Potential US VP seeks to distance himself from op-ed exposing IOF ties

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
3 Aug 2024 11:58
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In a 1993 newspaper op-ed, Pennsylvania Governor and potential Democratic vice presidential nominee Josh Shapiro writes that he was "a past volunteer in the Israeli army."

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Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during a news conference in Philadelphia, on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. (AP)

Pennsylvania Governor and potential Democratic vice presidential nominee Josh Shapiro addressed on Friday a recently uncovered op-ed he wrote in college, in which he identified himself as a former volunteer in the Israeli occupation forces and claimed that Palestinians are too "battle-minded" to seek peace with "Israel", The Times of Israel reported.

His spokesperson Manuel Bonder told the news website that, during high school, "Shapiro was required to complete a service project, which he and several classmates did through a program that took them to a kibbutz in Israel where he worked on a farm and at a fishery."

Bonder added that the program also involved volunteering on service projects at an Israeli military base.

"At no time was he [Shapiro] engaged in any military activities," he claimed in a statement.

But in his 1993 newspaper op-ed, Shapiro wrote, "Despite my skepticism as a Jew and a past volunteer in the Israeli army, I strongly hope and pray that this 'peace plan' will be successful."

"Palestinians will not coexist peacefully," he suggested in the op-ed titled "Peace Not Possible."

The then-20-year-old student also said that the Palestinians "do not have the capabilities to establish their own homeland and make it successful even with the aid of Israel and the United States."

"They are too battle-minded to be able to establish a peaceful homeland of their own."

His piece resurfaced days before Vice President and presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is expected to announce her running mate.

Shapiro has faced strong criticism from pro-Palestine activists, who have labeled him "Genocide Josh" and cautioned Harris against choosing him.

Asked about the op-ed at a press conference earlier Friday, Shapiro said, "I was 20," adding that he had supported a "two-state solution" long before October 7, when the war on Gaza started.

Earlier this year, according to The Times of Israel, Shapiro described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as "one of the worst leaders of all time and has steered Israel in a wrong direction."

The Israeli news website cited two informed sources as saying that Harris plans to meet this weekend with Shapiro and the other top contenders competing to become her presidential running mate for the November election as she nears a final decision.