GOP debate: What the five candidates said about the Israel-Hamas conflict

The conflict between Israel and Hamas was an early theme of Wednesday's GOP debate between candidates for the party's presidential nomination.

None of the five candidates on the stage at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County missed the opportunity to offer fulsome support for Israel.

Four of the five candidates offered kill 'em all exhortations to Israel as it attempts to root out the Iranian-backed militant group Hamas from Gaza, the 141-square mile strip of land south of Israel that was used as a springboard for the Oct. 7 attacks that killed 1,400 people in the Jewish state.

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Each candidate was asked what, as president, they'd advise Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu. Here's what the five said:

Ron DeSantis: 'I'm sick of hearing other people blame Israel for defending itself'

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said: "I would be telling Bibi, 'Finish the job, once and for all, with these butchers Hamas.' They're terrorists. They're massacring innocent people. They would wipe every Jew off the globe if they could. He can not live with that threat right by to his country. Hamas should release every hostage, and they should unconditionally surrender. I'm sick of hearing the media, I'm sick of hearing other people blame Israel just for defending itself. We will stand with Israel in word and in deed, in public and in private."

DeSantis blamed President Joe Biden for "neglect" on the issue and claimed credit for sending planes to Israel, "and I brought back over 700 people to safety."

Nikki Haley: 'It is not Israel that needs America. America needs Israel.'

Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and U.S. ambassador of the United Nations for two years during the Trump administration, said: "The first thing I said to (Netanyahu) when it happened was is I said, 'Finish them. Finish them.' I worked on this every day when I was at the United Nations." She went on to say: "They have to — one — eliminate Hamas. Two, support Israel with whatever they need, whenever they need it. And three, make sure we bring our hostages home."

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Haley then noted that Hamas draws support from Iran, which also supports militant groups in Lebanon and Yemen that oppose Israel.

"The last thing we need to do is to tell Israel what to do," Haley said. "The only thing we should be doing (is helping) them in eliminating Hamas. It is not that Israel needs America. America needs Israel. They are the tip of the spear when it comes to this Islamic terrorism, and we need to make sure that we have their backs in that process."

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Vivek Ramaswamy: 'Smoke those terrorists on the southern border'

Vivek Ramaswamy, the 38-year-old founder of a pharmaceutical company and often the most strident among the GOP aspirants, said: "I would go one step further. The founding vision of Israel was based on the idea that they don't want to depend on anybody else's sympathy or direction in defending themselves. So what I would tell Bibi is that Israel has the right and the responsibility to defend itself. I would tell him to smoke those terrorists on his southern border. And I'll tell him as president of the United States, 'I'll be smoking the terrorists on our southern border.'

Tim Scott: 'You have the responsibility and the right to wipe Hamas off the map'

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said: "No. 1, I would tell Prime Minister Netanyahu, not only do you have the responsibility and the right to wipe Hamas off of the map, we will support you. We will be there with you. We will stand shoulder to shoulder. There will be no daylight."

Losing the thread of the question — which was centered on what the candidates would tell Netanyahu as president — Scott then said he would tell President Joe Biden that "diplomacy only is a weak strategy. Appeasement leads to war."

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Chris Christie: 'America is here no matter what it is you need'

Only former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie offered what could be described as a nuanced response to a challenge that has vexed one U.S. administration after another for decades.

Christie said Israeli intelligence had failed on the eve of the Oct. 7 attacks and mentioned his work after 9-11 to offer security promises to Jewish and Palestinian citizens in the U.S.

The former governor said he'd tell Netanyahu: "America is here no matter what it is you need at any time to preserve the state of Israel."

Christie noted that Hamas' main goal is to get rid of the state of Israel. As president, he said he'd work with Israel to continue to isolate Iran and to partner with Arab nations in the region.

"We need to work closely and better together," Christie said.

Wayne Washington is a journalist covering West Palm Beach, Riviera Beach and race relations at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at wwashington@pbpost.com. Help support our work; subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: GOP debate: Where do the candidates stand on the Israel-Hamas conflict