A video of a U.S. Senator being confronted by a journalist about a ceasefire in Gaza has gone viral online, garnering over two million views on social media.
On October 7, the militant group Hamas led the deadliest Palestinian militant attack on Israel in history, with Israel subsequently launching its heaviest-ever airstrikes on Gaza in response. As of this week, over 1,400 people in Israel have been killed, the Associated Press reported, while more than 10,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed in the ensuing strikes from Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country is “at war” and has cut off food, fuel, electricity, and medicine supplies into Gaza. Israel has called up 360,000 army reservists as it prepares for a likely ground offensive into the territory, which has an estimated population of around 2.3 million.
The ensuing conflict in Gaza has sparked fierce and caustic debate worldwide, with many throwing their support behind Israel in the fight against Hamas, and still many others standing with the Palestinian civilians and demanding a ceasefire. A great number of lawmakers in the U.S. have offered strong support to the Israeli government, a longtime ally, prompting yet more blowback from constituents and activists.
Among these lawmakers has been Chris Coons, a Democrat who has served as the junior senator from Delaware since 2010. On Monday, journalist Aaron Maté shared a video to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, in which he confronted Coons about not supporting a Gaza ceasefire while sitting across from him on a train. On the platform, the clip had been viewed 2.1 million times as of Monday evening.
In the clip, Maté initially apologizes for putting the senator on the spot, then proceeds to ask him about U.S. support for Israel, repeatedly stressing, “U.S. weapons are killing kids in Gaza.”
“Nice to meet you, Aaron. Please stop talking to me,” Coons says after the journalist introduces himself, later saying, “This is not an appropriate place for you to interview me.”
Elsewhere in the clip, Coons outlines his opposition to a ceasefire in Gaza, instead opting to support humanitarian pauses, echoing the position taken on the matter by President Joe Biden. Israel and its supporters have strongly opposed the notion of a ceasefire, claiming that it would allow Hamas to regroup for another sizeable attack, which Hamas itself has pledged to continue conducting. Humanitarian pauses proposed in place of a ceasefire would last a few hours each day, but have been criticized as insufficient.
“I’m not gonna call for a ceasefire,” Coons says in the clip. “I strongly support humanitarian pauses. I’ve urged the Israeli government to target their campaign against Hamas. But you need to stop…Please stop, or I’m gonna have you thrown off this train. This is not professional journalism, please get up and leave now.”
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
Sen. @ChrisCoons sat across from me on the train. With Israel using US weapons to kill thousands of Palestinian civilians, including 4600+ children, I asked him why he refuses to call for a ceasefire: pic.twitter.com/uW7oBBX0Il
— Aaron Maté (@aaronjmate) November 13, 2023
Sadly a lot of innocent people die in war, this is what happens when you let terrorist control your country. If the Palestinians were smart they would have run Hamas out of their country years ago and this could have been prevented.
I’m sure little Hitlersmith will have something smart to say.
Religions fuel all the unneeded wars! Good Trump ended ISIS and all the wars worldwide. Weak Catholic Hitlerite Jokementia Bribery has ISIS and two unneeded wars back and is working on creating WWIII that will end all life on Planet Earth…
Yes, I always have something smart to say….but no need to envy me.
Some people like me are smart, while other’s brain are taxed just having to come up with an insult of little imagination.
Coon aka Dimwit BiDum chosen heir —-just as useless and full of narcissistic self delusion as an empty suit
When it comes to Israel, Americans from both parties chose to be blind when it comes to the ethnic cleansing of Arabs from the land of Palestine.
Hamas may be horrible due to the circumstances they have been subject to for decades, while Israelis forgot their own past and subject Palestinians to their version of pogroms and ethnic cleansing.
Buzz is right in only one thing…Religions are the most stupid reason to kill fellow humans. Judaism or Islam are as bogus as Valhalla or Mount Olympus and the land of Levant/Canaan/Palestine/ Israel or whatever you call it does not belong to the Jews anymore since they left it behind centuries ago.
America should keep their nose out of this ugly affair. We should NOT be involved with the killing of civilians, religious wars or countries rule by religious fanatics of any brand. The quicker we keep our nose out, the quicker Israel must deal honestly with the Arabs as a matter of survival.
Why isn’t this nitwit reporter worried about CHILDREN murdered by Hamas? He needs to go back under his rock.
SEEMS THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA LOVES TO SEE AND HEAR ABOUT PEOPLE BEING MURDERED AND CHILDREN MASSACRED. MAKES ME THINK OF THEM AS: NAZIS
SEEMS TO ME THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA LOVES TO HEAR AND READ ABOUT PEOPLE AND CHILDREN BEING MASSACRED. MAKES ME THINK OF JOURNALISTS AS {NAZIS]