The Hoodie Has Landed: John Fetterman on First Visit to Israel

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has landed in Israel on a solidarity visit, greeting Israeli President Isaac Herzog in the hooded sweatshirt that has become Fetterman’s trademark.

In a statement, Herzog’s office said:

President Isaac Herzog today, Tuesday, met with United States Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) who is making his first visit to Israel.

President Herzog expressed his deep thanks to the Senator for his continued support for Israel and solidarity with the Israeli people. During the meeting, Senator Fetterman showed the President a bracelet that he was wearing which he was given by families whose loved ones were murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Nova Festival on October 7th. He told the President that he would not remove the bracelet till all the hostages had been returned home to their families.

President Herzog said: “Welcome to Israel my friend. I know that you come out of passion and love for this country. And I want to say thank you, on behalf of our nation and behalf of Israel. Those who stand with us showing moral clarity, we shall never forget them. And we want to thank you, you’re a true leader.”

Senator Fetterman thanked the President and said: “I’m honored by those words, but I don’t really believe I should be thanked for just doing my job. It’s been a very easy and clear choice throughout all of this, through everything your nation has been through after October 7. I’ve always wanted to be a very consistent voice throughout all this.”

Fetterman, who ran for office in 2022 as a “progressive,” has surprised observers by bucking the left wing of his party to support Israel and to oppose an “open” southern border, among other more conservative policies.

Last month, he ditched his Harvard hood while giving a speech at the graduation of Yeshiva University, which gave him an award for his advocacy for Israel. Harvard has struggled to manage a wave of anti-Israel and antisemitic protests.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.