Ceasefire makes 'no sense' until Hamas threat eliminated, says GOP presidential candidate Chris Christie on visit to devastated Kibbutz Kfar Aza

The first Republican presidential candidate to visit Israel since Oct. 7 said calls for a ceasefire “make no sense” until Israelis can safely return to their border communities.

“We can’t ask Israel to stand down if they believe there is still a legitimate violent threat against them and their people. And I think there is no question that there is,” said presidential candidate Chris Christie during a tour of Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Sunday.

The kibbutz, a border located on the border with Gaza, was burnt and destroyed by Hamas during its heinous massacre on Oct 7.

Christie added that Israel "must continue to fight until they have degraded that capability to a point where they can say to their people, come back and live here safely and securely. Until that comes, I don’t think calls for a ceasefire make any sense.”

The former New Jersey governor assured the people of Israel that “hundreds of millions of Americans” understand Israel’s predicament and stand with the Jewish people.  

“I want the people of Israel to know that there are hundreds of millions of Americans who stand with them, who understand the atrocities that were committed,” Christie said.

“In the future, we need to stand absolutely shoulder to shoulder with Israel, no daylight.”

Former NJ governor and guy who wants to be president Chris Christie tours the destruction in Kibbutz Kfar Aza with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.

"We can't ask Israel to stand down if they believe there is still a legitimate violent threat against them and their people." pic.twitter.com/BuW4DsSsru

— Amy Spiro (@AmySpiro) November 12, 2023

Christie said that he was visiting the kibbutz so he could tell the American people about the horrors he witnessed with his own eyes.

“To be able to walk through a neighborhood like this and see what was done to the people, to still be able to walk into one of these homes and smell the death still, a month later, is something that I think the American people need to know,” he said.

“I intend to go back to the U.S. and talk about this regularly so that the American people, who are being asked to sacrifice and to help Israel financially and militarily, will know that what they are doing is not only a noble effort on their part but also what friends do for friends.”

Christie stressed the significance of Israel's relationship with the U.S.

 “America has no greater friend in the world than Israel,” he said, noting that the vast majority of Americans are not represented by those who protest and call for Israel to agree to a ceasefire.

He also said he believes that the U.S. should not publicly lecture Israel on how to conduct its war.

“I don’t think it’s the role of the United States to instruct the State of Israel on how to provide safety and security for its people,” he said.

“I think we can give advice, as friends give advice in private. But publicly, my view is that we need to stand with Israel.”