Fred Thompson said Israel is showing restraint in dealing with rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip and warned of “consequences” should Israel have to face Iran by itself.
Israelis “have gone to incredible lengths to stop the war against them without harming Palestinian non-combatants,” the probable Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. senator from Tennessee wrote Thursday in a column on Townhall.com, a conservative website. “But make no mistake, Israel is at war. The elected Hamas government regularly repeats its official promise to destroy Israel entirely and replace it with an Islamic state. Hamas openly took credit for killing one woman and wounding dozens more last week alone.”
Thompson suggested that Israel would have a case for striking Iran should the Islamic Republic develop a nuclear weapon. “If the world doesn’t act to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions, it must be prepared for the consequences of Israel defending itself,” he wrote.
Thompson, an actor, just quit the “Law and Order” TV series. Analysts say that if he formally joins the Republican race, he will be in the top tier of candidates.
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