(NewsNation) — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has not yet spoken extensively in public on the Israel-Hamas war as the conflict threatens to spread across the region.
Shortly after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel, Walz made a statement condemning Hamas and the attacks. He also added not all Palestinians are Hamas and stressed the importance of not demonizing an entire people for the actions of the militant group.
Walz has also advocated for getting more humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“The situation in Gaza is intolerable,” Walz told CNN in March, emphasizing his belief in a “lasting two-state solution” and praising President Joe Biden’s efforts to provide Palestine with humanitarian aid.
Walz has previously supported pro-Israel resolutions in Congress, including voting to condemn a United Nations resolution saying the Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal.
After Vice President Kamala Harris announced Walz as her running mate on the Democratic ticket, many progressive Democrats who have been critical of Israel have already come out in support of Walz as Harris’ vice president.
Meanwhile, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the increased military presence in the region as officials worry about escalating violence in the Middle East in the wake of the killings last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’ top political leader in Iran by suspected Israeli strikes. Iran backs both groups.
This comes after five U.S. troops were injured in a suspected rocket attack at a military base in Iraq, U.S. defense officials said Monday, in what has been a recent uptick in strikes on American forces by Iranian-backed militias.