KFAR AZZA, Israel (AP) — 2024 Republican presidential hopeful Chris Christie visited Israel on Sunday to express his solidarity with the country in its fight against the Hamas militant group.
During his visit, Christie toured a kibbutz that was devastated in the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas militants and met with Israeli leaders, wounded soldiers, and families of Israeli hostages. The former New Jersey governor is the first 2024 Republican nomination candidate to visit Israel.
“I came here because I wanted to see this for myself,” Christie said during a tour of Kfar Azza, which was one of more than 20 towns and villages attacked by Hamas militants on Oct. 7. Israel reported over 1,200 fatalities and 239 hostages in Gaza.
Jets flew overhead as Christie toured the kibbutz alongside the speaker of Israel’s parliament, Amir Ohana.
Wearing a flak jacket and flanked by an entourage of Israeli soldiers, Christie walked through homes with walls riddled by bullet holes and couches stained with blood. Over a month after the attack, many Kfar Azza houses remain burnt-out and destroyed — those still standing are covered in Arabic graffiti.
“To be able to walk through a neighborhood like this and still smell the death a month later is something that I think the American people need to know,” he said.
Christie, who has positioned himself as the 2024 race’s most vocal critic of former president, Donald J. Trump and cast himself as the only Republican willing to directly take him on, has emphasized his support for Israel. The Republican candidates have all lined up behind Israel amid growing international pressure to halt or scale back the offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Christie praised the way President Joe Biden has handled relations with Israel during wartime. As protests of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza draw thousands in major cities like New York and Los Angeles, the Biden administration has sought to increase humanitarian aid into Gaza while supporting the Israeli war effort. Christie said that he believed protesters calling for a ceasefire did not represent the majority of Americans and that the United States should stand with Israel.
During his visit, Christie watched a film of gruesome footage showing the atrocities committed by Hamas militants on Oct. 7. He expressed his solidarity with Israel and emphasized the need to stand shoulder to shoulder with the country in the future.
Christie has positioned himself as someone who, if elected, would defend U.S. interests and democracy abroad. His visit to Israel marks his second trip to a warring country since the start of his presidential bid, after a visit to Ukraine in August.
By far the most strident critic of Trump in the Republican field, Christie has consistently been in the low single digits in national polls, far behind the former president.
