BY STEVE HUNEGS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
“Friends in need are friends indeed. Here tonight, we are friends indeed.” It is worth recalling this exhortation by Governor Mark Dayton at last week’s Israel community gathering when reading Ed Felien’s recent column on the ongoing conflict between Israel, a liberal western democracy, and Hamas, a racist, misogynistic, homophobic and internationally recognized terrorist government.
Given Hamas’ firing of over 2,800 rockets at Israeli civilians, and the discovery of a vast network of multi-million dollar lethal terror tunnels from Gaza into the heart of Israel, it is appropriate that Governor Dayton joined 1,400 Minnesotans in affirming that “no country could be expected to tolerate this kind of terror being fomented on its border. Nor can we in the United States stand by while our best ally in the Middle East, the shining beacon of democracy there, is being assaulted.” Moreover, since Mr. Felien’s blame-Israel-first-and-exclusively reasoning also serves as the foundation for the discredited boycott, sanctions and divestment movement, is it any great shock that the United States Congress recently passed a unanimous resolution in support of Israel’s right of self-defense with Senators Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken as co-sponsors?
Ultimately, the only possible solution to this conflict is the two-state solution, an independent Palestine living in peace with the Jewish State of Israel. Israel will continue to take exemplary measures to prevent the death of Palestinian civilians while Hamas exploits Gaza’s schools, hospitals and homes as cover. All those who hope and pray for a lasting peace should support Israel in its war against Hamas, which not only violently seeks Israel’s destruction, but is callously and cynically indifferent to the welfare of Palestinians.
