On Tuesday, Israel conducted a pinpoint strike in Gaza that
killed a senior leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group,
Baha Abu Al-Ata. According
to Haaretz, Ata headed the military council of the
Al-Quds Brigade, which is the military arm of the Islamic Jihad. He
commanded the organization's operations in northern Gaza but also had
great influence on the southern front.
The militant group responded to Israel’s action by launching
hundreds of rockets into southern and central Israel.
The Times of Israel reports:
Over the course of some 48 hours, from predawn Tuesday to
Thursday morning, over 450 rockets and mortar shells were fired at
southern Israel from the Gaza Strip in response to the assassination
of Abu al-Ata, who Israel said was the “prime instigator” of terrorism
from Gaza over the past year.
…Most of the rockets either landed in open fields or were
intercepted by Israeli air defenses. Some struck homes, businesses and
streets, causing a handful of light to moderate injuries and
significant property damage.
…A ceasefire agreement was first announced on Thursday
morning, but was shattered hours later as five rockets were fired at
Israel. There were no reports of damage or injuries in the Thursday
morning bombardment, which was launched at Netivot and Gaza-area
communities.
The
Republican Jewish Coalition responded to the Gaza
rocket fire simply, saying,
“We condemn PIJ and strongly support Israel’s right to defend
itself.”
Republican members of Congress spoke out strongly in support
of Israel’s right to self-defense. As the Jerusalem Post reports:
- Vice President of the United States Mike
Pence tweeted, affirming the United States' support for
Israel and condemning the barrage of rockets. "The United States
condemns the barrage of rockets on Israeli civilians. It's clear Hamas
& Palestinian Islamic Jihad put violence ahead of bettering the
lives of the people of Gaza. America strongly affirms Israel's right
to defend itself," Pence tweeted.
- Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) accused Islamic
Jihad's Bahaa Abu al-Ata and others like him of advancing "their
antisemitic goal of eradicating Israel. "Palestinian terrorists commit
the double war crime of firing rockets at civilians from behind human
shields," he added.
- Senator
Rob Portman (R-OH) said, "We stand with our ally
Israel as innocent civilians are being targeted by indiscriminate
rocket attacks," he tweeted. "This uptick in attacks on civilians is
deeply concerning, and we must support Israel in defending
itself."
- Senator
Marco Rubio (R-FL) shared a video of Israeli
Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, and tweeted that "the US will
continue to stand strong with Israel and its right to self-defense,
and the international community must have the courage to speak out
against these attacks."
- House Minority
Whip, Steve Scalise, said that the terror group's
rocket attacks "threaten innocent lives in Israel. These
terrorists—who use human shields—also threaten innocent lives in Gaza.
The United States will always support Israel's right to defend
itself."
In addition,
Rep. David Kustoff tweeted,
"I strongly condemn yesterday’s
attacks on #Israel. Targeting
the leader of a terror organization backed by Iran & targeting
innocent civilians are very different things. We must stand strong
with our ally and support Israel’s right to defend herself from these
terrorists in Gaza."
We appreciate the
unwavering support of Israel’s security from Republican leaders.
You can contact Republican
members of the House and Senate and thank them for their support of
Israel by calling the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asking
the attendant to connect you to a particular office.
In an article for JNS yesterday, Jonathan
Tobin pointed out where
the responsibility for the ongoing violence from Gaza lies: The
discussion about Israel and the Palestinians in the United States
continues to be driven by liberal critics of Israel who think that the
conflict is driven by Israeli intransigence and Netanyahu’s
belligerence. But this week’s violence is one more reminder that the
problem has little to do with those factors and everything to do with
a toxic Palestinian political culture, prompted by Iran’s malevolent
desire to foment violence.
