Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, considered as one of the top candidates to be the running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris, has now taken back comments he made criticizing Palestinian terrorists in an opinion piece written 30 years ago while in college.
In 1993, Shapiro was a student at the University of Rochester. The 20-year-old Shapiro wrote "Peace Not Possible," which ran in the student newspaper, claiming that peace between Arabs and Israelis was "virtually impossible" based on history.
"Palestinians will not coexist peacefully," Shapiro wrote. "They do not have the capabilities to establish their own homeland and make it successful even with the aid of Israel and the United States. They are too battle-minded to be able to establish a peaceful homeland of their own."
Shapiro spokesman Manual Bonder released a statement after the opinion piece resurfaced and Shapiro came under scrutiny.
"Governor Shapiro has built close, meaningful, informative relationships with many Muslim-American, Arab-American, Palestinian Christian, and Jewish community leaders all across Pennsylvania," said Bonder. "The governor greatly values their perspectives and the experiences he has learned from over the years — and as a result, as with many issues, his views on the Middle East have evolved into the position he holds today."
Shapiro is expected to meet with Vice President Kamala Harris this week to discuss potentially being her running mate. A decision from Harris is also predicted to come before Tuesday.