Pete Buttigieg shifts tone on Israel following backlash over supportive comments

Then-Democratic presidential hopeful Pete Buttigieg speaks to voters in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Jan. 15, 2020. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

(JTA) — Pete Buttigieg said he would support halting U.S. arms sales to Israel and U.S. recognition of a Palestinian state, in a dramatic about-face following backlash over a podcast interview where he expressed cautious support for Israel.

The dramatic shift for the 43-year-old former transportation secretary, who is seen as a possible contender for president in 2028, marks the latest evidence of how past norms on Israel are evaporating within the Democratic Party.

The backlash followed Buttigieg’s conversation earlier this week with Jon Favreau, the host of the popular liberal “Pod Save America” podcast. There, the former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, echoed his stance from his 2019 presidential bid: He sees Israel as a “friend” in need of support during a difficult time.

“I think that we, as Israel’s strongest ally and friend, you put your arm around your friend when there’s something like this going on, and talk about what we’re prepared to do together,” Buttigieg told Favreau when asked how the next administration should handle its relationship with Israel.

Buttigieg also shied from giving Favreau a definitive answer on the future of U.S. recognition of Palestinian statehood, telling the host that it was a “profound question.”

The answers appeared to be poorly calibrated for a potential party leader in the current moment. In recent weeks, Israel’s ongoing and widening offensive in Gaza has transformed into a political litmus test for Democrats, with approval from within the party for Israel’s actions in Gaza at just 8% according to a recent Gallup poll and record numbers of Democratic senators supporting resolutions to block U.S. military sales to Israel.

In the wake of the podcast appearance, Buttigieg drew backlash from several top Democrats, including California Rep. Ro Khanna, who wrote, “We need moral clarity, not status quo,” in a post on X.

“Pete is a smart guy and I admire a lot of what he’s done, but I have absolutely no idea what he thinks based on these answers,” wrote Ben Rhodes, the former deputy national security advisor during the Obama administration, in a post on X. “Just tell us what you believe.”

Buttigieg revised his comments in a subsequent interview with Politico, telling the outlet that he understood the criticism he had faced.

“I get it,” Buttigieg said of the negative reactions to that interview. “It’s important to be clear about something this enormous and this painful. It’s just that it’s so enormous and it’s so painful that sometimes words can fail.”

In a sharp reversal of his previous comments, Buttigieg told Politico he would have signed on to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ proposed arms embargo against Israel, which received record support from Democrats.

Buttigieg also said he would recognize a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution, and thought that the United States should not necessarily negotiate another 10-year memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Israel on weapons sales.

“Democrats — like all Americans, but certainly Democrats — are sickened by what’s happening and trying to hold several things in mind at the same time, all of which can be true: that what has to happen next is the killing has to end,” Buttigieg told Playbook. “The hostages have to come home. And the people of Gaza need aid unimpeded, and all of that should be happening immediately.”