The prospective US Secretary of Defence said he would support Israel’s attempts to rid Gaza of Hamas
January 15, 2025 14:04
ByJC Reporter, Jewish News Syndicate
Fox news host Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US Secretary of Defence, delivered a staunch defense of Israel's military actions during his confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
Hegseth, a retired Army major who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said: "I support Israel destroying and killing every last member of Hamas." His comments came in response to questions about his support for the Jewish state and its right to defend itself.
The hearing, held by the Senate Committee on Armed Services, was filled with controversy, with Hegseth repeatedly interrupted by anti-Israel hecklers. These protesters accused him of being a “Christian Zionist” and even accused him of supporting genocide.” In a direct response to such claims, Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas asked Hegseth about the label “Christian Zionist,” pressing him to clarify his position.
“The first one accused you of being a ‘Christian Zionist’—I’m not really sure why that is a bad thing,” Cotton remarked. “I’m a Christian. I’m a Zionist. Zionism is the belief that the Jewish people deserve a homeland in the ancient Holy Land where they’ve lived since the dawn of history.”
When Cotton asked Hegseth if he considered himself a Christian Zionist, Hegseth affirmed: “I’m a Christian, and I robustly support the State of Israel and its existential defense, and the way America comes alongside them as their great ally."
Hegseth’s nomination is expected to be one of the most contentious of Trump’s picks to get through Senate confirmation given his background as a Fox News firebrand, who has been deeply critical of Democrats and “woke” diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in the military, as well as accusations about his personal life.
Hegseth said at the hearing that he had been “completely cleared” of a 2017 sexual assault allegation. In 2020, Hegseth paid a legal settlement to the accuser over the encounter at a California hotel, which his lawyer told the Associated Press was consensual.
Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, said that Hegseth’s account of the events nonetheless raises questions about his integrity.
“You had just fathered a child two months before by a woman that was not your wife,” Kaine said. “I am shocked that you would stand here and say you’re completely cleared. Can you so casually cheat on a second wife and cheat on the mother of a child that had been born two months before, and you tell us you are completely cleared?”
Hegseth, 44, has been married three times. His fourth child was born to the woman who is now his wife, a Fox News producer, in August 2017. He was still married at the time to his second wife, who filed for divorce in September of that year. The encounter, which Hegseth’s lawyer said was consensual, occurred one month after that, in October 2017.
The questioning was divided along partisan lines, with Republicans indicating they would support Hegseth’s nomination and Democrats arguing that he is unqualified.
Israeli media reported that Steve Witkoff, Trump’s pick for Middle East envoy, pressured Israel to accept the current proposed ceasefire-for-hostages deal, which according to critics, including Israeli lawmakers, doesn’t do enough to eradicate Hamas.
If confirmed, Hegseth said that he intends to redirect the Pentagon “behemoth” away from protracted conflicts in the Middle East to focus on the US confrontation with China.
“We’re gonna start by ensuring the institution understands, as far as threats abroad, the Chinese Communist Party is front and centre, also obviously defending our homeland as well,” he said.