Rep. Khanna on supporting US aid to Israel: ‘The free ride is over’

[0:00] We're joined now by Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna of California. [0:03] Thank you for being here. Really appreciate it. [0:05] Always good to be here. [0:06] So I know you've obviously been adamantly opposed to this war in the first place. [0:10] What do you make of this latest development, though, another round of peace talks? [0:15] Well, they said they want to escalate to de-escalate. [0:19] They've escalated to devastation. [0:21] I mean, you have the Pope lecturing America about possible war crimes. [0:26] You have the president, as you pointed out, threatening to destroy all power plants. [0:31] I didn't think we would ever get to that point. [0:33] You have the Strait of Hormuz that is now blocked. [0:35] This never happened before the war. [0:37] What have we achieved? [0:38] Gas is up from $2.30 to $4. [0:42] You have now Iran having a more hardline regime, as we just heard, and all our allies like UAE being hit. [0:49] I mean, we've created devastation, and we're being lectured by the Pope. [0:52] But let me ask you, you've called the war, I think I have this correct, the biggest blunder in American foreign policy in the 21st century. [1:02] If this gets to a resolution, I mean, if they actually, and I know that's a big if, [1:08] but if they actually get to a resolution where Iran has given up its nuclear program, [1:14] and, you know, there is a peace deal, maybe even a peace deal with Lebanon, [1:18] are you prepared to revise that and say that they actually got something out of it and it wasn't a blunder? [1:22] If we actually achieve something, but the enriched uranium is still there. [1:27] We have a more hardline regime there. [1:29] Common A. Jr. actually wants to develop nuclear weapons. [1:32] Does anyone believe that we actually have more leverage of the Strait of Hormuz? [1:35] We have less. [1:36] China has more influence in Iran, and we've lost our entire moral credibility. [1:42] We have a president of the United States threatening to wipe out Iranian civilization, [1:46] and people think it's normal? [1:47] And then you have a situation where our troops are at risk, [1:51] where a president who campaigned on peace is spending now $400 billion to spend more money on these wars? [1:58] Why aren't we spending that on health care here, jobs here, child care here? [2:02] Why aren't we addressing the needs of the American people? [2:04] I'm Team America. [2:05] He seems to be more obsessed with the Middle East. [2:08] So let me ask you about Israel. [2:09] You were one of 40, 40, I mean, you're not in the Senate, [2:14] but there were 40 Senate Democrats who voted to halt the sale of military equipment to Israel, [2:21] something you agreed with clearly. [2:23] Is the Democratic Party no longer a pro-Israeli party? [2:28] We're a party that believes in two states and peace. [2:31] But let me tell you what we're not for. [2:32] We're not for aid to Israel. [2:34] They've got a $45 billion defense budget. [2:36] Why are we giving them money? [2:38] Why aren't we providing it for health care here? [2:40] Why aren't we providing it for child care here? [2:42] By the way, that's not just an issue on the Democratic Party. [2:45] You look at Republican voters under 50, they agree with me. [2:48] And then you look at what the devastation was in Gaza. [2:51] Why aren't we doing the Arab peace plan, which, by the way, [2:54] the UAE foreign minister has supported of two states. [2:58] You have a Palestinian state, which is demilitarized, and an Israeli state. [3:03] That's what we are for. [3:04] We should be for peace, and we should be for justice in that region. [3:08] But that seemed to be a big moment to see the vast majority of Democrats in the Senate [3:13] say no more military sales right now to Israel. [3:17] Well, what they said is no more bulldozers that are destroying Palestinian villages. [3:22] It's unjust. [3:23] I mean, the young people in this country, when I met Netanyahu years ago, I said to him, [3:28] Mr. Prime Minister, you may have won the battle. [3:30] You've lost the war because you've lost the next generation in America. [3:34] We don't think you're acting morally. [3:36] We have a sense that people in Palestine, they deserve justice. [3:40] They deserve a state. [3:41] And, yes, we need to have a secure Israel, but not an Israel led by Netanyahu who killed 70,000 people in Gaza. [3:48] Not an Israel that is going to be raining bombs in Beirut, and not a prime minister sitting in our situation room. [3:55] Let me tell you what a Democratic president is never going to do. [3:57] An Israeli prime minister is not going to be sitting in our situation room telling the American president what to do. [4:03] Only Americans will be in that situation room. [4:05] You went further than even most of your Democratic colleagues. [4:09] You called for a stop of funding for defensive weapons to Iran, including Iron Dome, which is something you had supported. [4:17] I remember you and I spoke about it on this show not all that long ago. [4:21] You said it was something that protected not just Israelis but also Palestinians. [4:25] I am for the Iron Dome technology. [4:26] I'm glad UAE has it. [4:27] I'm glad Israel has it. [4:28] But you don't think that we should give it to Israel anymore? [4:30] Why? [4:31] Why can't they afford it with $45 billion? [4:34] Even Rahm Emanuel agrees with me. [4:35] I mean, why are we subsidizing one of the richest countries in the world? [4:38] They have health care for all their people. [4:40] Why aren't we putting that money in our communities for our jobs? [4:43] Do I want them to have Iron Dome? [4:45] Absolutely. [4:46] I want any country to have Iron Dome to protect their citizens. [4:50] But the free ride is over. [4:52] They're not going to be getting American tax dollars, and they're certainly not going to be dictating it. [4:56] They're not going to be dictating it to the American president. [4:57] The American president will call the shots. [4:59] And very quickly, it's an election year in Israel. [5:03] If Netanyahu is removed and he faces a tough re-election battle, new leader in Israel, does that change your view on this? [5:10] It doesn't change my view on aid. [5:12] It does change my view about how we will cooperate or not. [5:16] I mean, they should recognize that this relationship is going to depend on them fighting for justice, recognizing the Palestinian state, working towards peace, [5:25] and actually not insulting the American public and the American president. [5:29] I mean, the American people understand that we have gotten into wars in the Middle East. [5:34] They're tired of it. [5:36] They're tired of our money going there. [5:37] They want us to focus on the economy here at home. [5:40] All right. [5:40] Congressman Ro Khanna, I really appreciate your time. [5:42] Thank you. [5:43] Thank you.