Jake Tapper Presses Israeli Ambassador: ‘How Can You Hold All 2.3 Million Palestinians In Gaza Responsible’ For Hamas?

CNN’s Jake Tapper pressed Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations after the official blamed Gazans for electing Hamas, which carried out a series of terrorist attacks on Israel last week.

More than 1,300 Israelis were killed in the attacks. In response, Israel has cut off the water, electricity, and food supplies to Gaza, where 2.3 million people live, nearly half of whom are children.

Ambassador Gilad Erdan appeared on Friday’s installment of The Lead, where Tapper asked him about reports that President Joe Biden requested Israel allow civilians to leave Gaza before launching a ground invasion. The day before, Israel gave 1.1 million people in northern Gaza just 24 hours to evacuate the region.

Tapper asked Erdan if that will be “impossible.” Erdan replied he has not heard any such requests from Biden, adding:

ERDAN: We said that we will use every mean[s] at our disposal to eradicate Hamas’ terrorist capabilities and we meant it. The prime minister gave an early warning [a] few days ago already. And sadly, it’s very sad, because I’m– I really feel sorry for the suffering of the people of Gaza. But we should all remember, they elected Hamas 18 years ago. Hamas is the only one responsible for everything that is happening there. Hamas embedded its terrorist infrastructure within the civilian population under public facilities and there’s no other way to eradicate Hamas terrorist capabilities and ensure that these atrocities would not happen again without eliminating it and without temportarily evacuating the population….

TAPPER: So, you just said something about the people of Palestine or people of Gaza, rather, electing Hamas in 2007. And it is true. They elected Hamas in 2007, which is 18 years ago [sic], and Hamas has not allowed an election since then. Hamas is a terrorist organization. They rule with guns. They rule with terror. President Herzog said this week it is, quote, “an entire nation out there that’s responsible. It’s not true, this rhetoric about civilians not aware and not involved. It’s absolutely not true. They could have risen up, they could have fought against that evil regime which took over Gaza in a coup d’état murdering their family members who were in Fatah.”

You basically just insinuated something similar. And I guess my question is, if Hamas is a terrorist group, which it is, but if it is, then how can you hold all 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza responsible for what Hamas did? Don’t you think that they rule by killing people who he oppose them? I mean, how seriously can you hold–

ERDAN: We do not–

TAPPER: How seriously can you expect the Palestinian people – half whom are kids, by the way – how seriously can you expect them to rise up if they are brutal murderers, which they are?

ERDAN: We do not expect them to rebel. We cannot decide for them how to live their life, but we are fighting for our life. We just lost 1,300 Israelis who were slaughtered and butchered and massacred. And like any other normal country, we have to ensure that such atrocities will not happen again. I really feel sorry for many people in Gaza, like I am sure that in Germany, Nazi Germany, there were also Germans who were not involved. It’s not about retaliation, it’s not about revenge. We don’t want to punish them. We just need to obliterate Hamas’ terror capabilities and sadly, there’s no other way to do it.

Watch above via CNN.