We Stand With Israel

Today in Florida flags fly at half-staff at the state Capitol in honor of the victims of the terrorist strikes against Israel by Hamas. Those victims include more than 1,400 Israelis after an invasion by Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip that also included the killings of at least 34 Americans and the taking of more than 200 Israeli hostages and other international citizens including at least 30 Americans.

Our state Capitol remains lit with the blue and white colors of the Israeli flag.

And today, tomorrow and through the fight that has followed the heinous holiday attack by Hamas terrorists upon both the State of Israel and the Jewish people, we stand with Israel after its nation witnessed the most unspeakable depravity of barbaric terrorism from the killing of babies in their homes by burning and decapitation, the slaughtering of families in their beds to the taking of hostages as young as nine-months-old and as elderly as an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor. More than 4,000 rockets were fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip (a Palestinian enclave in which all Jewish settlements were dismantled in 2005 by Israel). Terrorists on paragliders, trucks and motorcycles attacked a peace festival where they killed more than 260 attendees fleeing for their lives. Dozens were kidnapped.

By now, we have seen the most awful images. We have seen the innocent concertgoers huddling in a bomb shelter and then torn to pieces by grenades. We have seen the burned bodies of babies. We have seen the young women being kidnapped by Hamas terrorists shouting and celebrating. Israel has confirmed that some women were raped. Hundreds of the dead have not yet been identified due to the way their bodies were burned or mutilated by the terrorists.

There are no excuses for this terror and Israel has a right to defend itself and respond against the terrorists responsible for these atrocities.

We stand with Israel not because we don’t understand that innocent Israeli lives will be joined by innocent Palestinian lives lost in Israel’s justified response.

Not because we don’t understand that war and all of its repercussions will cause more suffering.

But because Israel has the right to exist.

No matter the belief of those who hope to drive her into the sea, to stamp out her people.

No matter the belief of extremists who write political policy with blood.

No matter the pablum of justification being espoused by those who fail to understand the history of our ally and those who stand against her.

In ordering the flags to half staff, Gov. Ron DeSantis called the attacks “a direct assault on the people of Israel and the Jewish community. We reinforce our commitment to Israel and our fight against anti-Israel sentiments.”

President Joe Biden summed up our country’s proper position well after the attack launched on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, one day after the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War when Israel was attacked by more than half a dozen Arab neighbors.

“This is terrorism,” Biden said.

“But sadly, for the Jewish people, it’s not new.

“This attack has brought to the surface painful memories and the scars left by a millennia of antisemitism and genocide of the Jewish people.

“So, in this moment, we must be crystal clear: We stand with Israel. We stand with Israel. And we will make sure Israel has what it needs to take care of its citizens, defend itself, and respond to this attack.

“There is no justification for terrorism. There is no excuse.

“Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s right to dignity and self-determination. Its stated purpose is the annihilation of the State of Israel and the murder of Jewish people,” Biden said.

And our country’s position:

“Today, Americans across the country are praying for all those families that have been ripped apart. A lot of us know how it feels. It leaves a black hole in your chest when you lose family, feeling like you’re being sucked in. The anger, the pain, the sense of hopelessness,” Biden said.

“This is what they mean by a “human tragedy” — an atrocity on an appalling scale.

“But we’re going to.. continue to stand united, supporting the people of Israel who are suffering unspeakable losses and opposing the hatred and violence of terrorism,” Biden said.

And lastly:

“This is a moment for the United States to come together, to grieve with those who are mourning,” Biden said.

“Let’s be real clear: There is no place for hate in America — not against Jews, not against Muslims, not against anybody. We reject — we reject — what we reject is terrorism. We condemn the indiscriminate evil, just as we’ve always done.

“That’s what America stands for,” Biden said.

Standing with Israel is what the Fort Myers Beach Observer and Breeze Newspapers stand for. We stand against terrorists. It’s what being American is about.

Fort Myers Beach Observer Editorial