Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) ripped Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) on Monday after she accused Israel of committing terrorist acts while defending itself against Hamas.
Israel hit dozens of terror targets in the Gaza Strip on Monday night and Tuesday morning in response to “hundreds” of rocket attacks from Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) hit over 130 Hamas military installations, including weapons manufacturing sites and intelligence.
Omar said Israel’s retaliatory strikes were an act of terrorism.
“Israeli air strikes killing civilians in Gaza is an act of terrorism. Palestinians deserve protection. Unlike Israel, missile defense programs, such as Iron Dome, don’t exist to protect Palestinian civilians,” Omar said. “It’s unconscionable to not condemn these attacks on the week of Eid.”
She later doubled down on the claim, saying: “Many will tell you Israel has a right to defend itself, to safety and security, but are silent on whether Palestinians have those rights too. Until we can defend the rights of Palestinians just as we do Israelis, we have no leg to stand on when it comes to justice or peace.”
Cruz hit back at Omar for comparing Israel to the terrorists against which Israel was defending itself.
“Why is a Member of Congress acting as the press secretary for Hamas? Does Biden agree?” Cruz tweeted.
Why is a Member of Congress acting as the press secretary for Hamas?
Does Biden agree? https://t.co/kjZG1HO0RD
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 10, 2021
The IDF released a statement explaining its attacks on the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
Overnight, in response to continuous rocket fire from the Gaza Strip at Israeli territory, the IDF struck over 130 terror targets belonging to terror organizations in the Gaza Strip. In the first and second stages of the strikes, IDF fighter jets, attack helicopters and aircraft struck weapons manufacturing sites belonging to the Hamas terror organization. In the third stage, targets belonging to the Hamas terror organization and the Islamic Jihad were struck, including: weapons manufacturing sites and military facilities belonging to the Hamas terror organization and the Islamic Jihad. A Hamas battalion commander was also targeted.
In addition, as part of the strikes over the past day, the IDF struck a military intelligence building belonging to the Hamas terror organization, along with approximately 15 operatives of the organization. Likewise, IDF tanks and aircraft struck additional terror targets, among them: two offensive terror tunnels adjacent to the security fence. The Hamas terror organization deliberately places military targets in the heart of densely populated areas in the Gaza Strip. The IDF takes precautions to avoid harming civilians as much as possible during its operational activities.
Over the weekend, Israel pushed the Biden administration to stay out of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying that President Joe Biden was likely to make the situation worse. As The Daily Wire reported:
Biden’s national security advisor Jake Sullivan spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Meir Ben-Shabbat, after hundreds of Palestinian rioters clashed with Israeli police Monday morning on the Temple Mount. During the conversation, Ben-Shabbat told Sullivan that Biden and other countries should let Israel handle the conflict, according to Axios.
Ben-Shabbat told Sullivan that “international intervention is a reward to the Palestinian rioters and those who back them who were seeking international pressure on Israel,” an Israeli official told Axios.