Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman apparently walked away from a member of the public who was questioning him about his failure to support a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as Israel has reportedly started to roll out its ground invasion of the territory.
Following Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on October 7, the Democratic senator stated he would “unequivocally support any necessary military, intelligence, and humanitarian aid to Israel.” In a later statement, he reiterated his support for Israel, adding: “Now is not the time to talk about a ceasefire.”
Since the Hamas attack, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and put the territory under a siege that has caused a shortage of water, food, and electricity for the millions living there, leading to an outcry from human rights organizations calling for an immediate ceasefire.
According to the latest report by The Associated Press, the Palestinian death toll now exceeds 8,000, as per the Health Ministry in Gaza. In Israel, more than 1,400 people have been killed, most of them on October 7.
Fetterman’s stance sparked state-wide pro-Palestinian protests outside his four offices, with hundreds of demonstrators gathering at Custom House in Philadelphia on Thursday.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Among the many who have called on Fetterman to reconsider his position and demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza was Daniel Kovalik, a 55-year-old professor of international human rights who shared a video on X, formerly known as Twitter, in which he confronts the senator about his stance on the Israel-Hamas war.
In the video, Kovalik, who teaches at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, asked the Democrat why he doesn’t support a humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza. After an off-camera person appeared to attempt to stop Kovalik from asking such questions, Kovalik said: “I can talk to him [Fetterman], I voted for him. I’m sorry, this is a democracy.”
“Ten thousand people in Gaza have been killed, half are children. The pope is calling for a ceasefire, the UN has called for it,” Kovalik said. “I’m just asking, you’re a good guy, I voted for you, I know you’re a nice guy, this is important,” the professor continued before being told by the same person off-camera that he needed to leave.
Fetterman, who had remained silent while listening to Kovalik, can be seen walking away as the professor is physically pushed out of the building.
The person taking the video, who keeps on filming, can be heard saying that the staff member who pushed Kovalik away had “just assaulted” him, as he was only talking to the senator.
“I just took on John Fetterman for his failure to support a ceasefire for Gaza and was assaulted. Come see the violence inherent in the system,” Kovalik wrote on X.
The clip has gone viral on the platform, receiving more than 2.8 million views. It has not been possible to ascertain where the incident took place and Newsweek contacted Fetterman’s press team and Kovalik for comment and further information via email on Monday.
In a statement published by his office, Fetterman said he won’t support a ceasefire in Gaza until after “Hamas is neutralized.”
“Innocent Israelis were the victims of a terrorist attack that resulted in the largest loss of Jewish lives since the Holocaust. Now we know that the tragedy at the Gaza hospital was not caused by Israel,” he wrote.
“I grieve for every innocent person and brave Israeli soldier killed since Hamas started this war. If not for the horrific attacks by Hamas terrorists, thousands of innocent Israelis and Palestinians would still be alive today.”
He added: “Now is not the time to talk about a ceasefire. We must support Israel in their efforts to eliminate the Hamas terrorists who slaughtered innocent men, women, and children. Hamas does not want peace, they want to destroy Israel. We can talk about a ceasefire after Hamas is neutralized.”
Fetterman’s opposition to a ceasefire has been criticized by some of his own former staff members, with a group of 16 ex-campaign staffers signing an open letter to the senator asking him to change his stance, as first reported by The Intercept news outlet.
“Watching the United States military apparatus beat the drum for war—promising the Israeli government unconditional weapons support, a blank check for more destruction that will lead to the killing of more innocent Israelis and Palestinians, including children—has been hear-wrenching. Watching you lead that charge has felt like a gutting betrayal,” the letter, signed by “Fetterman Alumni for Peace,” reads.
“These are not the values that we believed you to hold, and these are not our values.”
According to The Intercept, the former staffers wished to remain anonymous, Newsweek has not been able to immediately verify the veracity of the letter.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
