Sen. Bob Menendez closed out the American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference Tuesday by defending Israel’s right to self defense and accusing Republicans of treating the Jewish people as a political “pawn.”
The New Jersey Democrat said Israel has every right to respond with military force after it was attacked Monday, and several people were injured in their home near Tel Aviv.
“No nation can be expected to simply sit back as rockets are launched, homes are flattened, and lives are threatened,” Mr. Menendez said.
He said Monday’s attack proves Hamas is a terrorist group that has “hoodwinked” the people of Gaza.
Mr. Menendez also warned that Israel remains threatened by forces encroaching on its borders — Iran and Hezbollah — and the entities, such as Russia and Syria, that enable them.
“These nefarious actors whose malicious ideologies directly threaten Israel and the U.S. interests in the region demand our constant vigilance,” he said.
The ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations committee said Congress remains united on defending Israel’s national security, regardless of how Republicans try to frame the issue.
“These days, when it seem that bipartisanship is in such short supply the fact remains that we have always stood united behind Israel’s right to self-defense,” he said. “And that will not change today.”
Mr. Menendez took a thinly-veiled swipe at Minnesota freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar, a member of his own party, by arguing that anyone suggesting money is the only reason Americans support Israel is fanning the flames of anti-semitism.
However, he also went on the offensive, arguing that Republicans are using anti-Semitic controversies to score political points.
“I cannot stay silent when the entire Democratic Party is castigated as Jew-haters when what we really need is leadership that unites this nation and the world against the rise of anti-Semitism, hatred, and white nationalism across the globe,” he said. “History warns us against letting anyone use the Jewish community as a pawn in a political game.”
• Gabriella Muñoz can be reached at gmunoz@washingtontimes.com.
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