Washington, D.C.—Florida Rep. Brian Mast (R) has announced that House Democrats are actively looking to sanction the state of Israel instead of the Hamas terrorist group that is responsible for launching thousands of rockets into heavily populated Israeli areas over the past two weeks.
Rep. Mast made the announcement at a press conference on Capitol Hill, where he was joined by Texas Reps. Chip Roy, Brian Babin, Ronny Jackson, and Randy Weber, and New York Reps. Lee Zeldin and Elise Stefanik, to “Stand with Israel.”
“The House Foreign Affairs Chairman Gregory Meeks, is instead of looking to sanction Hamas and bring an end to that sophisticated network funding this designated terrorist organization, is quite literally looking at sanctioning Israel, ending arms sales to Israel,” said Rep. Mast, who added that Chairman Meeks had joined forces with “the Squad” led by Progressive Reps. Omar Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ilhan Omar, in calling for the halt of the pledge $735 million military aid replenishment the Biden administration has recently announced support for.
"At a time when so many, including President Biden, support a ceasefire, we should not be sending 'direct attack' weaponry to Prime Minister Netanyahu to prolong this violence" Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
A decade ago Democrats like Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi would have had the courage to stand up and speak out against their colleagues, they have failed to pass that test. They have failed to stand with Israel," state Rep. Stefanik, who recently became the Republican Conference Chairwoman.
Sen. Rick Scott also called Biden out, saying that he didn't have a "backbone" to stand up to the progressives in the House.
Shortly before the press conference, Mast told The Floridian that Meek has been quietly pushing for a sanction against Israel, but would tell a different story publicly.
Late Wednesday afternoon, we caught up to Rep. Omar and asked her if she supported sanctions against Israel, but the congresswoman declined to comment.
Pro-Israel House Democrats have been at odds with the Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel “Jihadi Squad” or “Hamas Squad” as Rep. Chip Roy refers to them, but have shied away from calling out these few members out my name for fear of reprisal.
One House Democrat said on the basis of anonymity, that he/she fears getting primary challenge if he/she decided to challenge the “reprehensible” anti-Israel rhetoric that Omar, Tlaib, Pressley, and Ocasio-Cortez have been espousing.
