Every Republican presidential candidate reiterated their support for Israel amid its retaliation against the terrorist group Hamas at the GOP's third debate on Wednesday.
Several candidates — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina — urged Israel to "finish the job," "eliminate," and "wipe Hamas off of the map."
"Hamas should release every hostage, and they should unconditionally surrender," DeSantis said. "I'm sick of hearing the media. I'm sick of hearing other people blame Israel just for defending itself.
"We will stand with Israel in word and in deed, in public, and in private."
Haley, when asked by the NBC News moderators hosting the Republican National Committee debate if she supports a humanitarian pause, stressed that the United States should not "tell Israel what to do."
"The only thing we should be doing is supporting them in eliminating Hamas," said Haley, a former South Carolina governor. "It is not that Israel needs America — America needs Israel."
Vivek Ramaswamy, who has been criticized for his views on Israel in the past, said he unequivocally supported Israel but warned against the conflict escalating to involve the United States.
He also took a shot at Haley for her lucrative job on Boeing's board of directors after leaving the Trump administration, characterizing her as "Dick Cheney in three-inch heels."
Haley responded: "They're five-inch heels, and I don't wear them unless you can run in them."
"I wear heels – they're not for a fashion statement. They're for ammunition," she added.
Former President Donald Trump, who was not present at the debate, is currently leading the Republican primary field by a comfortable 42 percentage points, according to a FiveThirtyEight average of polls.
The next up is DeSantis, at 13.9%, followed by Haley, at 9%; Ramaswamy, at 5.2%; former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, at 2.9%; and Scott, at 2.2%. All five were participants in the debate.
Luca Cacciatore ✉
Luca Cacciatore, a Newsmax general assignment writer, is based in Arlington, Virginia, reporting on news and politics.
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