March 31, 2024
By Rebecca Cohen
Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., said this week that the conflict in Gaza should be over quickly "like Nagasaki and Hiroshima," and the United States should refrain from sending any humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave as Israel's war with Hamas continues.
"We shouldn’t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid," Walberg said at a town hall meeting on Monday in Dundee, Michigan, according to a video that circulated on social media.
"It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick," he continued, referring to the Japanese cities on which the U.S. dropped atomic bombs during World War II. Hundreds of thousands of people died.
In a statement, Walberg said he "used a metaphor to convey the need for both Israel and Ukraine to win their wars as swiftly as possible, without putting American troops in harm's way."
"My reasoning was the exact opposite of what is being reported: the quicker these wars end, the fewer innocent lives will be caught in the crossfire," he added.
According to Walberg's public calendar, he was scheduled to attend a community gathering in Dundee on Monday, March 25, at 10 a.m.
Walberg made the comment in response to a question from an audience member who asked, "Why are we spending our money to build a port for them?"
The question appeared to reference the Biden administration's plan to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza via a floating dock. The United Nations and other agencies have warned the enclave is on the brink of famine amid Israel's five-month assault and the lack of sufficient supplies flowing into Gaza.
"It's Joe Biden's reason: We need to get humanitarian aid into Gaza. I don't think we should," Walberg replied.
More than 32,000 people have died in Gaza since Israel launched its war against Hamas, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. The military campaign follows the militant group's Oct. 7 attack in the country, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed and about 250 were taken hostage. More than 100 people are still believed to be held captive in Gaza.
A number of Walberg's fellow Michigan politicians quickly criticized his remarks.
Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens said in a post on X that "threatening to use, suggesting the use of, or, God forbid actually using nuclear weapons, are unacceptable tactics of war in the 21st Century."
Former Rep. Justin Amash, a Palestinian American Republican who is running for Senate, said in a post that Walberg's comments "evince an utter indifference to human suffering," adding "for him to suggest that hundreds of thousands of innocent Palestinians should be obliterated, including my own relatives sheltering at an Orthodox Christian church, is reprehensible and indefensible."
State Sen. Darrin Camilleri, a Democrat, called on Walberg to resign, and Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee said Walberg's comments were "horrific & shocking" and his position "indefensible."
"My colleague’s comments are reckless and wrong," Rep. Hillary Scholten, a Democrat, said on X. She called Walberg’s comments "depraved" and urged him to "retract and apologize."
Politicians outside of Michigan also took issue with Walberg's comments.
Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., called the comments "horrific, inhumane, and barbaric," and Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said the remarks were "disgraceful" and "shameful."
'Get it over quick': Fury as US congressman calls for 'Hiroshima' bombing of Gaza
Tim Walberg also said Washington 'shouldn't spend a dime' on humanitarian aid for Palestinians
Holly Johnston
Mar 31, 2024
A US congressman has provoked fury after being filmed appearing to call for an atom bomb attack on Gaza, where almost 33,000 people have been killed since October.
Footage of Tim Walberg, a Republican politician from Michigan, saying that Washington's approach to Gaza should be "like Nagasaki and Hiroshima" has spread widely online.
"We shouldn’t be spending a dime on humanitarian aid. It should be like Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Get it over quick," he said at an constituent event in Dundee, Michigan on March 25.
The US detonated two atom bombs over the Japanese cities of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in 1945, in the final months of the Second World War. The bombings are estimated to have killed at least 150,000 to 200,000 people, the vast majority of them civilians.
The congressman, previously a pastor, also claimed North Korea was "probably" in Gaza assisting Hamas and said Israel is Washington's closest ally "in the world."
Mr Walberg's incendiary comments provoked widespread anger among his colleagues and Muslim community groups.
"This clear call to genocide by a member of Congress should be condemned by all Americans who value human life and international law," the Council on American-Islamic Relations said in a statement on Saturday.
"To so casually call for what would result in the killing of every human being in Gaza sends the chilling message that Palestinian lives have no value. It is this dehumanisation of the Palestinian people that has resulted in the ongoing slaughter and suffering we see every day in Gaza and the West Bank.”
Gaza's death toll climbed to 32,782 on Sunday after 77 people were killed in the previous 24 hours. The majority of the victims are said to be women and children.
At least 30 people have also died of starvation, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
A spokesperson for Mr Walberg claimed his suggestion to drop atom bombs on Gaza was in response to a question on the possibility of US soldiers being deployed to build a port for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
"He has great empathy for the innocent people in Gaza who have been thrust into this situation due to the attack carried out by Hamas," Detroit News quoted Mike Rorke as saying.
Democratic congressman Dan Kildee said the comments were "horrific."
"It is an indefensible position to argue against humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza while calling for the wholesale massacre of the Palestinian people," he added.
Mr Walberg is not the first US politician to publicly call for more Palestinian casualties.
"We should kill them all," the Republican Congressman Andy Ogles was filmed telling pro-ceasefire protesters in February.
Right-wing Israeli ministers have also called for nuclear weapons to be used on Gaza.
The Heritage Minister Amihai Eliyahu has called for a nuclear attack twice since the war began.
"Even in The Hague they know my position," he was quoted as saying by the Times of Israel as a genocide case against Israel opened at the International Court of Justice.
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