LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson spoke with us to share his reaction to the escalating violence in Israel and Palestine and his concerns for the future.
Over the years, Hutchinson has been a vocal supporter of Israel, even visiting the nation during his time as governor.
To this day, Arkansas has economic ties to the country.
On Tuesday, an explosion at a Gaza hospital left hundreds dead. Hamas blamed an Israeli airstrike on the Palestinian president, calling it "a war crime and massacre."
But Israeli defense authorities said a Hamas rocket misfired and hit the hospital. Gaza officials reported Israel attacked an area where civilians were taking refuge.
In response, Hutchinson said that humanitarian efforts need to be a focus.
"Israel needs to go in and destroy Hamas," Hutchinson said. "They also need to make sure that there are pathways for innocent citizens to get out of Gaza as the damage is done. The humanitarian side cannot be ignored, and there needs to be ways for those citizens to protect themselves and find shelter and hospital care."
While serving as Arkansas governor, Hutchinson pushed to strengthen the state's ties to Israel.
"[Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and I] were looking at the economic ties that we can have, particularly in the areas of shared technologies," Hutchinson said. "We have passed the anti-boycott, boycott legislation in Arkansas to make sure we're not investing in companies that boycott Israel."
Over in Camden, Ark., Hutchinson said the same facilities that worked to make defensive rockets for Ukraine are supporting Israel, calling the work of Aerojet Rocketdyne, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin "critically important for the safety and security of Israel."
On the national stage, Hutchinson wore an American and Israeli flag to the first republican debate stage over a month before the most recent war began.
"Another candidate, Vivek Ramaswamy, said, 'We ought to end support for Israel down the road.' I said, 'No, that's not the case. They should be a long-term ally of the United States.'"
Hutchinson supported President Joe Biden's decision to visit Israel this week.
"I believe the [Biden] administration is doing what is needed to be done," Hutchinson said.
However, the presidential hopeful also shared criticism of Biden's decisions leading up to these attacks, that his "disagreement would be that we showed weakness that allowed this aggression to happen to begin with."
The violence in the area has also fueled fear of hate crimes across the United States.
This week in Arkansas, Pea Ridge police reported someone throwing anti-Semitic flyers out of their truck. In response to rising hate, Hutchinson emphasized the difference between patriotism and dangerous rhetoric.
"You've got to be careful that our rhetoric does not lead to violence against any group, particularly whenever they're on our soil," Hutchinson said. "Categorizing all Muslims as hate-filled people is not helpful... anti-Semitism hurts our country, and it hurts the Jewish people, and should not be tolerated."
As for the next steps of his presidential campaign, Hutchinson said it doesn't matter what the national polls show, and right now, he's focused on building support in New Hampshire and Iowa.