Florida lawmakers are celebrating the passage of a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas’ use of sexual violence in its war against Israel.
Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Lois Frankel (D-FL) introduced the resolution condemning Hamas' horrific practices last January.
Since then, the resolution gained 200 total co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle.
“The U.S. Congress stands in strong, bipartisan solidarity with the victims of terrorism and sexual violence. Hamas’ atrocities were shocking in their depravity, and this resolution roundly condemns the hatred, antisemitism, and cruelty of October 7th,” said Rep. Díaz-Balart.
At the end of December, the New York Times reported on incidents of rape and sexual assault they uncovered from the October 7th massacre. These included instances where one woman's body had "dozens of nails driven into her thighs and groin," and two female Israeli Defense Force soldiers were shot in their genitals.
Rep. Frankel claimed the resolution demonstrates the US’s solidarity with Israeli victims despite some international actors having ignored or supported Hamas’ actions.
Frankel described how “ “sadly, Hamas’s savagery has been met with a shrug—and even denial—from many corners of the world. Our resolution loudly and clearly condemns all rape and forms of sexual violence as weapons of war, including those acts committed by Hamas terrorists on and since October 7th.”
Domestically, some Americans, including prominent lawmakers, have protested against Israel and in favor of Hamas. Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) have led such protests. Neither voted in approval of the recently passed resolution.
Over the weekend, reports of a Neo-Nazi rally in Winter Park, Florida, raised concerns over increasing antisemitism.
Globally, Brazilian President Luiz Lula da Silva recently compared Israel to Nazi germany in a recent speech, garnering torrential amounts of criticism from numerous American legislators.
Representative Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) took to Twitter to rebut President Silva’s comments.
"No concentration camps, no gas chambers, no ovens, no firing squads, no box car trains, no ripping people’s teeth out, no experimentations. Nobody is Hitler and nothing is the Holocaust. You lose credibility to help the people of Gaza when you diminish Hitler," said Representative Moskowitz.
