Jill Stein picks running mate who shared pro-Hamas propaganda, called for 'stabbing' Israel ‘in the heart'

Green Party leader and presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein’s choice of a running mate is Bilal (Butch) Ware, an associate professor at the University of California-Santa Barbara who has shared pro-Hamas propaganda and has called Israel a “white supremacist Zionist project” that activists should “stab in the heart.”

Stein lauded him on Sunday in a post announcing Ware as her running mate: “I’m honored and thrilled to welcome Butch Ware as my running mate and the Vice President we need at this moment in history. His personal experience overcoming systemic injustice, his deep knowledge of history and people’s movements, and his commitment to building a sustainable, just, peaceful world make Butch the ideal candidate."

“This is truly a historic ticket bringing together a Jewish woman and Black Muslim man against genocide, endless war, climate collapse, and rampant injustice, and for an economy that works for working people, a livable future for our children, and an America and a world that works for all of us.”

In the days following the Oct. 7 attacks last year, Ware shared video of a man encouraging Hamas to kill more Jews in Israel and claimed that Hamas did nothing wrong in its terrorist attacks, adding that the terrorists were "fighting for their freedom." He then compared Hamas to Nelson Mandela.

Ware has previously called Israel "the beast" and said it should be "stabbed in the heart.” The vitriolic comments were part of a larger discussion titled, "Sunnah of Struggle - Black and Palestinian Liberation from Islamic Perspective."

Ware also equated the protests about George Floyd to protests in favor of the Palestinians in the Israel-Hamas War. He made the comments in October 2023 while speaking at a mosque not far from the university where he teaches African studies in the history department.

He has posted related material extensively on Instagram, where he often holds forth about alleged colonialism of Israel and what he sees as the "complicity" of black Americans in supporting the country.

"It is especially sad to see the Black complicity in this. These uncle tom, uncle ruckus, house negroes that shill for Israel should really be ashamed of themselves. Any thinking Black person should immediately recognize the dehumanizing slander being marshaled against Palestinian resistors," the professor added.