Indian-American Vivek Ramaswamy on Tuesday disagreed with Nikki Haley, who has asked Israel to 'finish' Hamas following their assault on the Jewish state. Haley, who is running for the US presidency, wants Israel to crack down on Hamas, a militant organisation in Gaza that has killed 700-plus civilians in Israel.
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"This is not just an attack on Israel — this was an attack on America. Finish them, @Netanyahu. They should have hell to pay for what they have just done," the Republican politician said on Sunday, a day after Hamas carried out the surprise but coordinated attack. "I'll say this to Prime Minister Netanyahu, Hamas did this and you know Iran is behind it. Finish them."
Ramaswamy, too, believes that Hamas should not exist but he disagreed with Haley over how that could be achieved. He said shouting 'finish them' is not a coherent solution to a complex problem. "This is the real world, not a video game. @NikkiHaley has foreign policy "experience" & it shows," he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
On the day the attack happened in Israel, the billionaire said that he was appalled by the barbaric and medieval attacks and that Hamas and Hezbollah cannot be allowed to prevail. "Shooting civilians and kidnapping children are war crimes. Israel’s right to exist and defend itself should never be doubted and Iran-backed Hamas and Hezbollah cannot be allowed to prevail," he said. "I stand with Israel and the U.S. should too."
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Haley faced some criticism in the past two days for saying 'finish them'. Hu Xijin, a media professional, accused the Republican leader of inciting more violence at a time when other nations were trying to calm things down. "What does “finish them” mean?" he asked. "When many countries are calling for an end to escalating tensions, @NikkiHaley seems to be inciting more killings. And such a person is running for US president."
Haley shot back at Hu and said the Communist China propaganda machine was siding with the Hamas terrorists. "It’s a badge of honor to be criticized by these evil people."
Another social media user said "finish them" was quite bold words for someone who hadn't fought in a war and had no plans to. "...disqualifying statement for someone running for president."
Unperturbed by the criticism, Haley once again reiterated that Hamas should be finished off. She said at least 9 Americans had been killed in Hamas' war against Israel. "Hamas terrorists don't distinguish between Israelis and Americans, between grandmothers and soldiers. They are bloodthirsty murderers who chant “death to Israel, death to America. Finish them."
Puddy Allen, an army veteran, said that the Biden administration needs to be finished as it overturned everything that former President Donald Trump put in place to keep Americans safe. "This is the real problem, Nikki. Call it as it is."
Unathi Kalanga Ndebele, another social media user, said that Haley was "impulsive" and "clearly emotional". "Imagine being president and being this impulsive and clearly emotional. You are making Donald Trump look like a competent saint!" he said.
In a tweet on Sunday, Haley said that Hamas was a bloodthirsty terrorist organization backed by Iran and determined to kill as many innocent lives as possible. She said the reports coming out of Israel were horrific with a stunning number of dead and wounded and should be universally condemned. "Israel has every right to defend its citizens from terror. We must always stand with Israel and against this Iranian regime."