The United States needed to send a strong message to Hamas terrorists after their deadly attack against Israel over the weekend that killed at least 11 Americans and an unknown number of others taken hostage, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee told Newsmax on Monday.
But instead of projecting strength, Huckabee, a Republican, said President Joe Biden made no public statements Monday as the White House announced a lid on the president's day before noon.
"It's just really something that I hope Americans understand, when you harm Americans, and you kidnap them, and you start killing them, there ought to be a quick and a very strong response from the United States, and the president ought to personally deliver it," Huckabee told "Rob Schmitt Tonight."
Biden did make a statement Monday in a news release in which he said, "the safety of American citizens — whether at home or abroad — is my top priority as president. While we are still working to confirm, we believe it is likely that American citizens may be among those being held by Hamas. I have directed my team to work with their Israeli counterparts on every aspect of the hostage crisis, including sharing intelligence and deploying experts from across the United States government to consult with and advise Israeli counterparts on hostage recovery efforts."
But Biden did not condemn the actions of Hamas, which the U.S. classifies as a terrorist organization, nor did he mention Iran, which reportedly supported Hamas' actions. Huckabee reiterated the president must make clear the U.S. will not stand for the harming of any American.
"You touch the hair on the head of an American, and you will have hell to pay, and the message needs to be unequivocal," he said. "Not a, we'll negotiate, we'll send you some money, please don't do it. No, you do it, and you will regret that you ever touched on American, and everyone in the world needs to hear that message directly from the president. No one else."
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Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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