What the local Congresscritter said about Israel

Hamas is bad, but Israel mustn't defend itself

I live in a formerly conservative suburban-exurban county, close to normal people, not quite far enough from the crazy city. The collar counties around the city used to be solid Republican. Then better-off Democrats fled the hell-hole they had created in the city, settled in the very pleasant suburbs, and… kept voting for exactly what they had fled. Now, patriots are outnumbered in all those suburban counties.

Our local Congresscritter voted along party lines, of course, in support of terrorists. I wrote as politely as I could.

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I have read about your choice to side with terrorists and anti-Semites in refusing to sanction the ICC, to which neither America nor Israel are parties.

Israeli civilians were attacked without provocation on October 7, 2023. About 1200 were massacred in the largest such killing since the Holocaust. Over 200 were kidnapped, where they have been subject to rape, mutilation, torture, and murder. Among the hostages are American citizens. Do you care about them, or the gang rape victims?

Hamas will be grateful for your support. I am not. I will remember your choice - not the first - when I go to vote in November.

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I just received the following reply from the Congresscritter. My comments are in [brackets].

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This is a tragedy of catastrophic scale and my heart breaks [virtue-signaling] for all the lives lost in Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, the hostages, the displaced, and for those living in a war zone that has turned into a humanitarian crisis [created by Hamas]. … I know firsthand the importance of American leadership in protecting human rights and promoting peace and security around the world. I have traveled to Israel and the West Bank to talk with Israeli and Palestinian governments and civil society leaders about the role of the U.S. government in supporting peace and prosperity in the region. I strongly support a two-state solution [Jordan is Palestine!] and believe that the best path to peace between Israelis and Palestinians is direct negotiations between the two parties, which is why I have called for a ceasefire in the current conflict. [Call for release of the hostages, then get back to me.]

Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7 put both Israeli and Palestinian civilians in the middle of war, claiming tens of thousands of victims and causing unfathomable destruction. I mourn the loss of innocent lives, Israeli and Palestinian alike. [Which innocent Palestinians? The ones hiding hostages in their homes? The ones celebrating naked Jewish corpses and kicking them? The supermajority who support the actions of October 7?] I believe in Israel's right to protect its citizens and sovereignty against the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas, a terrorist organization that has no role in a future Palestinian state. I have also repeatedly called for the immediate release all remaining hostages and for Hamas to cease its attacks on civilian populations. As the conflict has continued, however, I have also been concerned by Israel's tactics. [Armchair general warning.]

In November, I called upon Israel to abide by our shared principles and allow into as much humanitarian aid into Gaza as possible. [Just like the Allied humanitarian aid into Germany and Japan in World War 2?] Recent reports indicate that Israeli efforts to get aid into Gaza have increased, but there is still much more to be done to alleviate the suffering of innocent Palestinian civilians. [What about the suffering of innocent Israeli civilians?] In December, I joined some of my colleagues in writing a letter to President Biden urging the Administration to use our relationship with Israel to push for an immediate and significant shift in the Israeli military strategy toward Hamas. [Israel doesn’t try to micromanage American military operations, which are far more deadly than Israeli military operations. The Iraqis and Afghanis would like a word with you!] I expressed this concern directly to Israeli leadership in January. Additionally, I was outraged by Israel's strike on World Central Kitchen workers and called for an investigation and accountability for this tragedy. [Let’s first investigate America for the much more numerous civilian deaths caused by our own military.] As we strive for a lasting peace in the region, we must begin with a negotiated ceasefire so that the Israeli and Palestinian leaders and all of the players in the region can build the kind of trust required for peace. [Palestinian Arab negotiating position: Israel must be liquidated as a state. Your counteroffer?]

For months, I have been concerned about Prime Minister Netanyahu's extension of this conflict to Rafah, a densely populated Palestinian area with many innocent civilians and refugees in harm's way. [Much of Israel is densely populated. So what?] I share President Biden's view that Prime Minister Netanyahu is creating a situation that is perilous to the civilian population and restricts access to humanitarian aid for hundreds of thousands with the move into Rafah. [War is hell.] In May I sent a letter with several of my colleagues to President Biden urging that he adhere to the Foreign Assistance Act, which prohibits the U.S. from providing arms sales to countries restricting the delivery of humanitarian aid, either directly or indirectly. I also supported President Biden's decision to withhold certain offensive U.S. weapons to Israel, given the mounting humanitarian concerns. [We don’t want Israel to win.] …

As work towards a negotiated and sustainable ceasefire continues, Israel must be able to defend itself from attacks like the missile strike by Iran this spring. I voted in favor of the supplemental aid package that Speaker Johnson brought to the floor in April to support Israel's security but made it clear to House leadership that a bill without humanitarian aid was a non-starter for me. The ongoing famine in Gaza makes the need for a ceasefire all the more immediate and acute, and I was glad to see substantial humanitarian aid included in the aid package. I also voted against sanctioning the International Criminal Court (ICC) for filing arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and senior members of his cabinet. International institutions like the ICC help to maintain order and the rule of law, and while some might disagree with the ruling [Do you?], I believe in the ICC's right to make it. [Neither America nor Israel are parties to the ICC.]

I am supportive of the President Biden's continued efforts to bring an end to this conflict, including his proposed de-escalation plan and his recent call for the UN Security Council to vote on a U.S. resolution proposing a permanent ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza. I will continue to work with the Biden administration and my colleagues in Congress to ensure Israel is secure from threats, while also doing everything in my power to provide Palestinian civilians in Gaza with the critical aid they need.

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Let Hamas release the hostages, and most of the remaining international support for Israel’s military operations will collapse. Hamas could stop this right now if they wanted to. This Democrat Congresscritter shares the party’s resolute opposition to Israeli or American victory. You don’t negotiate with an existential enemy sworn to your destruction. You destroy them completely.