Jewish Rep. Goldman would ‘love’ a cease-fire, but not while Hamas still rules Gaza
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) on Dec. 13. Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional Integrity Project
By Jacob Kornbluh December 14, 2023
Speaking directly to progressive constituents who have protested his refusal to call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, Rep. Dan Goldman explained his position in a rare virtual town hall meeting Wednesday night.
“I would love for there to be a cease-fire,” Goldman said. “But I don’t see a path forward to a permanent cease-fire without returning the hostages and Hamas laying down their arms.”
Goldman, a Jewish freshman Democrat from Brooklyn who represents one of the largest Jewish districts in the nation, called the loss of Israeli and Palestinian life during the war “tragic” in his hourlong exchange with constituents.
He has faced criticism during the war not only for failing to support a House resolution for a cease-fire, but also for his vote to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American House member, for her recent comments on Israel. For that, more than 1,000 constituents protested outside his district office.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza began shortly after Oct. 7, when Hamas terrorists from Gaza killed 1,200 Israelis and kidnapped 240 — more than half of whom are still held captive. Israel’s subsequent offensive in Gaza has killed more than 18,000, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Goldman and Rep. Jerry Nadler, the dean of the Congressional Jewish Caucus, have urged Israel to take “humanitarian pauses” in its military campaign to allow deliveries of essential supplies and to give Palestinian civilians time to relocate to safer areas. Last month, a weeklong pause resulted in the release of more than 100 hostages and the delivery of fuel and food to Gaza.
During Wednesday’s town hall meeting, Goldman pushed back against those accusing Israel of “collective punishment” and “genocide” of Palestinians. “Israel,” he said, “is abiding — to the extent that we can figure out — by the laws of war by targeting Hamas, by warning civilians.” At the same time, he said, Israel needs to do more to protect civilians “from a moral and strategic standpoint.”
Goldman added that he is committed to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But he said that Hamas can’t be a partner in peace, in that the militant group launched an unprovoked attack on southern Israel and broke the recent cease-fire.
“And Hamas has said that it will continue to attack Jews and to attack Israel as much as it possibly can,” he said. “They are unfit to either be a government or certainly to be a neighbor for Israel.”
Netanyahu ‘needs to go’
Expressing support for Israel, Goldman, who also supported this year’s protest movement against its far-right government, reaffirmed his opposition to Israel’s settlement policy.
“I disagree with just about everything that [Benjamin] Netanyahu stands for,” Goldman said of Israel’s prime minister. “And I think he needs to go. The question is whether and how can he be removed during a war, which is a very complicated situation.”
His views on Netanyahu reflect a mainstream Democratic distaste for Netanyahu’s leadership.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who is Jewish, in a recent interview called Netanyahu “a failed leader” who took his country in a “very dangerous direction” prior to Oct. 7. “It would seem that under his leadership, the government took the eye off the security risk to Israel,” Shapiro said. “And as a result, over 1,200 Israelis were killed in Hamas’ terrorist attack.”
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