Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has rebuffed claims made by the United Nations that Israel’s actions in Gaza count as war crimes.
During an interview with Kristen Welker on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Christie discussed his recent visit to Israel and responded to Welker’s question about whether he believed Israel was adhering to international law.
WATCH: “I absolutely” believe that Israel is following international law, says GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie.@GovChristie: “They are doing everything they can to avoid civilian casualties.” pic.twitter.com/dY9fkcBmkN
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) November 19, 2023
“The UN human rights chief has said that Israel is, quote, ‘committing war crimes in Gaza. Based on what you learned on your trip, do you believe that Israel is following international law?” Welker asked.
Answering the question, Christie began, “Yes, I absolutely do think Israel is following international law, Kristen. And I will tell you, unlike a lot of other people who are expressing opinions about this, I was there and spoke to the leaders in Israel, spoke to the president of Israel, spoke to members of the Israeli Defense Forces. I was 600 yards from the Gaza border. I went everywhere in Israel to see what’s going on, and they are doing everything they can to avoid civilian casualties.”
Christie went on to lay blame on Hamas for endangering civilians by compelling them to remain in areas Israel had already asked them to evacuate. He highlighted Israel’s efforts in dropping leaflets and sending text messages to notify people to vacate targeted areas before any strikes.
“It is Hamas that’s doing this,” the GOP presidential candidate emphasized. “And let us not forget, for those who are advocating for a cease-fire, there was a cease-fire on October 6th, and it was Hamas that broke it on October 7th. And I will tell you, I saw the 43-minute video that’s been put together by the Israeli government from raw footage from not only Israeli sources but from body cams and dash cams from the Hamas terrorists.”
In his concluding remarks regarding the issue, Christie emphasized the gravity of Hamas’ unprecedented Oct. 7 attack on Israel, maintaining that nothing Israel has done in retaliation compares to the terrorist group’s unprovoked attack that left 1,400 Israelis dead.
In his words: “What they did on October 7th was the greatest violation of international law and the greatest violation of humanity. And the worst part, Kristen, they did it with joy. We had one young man who called back to his family in Hamas in a cell phone call that was interrupted and said, ‘Mom, I just killed ten Jews with my bare hands. Your son is a hero.’ And his parents cheered him.”
