Broward County commissioners adopt resolution in support of Israel
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Broward County commissioners unanimously adopted resolutions Tuesday in support of Israel after the country was attacked by Hamas terrorists on Saturday.
“This is a resolution supporting the right of the nation of Israel to defend itself,” Commissioner Steve Geller said.
Introduced as two resolutions, the county declared the right of the State of Israel to protect itself and its citizens against attack while supporting the Jewish State’s right to live in peace and security. The resolution further affirmed support for appropriate Israeli action to secure the safe return of Israeli hostages while providing severability and an effective date.
“We’ve always seen wars we’ve always seen skirmishes, both in the Middle East and in other countries. Very rarely have we seen attacks where women children, the elderly are either or both murdered in their beds or taken hostage, it’s just – you don’t normally see the broad scale hostage taking that occurred in this case,” Geller continued.
A supplemental resolution condemned the brutal, unprovoked attack on the state of Israel by Hamas while supporting the state of nation’s right to defend itself. It also urged President Joe Biden and Congress to provide emergency assistance to the State of Israel, providing for severability and an effective date.
Geller also expressed his support of a two-state solution to achieve peace in the region. Meant to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the solution would establish an independent Palestinian state from the nation of Israel. Both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank are home to Palestinians inside Israel.
“We have a lot of people who frequently talk about or they chant the slogan, from the mountains to the sea, Palestine will be free,” Geller continued. “If you unpack that mountains to the ocean, that they’re describing the State of Israel when they are chanting that they’re actually calling for the destruction of the State of Israel.”
Commissioner Michael Udine joined Geller in support of Israel while slamming Hamas and its sympathizers supporting the terrorist organization.
“So the actions of Hamas, a terrorist organization that calls for the destruction of the Israeli state, it’s deplorable. It’s disgraceful,” Udine said. “And I do have to say, as a resident of Broward County and of the United States, people that are out protesting in favor of what Hamas is doing that is equally as deplorable. It’s disgusting.”
Udine continued to slam sympathizers of the terrorist group, which has reportedly caused the deaths of over 1,500 people. He also referred to it as Israel’s 9/11.
“It should be condemned. It should be condemned from here. I condemn that free speech is one thing going out to protest in favor of slaughtering beheading and burning babies is something quite different. It’s disgusting, and it’s disgraceful,” Udine continued.
