Rep. Brian Mast made a statement in the hallways of the Capitol on Friday as he showed up wearing an Israeli military uniform from his service in the Israel Defense Forces.
“As the only member to serve with both the United States Army and the Israel Defense Forces, I will always stand with Israel,” Mr. Mast wrote on X. The post also featured photos of him wearing the uniform.
In the post, the Florida Republican referenced Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Michigan Democrat, who has a Palestinian flag outside her office. Ms. Tlaib is of Palestinian descent and has been attacked for calling for the end of U.S. aid to Israel after Saturday’s Hamas attack.
“Tlaib’s got her flag. I got my uniform,” Mr. Mast wrote. “’Global Day of Rage’ my ass.”
Mr. Mast, who walks on prosthetic limbs after losing his legs serving in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, got the Israeli uniform as a volunteer in the IDF for a month in 2015.
Others have criticized Ms. Tlaib over the flag, including Rep. Max Miller, Ohio Republican, who announced an amendment Monday to an appropriations bill that would ban funds to buy any foreign flags and display them in Congress.
“The halls of Congress belong to America,” Mr. Miller wrote on X. “They should be reserved for flags that embody our great nation.”
The attack on Ms. Talib has caused some of her colleagues to come to her defense. Rep. Steny Hoyer, Maryland Democrat, told a Fox News reporter in the Capitol: “She’s Palestinian. It doesn’t mean she’s a terrorist. It doesn’t mean that she condones this. I fly a Danish flag at my house.”
In a statement following the attack, Ms. Tlaib said she grieves “the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today and every day,” but she calls for a lifting of Israel’s blockade, “ending the occupation and dismantling the apartheid system that creates the suffocating, dehumanizing conditions that can lead to resistance.”
Mr. Mast also posted pictures of himself in uniform on X on Sunday.
“I know that those on the ground are willing to give their last breath for [Israel] and for their friends, family and neighbors,” he wrote at the time. “My prayers are with them.”
Since Hamas’ attack, over 2,000 people have died on both sides. Among Americans, 27 were killed and 14 are missing.
• Mallory Wilson can be reached at mwilson@washingtontimes.com.
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