After Walz’ Response to the George Floyd Riots, Is He Really Qualified to Criticize Israel?

October 25, 2024

The Jewish News Syndicate reported in late September on a radio interview Democratic vice-presidential nominee Tim Walz had with WMCU, a Michigan National Public Radio station. Walz was asked how a Harris-Walz administration would break from the Biden administration handling Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Walz’ responded that that anti-Israel protesters are "speaking out for all the right reasons" and that more pressure should be applied to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept a Palestinian state.

This is the man who, as governor, responded to the rioting following the death of George Floyd by saying that he shared the “urge of just a primal scream” watching the bystander video, and that protesting is “how people express their pain, process tragedy and work to create change.”

Is Walz in a position to pass judgment on how to handle protests?

In a Star Tribune article chronicling the protest-turned-riot in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd, Governor Tim Walz was quoted as saying, “We certainly don’t want to see things turn violent in any way, but I also think this is a pretty normal response.”

When Mayor Frey expressed to Walz the seriousness of the situation and asked that the governor send in the National Guard. The response? “He said he would consider it.”

When Walz activated the Guard the next afternoon, he gave them the mission only to support the Minneapolis Fire Department, St. Paul critical infrastructure, and the State Capitol complex. Crowds in Minneapolis continued to overwhelm efforts by the police to control the situation. That evening, police surrendered the Third Precinct. Flames soon engulfed the police station.

It wasn’t until early the next morning that Walz authorized the Guard to move in. Walz later said “there’s an argument to be made” that adding soldiers could be a “catalyst” to the situation, and he was trying to strike the right balance.

So is Walz in a position to pass judgment on how Israel is handling the situation in Gaza and anti-Israeli protesters?

Consider this statement in his interview on WMCU:

…"We can't allow what's happened in Gaza to happen. The Palestinian people have every right to life and liberty themselves. We need to continue to put the leverage on to make sure we move towards a two-state solution."

…Walz did not mention Hamas.