Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) lamented that “the world seems to have forgotten” about the October 7 attack on Israel in a discussion about the Biden administration’s shifting attitude toward the war in Gaza during an appearance on CNN Friday afternoon.

“President [Joe] Biden is now warning Israel that there will be consequences if it does not address civilian crises in Gaza. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson says the president’s ultimatums should be going to Hamas, not Israel,” noted host Dana Bash before asking Torres who he agreed with.

The congressman responded by first knocking Johnson for failing to pass a national security bill that would have sent aid to Israel, but the rest of the interview made it clear that he dissented from Biden’s admonishments of the U.S. ally.

“You know, I share the view that every conceivable effort must be made to minimize Palestinian casualties, to maximize humanitarian aid to Palestinians in distress,” said Torres. “But at the same time, any attempt to fundamentally undermine the U.S.-Israel relationship will ultimately benefit Hamas, which perpetrated the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, a fact that the world seems to have forgotten.”

The rest of the interview proceeded in much the same way, with Torres criticizing the substance of Biden’s policy without naming him.

BASH: Congressman, you heard, I’m sure that President Biden, according to the White House, told Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu an immediate cease fire is essential to stabilize and improve humanitarian assistance in the situation there. Do you think that, in your words, is something that is helpful to Hamas? Do you disagree with the president on that?

TORRES: Well, there was a temporary humanitarian ceasefire on the table and Israel accepted it and Hamas rejected it. So Hamas has been the greatest stumbling block to a humanitarian ceasefire. And so Israel has been cooperative.

BASH: But sounds like President Biden might want to go further than that if he’s calling on the prime minister to have an immediate ceasefire. That sounds like stronger language and a stronger,  or a different, policy stance than we’ve seen in the past when, of course, it has been very much tied to hostages. Do you not see it that way?

TORRES: Look, for me, the end goal of removing Hamas from power must be non-negotiable, right? The means by which it is done can be negotiable, or can be the subject of debate between the United States and Israel. But if Hamas remains in power, there will never be security for Israel, and there will never be peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The removal of Hamas from power is a precondition for both security and peace in the region.

BASH: Okay, so there is that question about ceasefire and ending the conflict that’s going on right now. And then the other piece of it is what you all do in the United States Congress, which is theoretically giving money and aid to Israel. Some of your most pro-Israel fellow Democrats, Senator Chris Coons, for example, now say they support putting conditions on U.S. aid to Israel. Do you?

TORRES: I respectfully disagree. I feel like we should remain fundamentally supportive of the U.S.-Israel relationship, which is in the interest of the United States. Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East and people should keep in mind Israel did not start the war. The war was imposed upon Israel by the barbarism and terrorism of Hamas, which must be removed from power. If Hamas remains in power, It will regroup, rearm, and launch even deadlier terror attacks than the atrocities of October 7. Hamas has publicly said that it’s intent on repeating on October 7 and we ignore that threat at our own peril. So I disagree. I’m in favor of preserving the U.S.-Israel relationship, and removing Hamas from power, but doing so in a manner that minimizes Palestinian casualties and delivers aid to those in need.

Watch above via CNN.

The post Dem Congressman Tells CNN That ‘The World Seems to Have Forgotten’ About October 7 After Biden Puts Screws on Israel first appeared on Mediaite.

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