Former Vice President Mike Pence hit out at his former boss and his other Republican opponents for “signaling retreat” from Israel, allowing Hamas to launch the worst attack on the Jewish nation in 50 years over the weekend.
Pence made clear in an interview with CNN Sunday that he blames the weakness of President Biden for having “emboldened the enemies of freedom around the world.”
“But I also believe this is what happens when we have leading voices like Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis signaling retreat from America’s role as leader of the free world,” the long-shot GOP presidential contender said of his rivals in the race.
“Look, what happened in Ukraine was an unprovoked invasion by Russia. What happened this weekend was an unprovoked invasion by Hamas into Israel,” he said.
Mike Pence seen participating in the first debate of the GOP primary season on August 23, 2023. Getty Images“And I really believe now more than ever, both the debate within America is whether or not we’re going to once again stand without apology as the leader of the free world, as the arsenal of democracy.
“The heartbreaking images coming out of both of those theaters of operation remind us that America is the indispensable leader of the free world,” Pence continued, “and if I’m president of the United States, we’ll lead from American strength.”
Israel-Hamas war: How we got here
2005: Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip more than three decades after winning the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.
2006: Terrorist group Hamas wins a Palestinian legislative election.
2007: Hamas seizes control of Gaza in a civil war.
2008: Israel launches military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fired rockets into the town of Sderot.
2023: Hamas launches the biggest attack on Israel in 50 years, in an early-morning ambush Oct. 7, firing thousands of rockets and sending dozens of militants into Israeli towns.
Terrorists killed more than 1,200 Israelis, wounded more than 4,200, and took at least 200 hostage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to announce, “We are at war,” and vowed Hamas would pay “a price it has never known.”
The Gaza Health Ministry — which is controlled by Hamas — reported at least 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,500 injured since the war began.
The former vice president also blamed Biden and his hasty withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and negotiations with Iran, two nations that are considered enemies of the Jewish nation.
Former Vice President Mike Pence hit out at his former boss and other Republicans for “signaling retreat” from America’s role as “leader of the free world” in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash on Sunday. CNN
The former vice president also pointed the blame at President Biden. CNN“I mean, that disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan has emboldened the enemies of freedom around the world,” Pence said earlier in the interview. “And now war is raging in Eastern Europe.
“And President Joe Biden’s kowtowing for the last two-and-a-half years to the mullahs in Iran, lifting sanctions, begging them to get back in the Iran nuclear deal and then paying $6 billion in a ransom for hostages, I think set the conditions for this unprecedented terrorist attack by Hamas against Israel.”
Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump claimed that Hamas would have never attacked Israel if he were the president.
Trump claimed Hamas would never have attacked Israel if he were president. Getty Images“THE HORRIBLE ATTACK ON ISRAEL, LIKE THE ATTACK ON UKRAINE, WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED IF I WERE PRESIDENT – ZERO CHANCE,” he posted on his Truth Social platform Sunday morning.
He also discussed the attack at a rally in Iowa the day earlier, claiming Hamas “didn’t have that level of aggression with me.
“They didn’t have it,” Trump told his supporters. “This would have never happened with me, either.”
As of Monday, an estimated 700 Israelis have been killed, more than 2000 are wounded, and 100 are confirmed to have been taken captive by Hamas since Israel officially declared war.
