A Republican member of Congress suggested dropping nuclear weapons on the Gaza Strip, according to a video of a town meeting that circulated on social media, but his office says he was speaking metaphorically to show the urgency of defeating these enemies as soon as possible, The Washington Post reports.
Representative Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) was answering a voter’s question during a town meeting in Dundee, Michigan, on Monday about the United States’ plan to build a floating pier off the coast of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. Someone asks in the video:
Why are we spending our money to build a port for them?
Walberg, who is not seen in the video, responds that Washington “shouldn’t spend a cent on humanitarian aid” and then mentions two Japanese cities on which the US dropped atomic bombs during World War II. He said:
It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick.
In a statement, the congressman’s office says that Walberg “clearly uses a metaphor to support Israel’s swift elimination of Hamas, which is the best chance to save lives long-term and the only hope at achieving a permanent peace in the region.”
According to audio of Walberg’s response, provided to The Washington Post by Walberg’s office, after the congressman said “Get it over quick,” he added, “The same should be in Ukraine.” He added:
Defeat [Russian President Vladimir] Putin quick. Instead [of] 80 percent in Ukraine being used for humanitarian purposes, it should be 80 to 100 percent to wipe out Russia — if that’s what we want to do.
Michigan has one of the nation’s largest Arab American and Muslim populations, about 300,000 people who say their ancestors hail from the Middle East or North Africa, and the United States’ approach to war has become a major political issue in 2024.
The lawmaker’s comments drew sharp criticism from state Democrats. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich), wrote on X that Walberg’s comments were “a reprehensible thing for anyone to suggest, especially an elected official and someone who considers himself a man of faith.” She added:
Rep. Walberg should take back his comments, and try to put himself in the shoes of the many Michiganders who see themselves in the casualties in Gaza.
Rep. Daniel Kildee (D-Mich.) on X called Walberg’s remarks “horrific & shocking.” He said:
It is an indefensible position to argue against humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza while also calling for the wholesale massacre of the Palestinian people. I couldn’t disagree more with these extreme & dangerous comments.
On 10 March, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the dispatch of the US Army ship General Frank Besson to the Gaza coast to establish a temporary port for humanitarian aid supplies. This came 36 hours after a statement by US President Joe Biden, who pledged support for the enclave. At the end of March, the second shipment of humanitarian aid with almost 400 tonnes of food for the Gaza Strip left the Cypriot port of Larnaca.
