Some 50 minutes into his interview with Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), one of the most vocally pro-Israel members of Congress, Dan Senor prepared to wrap up the episode of his Call Me Back podcast.
“Senator Fetterman. Thank you for courage, for your leadership and for—,” Senor began.
“It’s not courage. It really isn’t,” Fetterman cut in. “What’s courage is being forced to live in a tunnel, or in the dark for 500 days, or being a soldier and fighting for the survival of your nation, and being in those families, where they’re living under the risk of rocket attacks.”
“That’s courage,” Fetterman said. “Being a senator—that’s small compared to that.”
“Well, then I’ll thank you for your clarity,” Senor said. “How about that?”
A writer, investor and political adviser, Senor recently interviewed Yoav Gallant, the former Israeli defense minister, at length on the podcast.
“Sen. Fetterman has spent meaningful time with the families of hostages, with IDF soldiers and also children—now orphans—of Israelis murdered on Oct. 7,” Senor told JNS. “It’s like he has tried to internalize their experiences. He is a deeply empathetic person.”
Senor told JNS that he could see “a look of embarrassment” on Fetterman’s face when he thanked the senator for his courage.
“He clearly doesn’t think taking an unpopular political stance is courage compared to what the Israelis he’s met have been enduring,” he said.
