Hamas terrorists," then "maybe we sit down in a in a circle with them, we hug them, we put little robes on them, we put flowers in our hair, we sing Kumbaya, maybe that's the way to do it."
The senator wondered "what idiocy is this?! These are psychopathic, homicidal, genocidal maniacs!" He pointed out "there's an alternative way to do deal with is left wing Democrat activists that the White House is terrified about," with the anti-Israel base in the party. So, "they're abandoning Israel."
Cruz also called on Democrats to ask "do you think America should stand with Israel," and if so, what is the 'alternative way' to deal with Hamas terrorists?"
He also reminded how Biden wants to "give them a state," which would be a "reward" for the October 7 attack. A priority for the administration is a two-state solution, as the president mentioned during last month's State of the Union.
"They had a two-state solution," Cruz reminded. "Gaza was run by Hamas. Israel was not in Gaza. They were in control of it. It's a popular talking point on the left." Cruz added that "the Palestinians ran the Gaza Strip, they were in charge of it. The Israelis weren't there. They could do whatever they want. And the reason it was a hellhole is because Hamas ran it!"
"And by the way, Hamas ran it because when the Palestinians had elections, the Palestinians voted for Hamas... Hamas has wreaked havoc and suffering and misery on the Palestinian people, but at some level, a majority of them bear responsibility for that, because when they went to the polls and voted, they said, 'yeah, the psycho terrorists, that's what we want running things,'" Cruz reminded.
Highlighting how absurd it is for Biden to insist on a two-state solution as part of a message to Hamas to "reward you and expand your territory, and give you control and give you power and elevate you and treat you as a statesman," Cruz quipped "in about a year, they'll give you the Nobel Peace Prize as a psychotic terrorist."
The senator warned this "alternative way" is an act of an appeasement from America. "That's what they mean by 'a different way' is literally, we will show every terrorist in the world, you want what you want, commit horrific acts of mass murder, and get the idiots in the press and the pacifistic, appeasing cheese-eating surrender monkeys of the Democrat Party, to give you what you want, and all you need to do is murder and rape enough people and they'll give you exactly what you want," Cruz said.
Ferguson reminded that Biden "publicly was very clear that we were standing behind Israel." It was "the machine behind Joe Biden" that was not. The Biden State Department's Office of Palestinian Affairs and Secretary of State Antony Blinken both deleted posts that called for Israel to not retaliate not long after the October 7 attack.
There's an anti-Israel problem with the Biden State Department, Cruz discussed. Biden, the senator explained "filled his White House... his State Department... his administration with rabid leftist, anti-Israel, antisemites" who "hate Israel" and "believe Israel is an illegitimate occupying force" as well as "believe the Hamas terrorists are noble freedom fighters and they side with Hamas." Interns have also protested Israel.
As he did in a previous podcast, Cruz shared "I don't see a whole lot of" room in the Democratic Party for pro-Israel voters.
Ferguson highlighted how "it's very clear now that the White House has turned a basically a 180" on supporting Israel. The United States recently abstained in a vote at the UN calling for a ceasefire, rather than vetoing it, which White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby spun as pro-Israel.
Cruz believes the vote was "orchestrated by the Biden administration," since "they want the United Nations to condemn Israel" and "call for an immediate ceasefire." He reminded Biden demanded a ceasefire when speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last Thursday.
He again brought it back to there being a lack of a home for pro-Israel voters in the Democratic Party. "The reason is domestic politics," Cruz explained. "The angry left-wing Democrat Party, the antisemites" who "hate Israel and... Jews." The senator mentioned "there are a lot of Jewish Democrats right now in this country, who are facing an existential crisis because they have been Democrats, many of them their entire lives, they vote Democrat, and yet they're seeing people in the Democrat Party who despise Israel, and let's be clear, who despise Jews."
They called out the worst offenders, like members of the Squad, "the more extreme socialists in the Democratic Party" who Ferguson reminded "were anti-Israel from day one." Other members, though, deserve mention, such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who went on CNN to criticize Netanyahu.
"We cannot continue down a path where Prime Minister Netanyahu's policy is to try to starve hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. We cannot approve the sale of arms to a country that is in violation of our own laws on this. And that includes access to humanitarian relief... Congress has responsibility here and I'm willing to take that responsibility," Warren insisted.
Warren also called on the president to also make clear the Democratic narrative that the actions of Netanyahu "are not helping Israel," with charges that he's also "trying to starve out the people of Gaza."
It's not just Warren who is at fault here, but CNN. In another episode, Cruz called out the media for being "Hamas' Air Force." Cruz also responded by insisting, "Israel's not trying to starve out anyone," calling that "grotesque," "dishonest," and "false."
To "understand the angry lefties who are Elizabeth Warren's base, hate, hate, hate Israel, they're not neutral. They're not ambiguous. They're not fair. They're not objective," Cruz explained. They cheer when pro-Palestinian and pro-Hamas protesters chant 'from the river to the sea.'"
He again highlighted Warren, Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). But, none of them are "outlier[s]," Cruz argued. "Their views are reflected by Chuck Schumer, and by Joe Biden. This is the so-called mainstream Democrat Party. They have decided, they've looked at the political landscape and they said 'oh crap, the crazy lefties are our base, we need them to show up. So Israel we're willing to abandon,'" he said.
Ferguson mentioned other issues at the White House, including First Lady Jill Biden demanding "stop it, stop it now." Kirby also won't say whether releasing hostages is tied for demands for a ceasefire.
HuffPost’s S.V. Dáte: “Admiral, could you clarify on the — the — the ceasefire language that the President used the statement? He says that, uh, that there should be a ceasefire, um, and then the next — after a comma, it’s ‘he urged Prime Minister to empower negotiators to… pic.twitter.com/0qbFCOrZIV
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) April 4, 2024
With such responses, Ferguson suggested "we don't know what the foreign policy is anymore of America with Israel.... because [the White House] can't figure out the politics of how to play this in an election year." He added "they're worried about losing younger voters," and "so they're trying to play both sides at the bare minimum."
Cruz passionately demanded "how hard would it be for the President of the United States to stand up and say, 'Hamas needs to release the hostages, now. Every American that is a hostage should be released, now. Every Israeli that is a hostage should be released, now. Every woman that you are raping right now should be released today. And if you don't, we will hunt you down. We will destroy you. We will kill you.' That's what a Commander in Chief who is defending Americans" would say.
The senator also reminded how Biden did not speak up for Hamas to release the hostages at the State of the Union. He didn't because "his angry leftist space would be mad."
As Ferguson reminded, "it's amazing how quick people forget what happened on that day." Both watched footage from October 7. Townhall has as well, weeks after the attack. As Ferguson reminded, "no one seems to be reminding people that those are the hostages that are still being held captive right now."
Cruz agreed, wanting to know where are those "calling for the release of the American hostages." The White House has been "worse than AWOL" with Cruz noting "if they were silent, that would be disgraceful. But they're not silent. They're telling Israel stop trying to kill the terrorists instead, reward the terrorist and give them a nation state that is stronger than it was before, and in a better position to wage war with Israel and to murder innocent civilians going forward. That is a bizarre way to respond to horrific atrocity carried out by Hamas."
The media try to argue 'hey, Joe Biden is really pro Israel, but he's just got a political problem that his party is not,'" which the senator reminded is "actually not accurate," as Biden "has been undermining Israel for more than 50 years."
Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin told then Sen. Biden in 1982 in response to threats to cut off aid, "don't threaten us with cutting off your aid. It will not work. I am not a Jew with trembling knees. I am a proud Jew, with 3,700 years of civilized history. Nobody came to our aid when we were dying in the gas chambers and ovens. Nobody came to our aid when we were striving to create our country. We paid for it. We fought for it. We died for it. We will stand by our principles. We will defend them and when necessary, we will die for them again, with or without your aid."
Cruz pointed out that "the Prime Minister of Israel is still saying that to Joe Biden, but sadly the entire Democrat Party is with Biden, undermining Israel and and effectively forming a protective shield around the Hamas terrorist who committed the most unspeakable acts of modern times that we have seen."
Cruz brought it back to how Netanyahu is behaving just as Begin did, reminding how Schumer last month called for elections to oust Netanyahu. He is "not surprised" Netanyahu is saying what Begin did, "which is Israel only survives because they can survive. They are not dependent on the largesse, the welfare from Democrats who are condescending to flick bread crumbs from their table."
Killing Hamas terrorists saves the lives of Israelis and Americans.
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 5, 2024
Hamas terrorists killed over a thousand Israelis in cold blood, kidnapped Americans, and raped little girls.
Israel is exactly right to eliminate these monsters.https://t.co/Thgarjn0BH pic.twitter.com/miBhUmKYqt
Join the conversation as a VIP Member