Resurfaced: Josh Shapiro Once Wrote About Volunteering in Israeli Military

A column resurfaced Friday from Josh Shapiro’s college days showed he once wrote about volunteering for the Israeli military. The column was resurfaced by the Philadelphia Inquirer, which uncovered a 1993 opinion article where Shapiro detailed his skepticism about the viability of a two-state solution in the Middle East. In it, Shapiro described Palestinians as “too battle-minded” to coexist with Israel. The article was published shortly after the first Oslo Accord was signed and outlined a potential pathway to end conflict in the region. “Despite my skepticism, as a Jew and a past volunteer in the Israeli army, I strongly hope and pray that this ‘peace plan’ will be successful,” Shapiro wrote. The Pennsylvania governor has since changed his views, now actively advocating for a two-state solution, but his supposed military service—and further details about where and how long he served—was unreported before Friday. Shapiro’s column was published when he was a 20-year-old student at the University of Rochester, three decades ago, but may weigh heavy as he’s vetted as a potential VP pick for Kamala Harris. Manuel Bonder, a Shapiro spokesperson later confirmed with the Daily Beast that “at no time was he engaged in any military activities.” Bonder said: “While he was in high school, Josh Shapiro was required to do a service project, which he and several classmates completed through a program that took them to a kibbutz in Israel where he worked on a farm and at a fishery. The program also included volunteering on service projects on an Israeli army base. At no time was he engaged in any military activities.”