Nebraska state senators express support for Israel
Forty of Nebraska’s 49 State Senators have signed the “Resolution to Affirm Support for Israel and to Condemn Hamas.” The resolution was created and circulated by State Senator Brad von Gillern of Omaha.
The statement condemns Hamas for “a brutal, highly organized, and unprecedented attack upon Israel and its citizens.” The senators “reaffirm their support and wavering commitment to the welfare, security, and survival of the State of Israel” and “recognize Israel’s right to act decisively and unilaterally in self-defense of its nation and to defend its citizens.”
The resolution goes on to express “support for Israel’s right to pursue without interference or condemnation the elimination of Hamas until Hamas is permanently neutralized.” They recommended that Nebraska law enforcement remained vigilant to protect Israeli Americans and supporters of Israel from acts of crime, anti-Semitism and unlawful discrimination. The resolution ended by calling upon the United States to provide assistance to support Israel. State senators who publicly stated reasons for not signing the resolution are divided on support for Palestine or Israel, but similarly feel that their focus should be on Nebraska and the action is performative.
The resolution is a response to Hamas’s attack on Israel that took place on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas militants attacked as many as 22 locations in Israel. On Nov. 10, Israel’s Foreign Ministry reported the death toll of Israelis killed during the attack is around 1200, lowered from the initial estimate of 1400. Over 240 individuals, including soldiers, Israeli citizens and foreigners, were taken captive by Hamas and taken to Gaza. Hamas has released four hostages.
Abu Obeida, a Hamas spokesman, stated that hostages taken by Hamas would be returned for an exchange with Palestinian prisoners. Prior to Oct. 7, there were around 5,200 Palestinians in Israeli custody. Aljazeera reports that this number has risen to over 10,000, including laborers from Gaza working in Israel during the attack and Palestinians from the West Bank and East Jerusalem. A large number are administrative detainees, meaning they are held indefinitely without trial or charges. In 2011, Israel exchanged 1027 Palestinian prisoners for an Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit.. Other negotiations are underway that would guarantee day-long pauses of fighting in Gaza in return for the release of hostages. Prime Minister Netanyahu has refused to consider a ceasefire until the hostages are returned.
Israel has continued a campaign of airstrikes on Gaza since Oct. 7. During the five-week period, Israeli airstrikes and artillery have killed over 11,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry. The UN released an estimate that 1.6 million Palestinians, the majority of the population of Gaza, have been internally displaced within the territory. In a report published on Nov. 4, the UN stated that at least 45% of Gaza’s housing is damaged or destroyed. As of Nov. 1, Israel’s Defense Forces have entered northern Gaza with tanks, in “a second phase” of the war.
Israel’s response to the attack included cutting off resources of electricity, water and food to Gaza. Humanitarian aid first entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing on Oct. 21, and a limited amount of supplies has continued flowing into the south of Gaza since. Israel has not allowed fuel to enter. Twenty-one of Gaza’s 35 hospitals are no longer functioning due to a lack of fuel or damage from Israeli airstrikes. Dehydration and malnutrition remain a risk for the Palestinian population.
On Oct. 7, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel was at war with Hamas. He stated, “All the places that Hamas hides in, operates from, we will turn them into ruins.” He continued, “I say to the residents of Gaza: leave now, because we will operate forcefully everywhere.” Israel has sent evacuation orders to the citizens of Gaza throughout the bombardment, instructing residents to move south, but bombing has continued throughout all of Gaza.
Gaza is a densely-populated, narrow strip of land on the Mediterranean Sea. It is around 25 miles long and 7 miles wide with a population of 2.3 million. Israel occupied Gaza from 1967 until 2005 when it withdrew its forces and Israeli settlements. Israel has remained in control of the territory's borders and instituted a land, sea and air blockade. Of the three crossings to enter and exit Gaza, two are controlled by Israel and one by Egypt. Palestinians are prohibited from entering or exiting the territory except under rare circumstances. Hamas gained power in Gaza in 2007 and is an Islamist militant and governmental organization. They do not recognize Israel’s statehood and accept a Palestinian state based on borders from 1967, which would include the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza. The United States designated Hamas a foreign terrorist organization in 1997.
There have been unprecedented protests internationally in support of Palestine, including several protests in Lincoln and Omaha.
By Aubrey Benton