Congressional “Squad” members and other Democrat officials created a firestorm by putting out problematic statements as Israel declares war on the Hamas terror group as the conflict heats up in the Middle East. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said in a statement. “I condemn Hamas’ attack in the strongest possible terms. No child and family should ever endure this kind of violence and fear, and this violence will not solve the ongoing oppression and occupation in the region.”

This is problematic because Hamas doesn’t recognize the statehood of Israel. You can’t broker lasting peace with an organization who doesn’t believe you have a right to exist. Let’s be honest: the goal of Hamas is to claim the whole land of Israel for themselves, so any peace treaty will just serve as a short reprieve while they build up military resources for the next terror campaign. AOC's statement suggests that Israel is partly to blame for the violence. 

Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri) also criticized U.S. foreign policy in her statement over the attacks, insisting that in order to achieve peace in the region, the U.S. needs to end its “support for Israeli military occupation and apartheid.” This belief is problematic for two reasons: number one, Hamas is not operating in a vacuum; it is backed by countries like Iran, Syria, etc. who readily provide assistance for terrorist organizations. Not supporting Israel does not change this reality or achieve peace. The second reason this is problematic is because if you believe that Israel is running a military occupation, then you believe that Hamas deserves some or all the land in Israel, which will not lead to lasting peace. Giving Hamas more land doesn’t make anti-Semitism or their belief in the destruction of Israel disappear. It will only empower Hamas and its state backers. Examples of these anti-Semitic views can be found in places like Tunisia, where a new global study done by ADL showed 85% believed “Jews have too much control over global affairs,” and “Jews have too much power in the business world,” respectively, while 83% said that “Jews have too much power in international financial markets.” The rhetoric heats up to even more deadly heights with chants of “death to the Jews” but it’s funny how the pro-Palestinian representatives conveniently ignore these truths. 

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) jumped in, saying, “We need a way to end this deadly violence that is killing and traumatizing generations of Israelis and Palestinians alike -- including the blockade of Gaza.” On the surface this seems like a very typical political response to a tragedy but it ignores certain realities. The traumatizing of generations is caused by Hamas -- they must be called out for using terror to further their political and ideological aspirations. They are religious warlords who need to be stopped at all cost.  We can’t forget the chants of "death to America" coming out of the mouths of Hamas and their state sponsors it’s in our national interest to support Israel. 

Hopefully these Democrat representatives can get on board with the rest of the free world to confront terror and anti-Semitism. Israel’s existence depends on how well the world confronts these issues. American national interest is tied to our support for Israel in confronting terrorist organizations and their state sponsors. Maybe next time these elected officials will think before they put out statements. 

Image: Ted Eytan