It's important for state leaders to stand with Israel
| OP-Ed article appeared in the Lakeland Ledger on May, 30, 2021.
Late Thursday news broke of a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel. Time will tell how long this cessation of violence lasts, but all people of conscience should welcome this news. In the days of the most recent round of conflict, US support for Israel was integral to getting the situation to the point where Hamas’s rocket fire stopped.
That is why the faithful in Florida applauded the bipartisan chorus of Florida lawmakers in Tallahassee and Washington who spoke clearly, directly and unambiguously about Hamas’s onslaught against Israel. The message from these lawmakers was clear: terrorism is wrong, and America supports Israel.
Our elected leaders helped lead the nation and the world in support of one of our most important democratic allies. In doing so, they showed that they understand that there is no justification for the attacks perpetrated by Hamas, and that Israel was defending itself with precision and speed, and in accordance with its obligations to protect innocent lives. By contrast, the thousands of rockets and missiles fired by Hamas, a terrorist organization, inflict nothing but pain and suffering.
As we saw during past conflicts, Hamas’s tactics include desecrating houses of worship by using them as armories and sites for launching attacks. The terrorist group puts its weapons in apartments, schools and hospitals. These actions threaten Arabs, Jews and Christians who all call Israel home, as well as Palestinians who are also the victims of Hamas’s war crimes.
Senator Rick Scott said, “These Palestinian terrorists need to know acts of aggression toward Israel will never be tolerated,” and urged President Biden to “take immediate action to remind these terrorists and the world of the United States’ strong and unwavering support of the Israeli people.”
His colleague, Senator Marco Rubio, pointed to the necessity of taking a comprehensive approach to fighting the terrorists. In calling for President Biden to “immediately end negotiations with Iran,” he is recognizing that Iran is responsible for funding, arming and training the terrorists because they have a shared goal of destroying the Jewish state.
Many other Florida lawmakers – on both sides of the aisle – have recognized that the moral path is simple and the choice of which side to support is clear.
Representative Ted Deutch came to Israel’s defense by echoing the need to condemn Hamas as a terrorist organization, noting that Hamas uses “children as shields” and targets civilians. His colleague, Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, also condemned Hamas terrorism against Israel, importantly emphasizing that “no people should be subject to a barrage of rocket fire like Hamas has inflicted upon Israelis,” and that she “unequivocally and unconditionally stand[s] with our ally Israel.” Building upon this, Representative Lois Frankel went on to say that, “Israel has a right to defend itself.” and that “Hamas must end its attack and the United States.”
All of this is important because it reflects the fact that our pro-Israel values are nonpartisan and unshakable. These were the right messages at a pivotal time, and they were heard by the families huddled together in bomb shelters in Tel Aviv and the soldiers on the front line of the fight to protect America’s strongest ally in the Middle East.
I am encouraged and optimistic that America will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel and against terror, but more work needs to be done.
Sadly, a minority of Florida lawmakers never spoke up, but it’s not too late to do so. The courageous leaders who stood up in support of Israel should urge their colleagues to clearly and unambiguously do the same and condemn Hamas and their backers in Tehran. Likewise, we Floridians need to do our part too, by demanding that our elected officials reflect our strong pro-Israel values.
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