Sen. John Fetterman defended Israel and backed U.S. military action against Iran while criticizing his party’s growing opposition.
“That’s insane. You know, that’s our special ally,” he said during an appearance on Fox News.
“That’s the only place in the region that has the kind of values in the kinds of way that we live and what we want here.”
“As a Democrat, how is that possible that 8 out of 10 view Israel as a negative thing as Democrats?” he added.
The comments followed a Pew Research survey released this week that found 80 percent of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents hold an unfavorable view of Israel.
Overall, 60 percent of U.S. adults said they view Israel negatively, while 59 percent said they have little or no confidence in Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ability to handle world affairs.
Among adults under 50, 70 percent reported an unfavorable view of the country.
“I think more Democrats should listen to me and say be on the right side of history and holding Iran accountable,” he said. “If you have to pick a side, pick our side, pick civilization, pick Israel.”
He also backed joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran that began at the end of February as tensions escalated during nuclear deal negotiations.
“Why can’t we just root for our military?” he said. “Why can’t we just say, I don’t have to agree everything the president has done or the kind of things that he says?”
“We should be on the side of America, and we should be on the sides of civilization and the free world,” he said. “And I’m on that side, and I don’t know why I’m the only Democrat that says those kinds of things at this point.”
“Senator, do some members of your party think Trump is more dangerous than the Iranians?” host Jesse Watters asked.
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“I can’t speak for my other Democrats, but the American media has, essentially, become — carrying water for Iran,” Fetterman said. “And they’re describing the kinds of circumstances, then they forget the way Iran has behaved.”
“America is the force of good in the world, and holding Iran accountable, what they’ve done, is important,” he added.
An hour before an 8 p.m. deadline earlier this week, President Donald Trump announced a temporary ceasefire agreement between the U.S., Israel, and Iran, though strikes continued afterward and raised questions about how durable the deal would be.
“Usually, the Iranians only respond [to] power,” Fetterman said during a separate appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Hannity.” “Their nuclear ambitions have been severely damaged at this point.”
He said Israeli forces had killed multiple nuclear scientists and destroyed key facilities tied to Iran’s weapons program.
“Every single thing Iran has done is an entire war crime,” he said. “Now, we are the force of good in the world.”
“I supported what President Trump did, you know, to actually call Iran accountable and I think it’s been successful,” he added.
Fetterman also rejected calls from Democrats pushing for a new war powers vote tied to the conflict.
“We’re not even 40 days into this and now I’m reading that they have to force another war powers vote,” he said. “I will vote against that now, because we have to stand behind our military.”
“We have to stand [with] our military to allow them to accomplish the goals of Epic Fury,” he added.
“I’m old enough to remember we used to root for our military,” he said. “And we would all agree that Iran is the world’s leading terrorism underwriter.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the Senate would vote on a war powers resolution next week, while criticizing the broader military effort.
“This war has made us worse off today than before it started,” Schumer stated.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen also raised concerns about the president’s threats tied to Iranian infrastructure.
“If you target civilian infrastructure for the purposes the president was talking about … that’s a war crime,” he said ahead of the ceasefire agreement.
Fetterman rejected those criticisms and pointed to the outcome so far.
“Everything that’s happened so far has made the world safer,” he said. “Now we are in a position to finally finish it this way, with these kinds of important negotiation points.”
He also pushed back on shifting reactions to Trump’s warnings and the ceasefire that followed.
“It’s like if you make these kinds of let’s go for the 25th Amendment and then, you know, then we have — we have a ceasefire,” he said. “You can’t have it both ways.”
“It’s strange to be gleeful — gleeful that, you know, that we still have to accomplish some things and make these kinds of statements,” he added.
Fetterman returned to Iran’s record over decades as he continued defending the campaign.
“Remember what Iran’s done,” he said. “You know, they underwritten 10/7. They have killed thousands of Americans over the near five decades.”
“Where we are right now — yeah, we have to finish it out without a doubt,” he said. “But where we are now, you know, as the first president to actually do something about it.”
“That’s why I’ll be the only Democrat that support this,” he added.
