Sentinel Nation,

On October 7th, more than 100 Israelis were brutally murdered as Hamas terrorists carried out an unprecedented, multifront attack on Israel. Hamas fired over 2,500 rockets into Israel and infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land, and sea, killing unarmed civilians and taking others hostage. As of October 12th, over 1,300 Israelis and 22 Americans have been killed.

The United States and Israel have a strategic relationship, and Israel is a critical power-magnifier for the United States and a key ally in the Middle East. It is troubling that these attacks come just a month after President Biden allowed access to $6 billion to Iran. Iran has a long history of providing funding and training for Hamas, and so either directly or indirectly, Iran abetted these acts of terror. The leaders of Iran have not kept their intentions secret — they chant “Death to Israel and Death to America” in the same breath.

During this tragedy, it is disturbing to see marxists, radical Leftists, and anti-semites hold protests, attend vigils, and issue statements in support of Hamas and their terrorist attack. Contrary to what is said at these pro-Hamas protests, the Hamas murderers are not “martyrs.”

State governments can play a role in countering this hateful narrative, and have legitimate avenues to show support for the Israeli people and condemn the terrorist attacks by Hamas. We have already seen state governments take many of these actions.

Governors and state lawmakers can:

  • Order state flags to be lowered to half-mast and issue statements of support for Israel.
  • Pass resolutions publicly condemning the Hamas attacks and recognizing Israel’s right to defend herself.
  • Condemn antisemitism and pro-terrorist rallies via public statements.
  • Fly an Israeli flag as a sign of friendship and solidarity. The United States flag code permits flags of foreign nations to be flown alongside the American flag; The flags should be of equal size and flown at equal heights.
  • Pass an “anti-BDS law” if not already enacted in the state. The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, whose founding and funding have been linked to Hamas and other designated terror groups, is a campaign focused on isolating the state of Israel economically, culturally, and politically, with the ultimate goal of eradicating it. Legislators should protect state taxpayer dollars from funding contracts with companies that actively discriminate against Israel with BDS policies.

What to watch for - Federal Action

Based on public statements, it is abundantly clear that President Biden as well as many Republican and Democrat members of Congress are discussing avenues of support for Israel. However, this does not necessarily mean that both parties will agree on the same approach—much is yet to be decided.

The White House is still developing their proposal for a response, and there is likely to be a formal request from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to Congress in the coming days. Beyond internal conversations, Congress has not yet taken any legislative action — here are two reasons why not:

  • The Senate remains out of session this week.
  • The House does not have an elected Speaker and is limited in its ability to consider legislation.

When determining America’s immediate and strategic response, Congress and the White House are likely to consider these issues:

  • Evacuating US citizens from Israel and surrounding areas;
  • Finding and rescuing American hostages held in Gaza;
  • Confining the threats posed by Hamas and its proxies;
  • Reimposing sanctions on Iran, including on oil and gas, to cut off revenues the regime uses to bankroll terrorist groups;
  • Passing a congressional resolution, demonstrating US steadfast support for Israel and explicit condemnation of Hamas’ attacks against Israel;
  • Aid for Israel such as ammunition and interceptors to replenish Israel’s “Iron Dome” anti-missile systems;
  • Immediately freezing the $6 billion in Iranian assets the Biden administration recently released in the US-Iran prisoner swap;
  • Biden's nomination of former Obama Treasury Secretary, Jack Lew to be ambassador to Israel.

As Congress begins this work, here are two immediate guardrails for Congress to adhere to:

  1. Congress should not combine aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. Heritage Action strongly opposes this maneuver to take hostage aid for Israel in order to secure additional funding for Ukraine. Supplemental assistance to Israel should be considered on its own merits.
  2. The Senate should heavily scrutinize Jack Lew’s record. It is likely that the Senate will take up Jack Lew’s nomination to be ambassador to Israel next week. Heritage Action has strong concerns about Lew’s history of Iranian appeasement and his ability to lead the US-Israel relationship in the region. At a time of crisis, this position deserves more scrutiny, not less — the Senate must not rubber stamp an Iranian appeaser.

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Janae Stracke
Vice President of Outreach and Advocacy
Heritage Action
 
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