US Senator John Fetterman vowed to “go all in with Israel” and warned that social media has become “a sewer” poisoning a generation against the Jewish state, speaking on Wednesday at The Jerusalem Post Conference in Washington, DC.
In a one-on-one conversation with Amichai Stein, The Jerusalem Post’s diplomatic correspondent, the Pennsylvania Democrat, who was recently honored by the World Jewish Congress for his steadfast support of Israel, traced how his commitment to Israel and the Jewish people crystallized after two watershed moments.
“After the Tree of Life massacre, I went straight to Squirrel Hill,” Fetterman recalled, referring to the 2018 antisemitic shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue that killed 11 worshipers. “I cannot imagine someone barging into a house of worship and shooting people. It was shocking.”
He said the October 7 massacre by Hamas in southern Israel did not change his view but intensified it.
“Ten-seven clarified moral clarity for me,” he said, using the shorthand many in the US now use for October 7. “Not only has it not diminished, it has intensified.”
Standing with Israel inside a divided Democratic Party
Fetterman spoke openly about the political cost of his stance inside a Democratic Party that has been increasingly divided over Israel since the war in Gaza began.
“If the s*** hits the fan, I said I would go all in with Israel,” he told the audience. “And I meant it.”
He expressed disbelief at colleagues who chose to snub Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he addressed a joint session of Congress earlier this year.
“When the prime minister spoke to Congress and people turned their backs on him, that was astonishing,” Fetterman said. “That was outlandish.”
Gaza, deterrence and calls to hit Iran
Turning to the war in Gaza, Fetterman argued that intense pressure for a ceasefire earlier in the war would have left key threats intact.
“If they had pushed Israel into a ceasefire, [Yahya] Sinwar would be alive, Hamas would remain strong, and Hezbollah would still be firing thousands of rockets,” he said.
“I was the only Democrat calling to bomb the nuclear facilities as well,” he added, describing what he saw as the necessary scope of deterrence against Iran and its proxies.
On Iran’s nuclear program, Fetterman left little room for ambiguity.
“There is no peaceful purpose for ninety percent enriched uranium,” he said. “If Iran continues, I will consistently support attacking and destroying those facilities.”
‘TikTok has poisoned an entire generation’
Fetterman reserved some of his sharpest comments for social media platforms and their impact on perceptions of Israel among young people.
“TikTok and social media have poisoned an entire generation with anti-Israel views devoid of context, devoid of history, and in many cases outright fabrications,” he warned.
“It is not a lost battle,” he added, stressing that he still believes Israel can win the war on the ground and the struggle for public opinion. “We can still win it with the help of the United States. But we are at a significant disadvantage because social media has become a sewer.”
‘A supreme honor’ to stand with the Jewish people
Fetterman also addressed the emotional strain within the Jewish community since the Hamas atrocities and the subsequent spike in antisemitic rhetoric and incidents around the world.
“I am so sorry for what your community has been through since ten-seven,” he said, speaking directly to Jewish viewers and attendees. “It is a supreme honor of my time in the Senate to stand with Israel and the Jewish people.”
Closing the conversation, he insisted that despite the political polarization in Washington and the hostile climate on many campuses and online spaces, the core of the fight remains winnable.
“It is not a lost battle,” Fetterman repeated. “We can still win it, but we have to recognize that the battlefield now includes TikTok and every other platform that is flooding people with lies about Israel.”