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I Stand with Israel Because Its the Right Thing to Do
(Jewish Star) Rep. Ritchie Torres - Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) told a Zoom broadcast hosted by UJA Federation New York on Wednesday: I'm praying for all the Israelis who are experiencing a level of trauma and terror that most of us, including myself, cannot even begin to imagine. With sovereignty comes the inherent right of self-defense, a right that every state, including our own, takes for granted. Why should Israel be an exception to the rule? Why should Israel be held to a deadly double standard in a moment of terror? It is unreasonable to expect a nation-state to be the passive target of hundreds of rockets and then forfeit the right to defend itself under a constant stream of terror. No right-minded person would impose that kind of self-destructive burden on any other country. What is under siege is not only Israel but the truth itself. Increasingly we seem to live in an Orwellian universe where the truth no longer matters. All of us have to be visible and vocal, fearless and forceful, in standing up for our greatest friend in the Middle East. The moment I sent out a statement denouncing the rocket fire from Hamas, I was swiftly denounced by BDS extremists as a white supremacist, as a supporter of apartheid and ethnic cleansing and genocide - terms that have been stripped of their proper meaning. And although these comments cause great pain to my loved ones, the complicity of silence would cause me even greater pain. I remain as determined as ever to speak out. I stand with Israel because doing so, quite simply, is the right thing to do.