Whereas, Israel is a sovereign nation re-established in 1948 by international agreement as a refuge
and sanctuary for Jewish people after millennia of persecution, and thereby has the authority and
responsibility to defend its borders and citizens from hostile attacks no differently than the U.S.A. has
a right to defend its borders and citizens from invasion;
Whereas, On October 8, 1997 Hamas was designated a foreign terrorist organization by the US
Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism;
Whereas, On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an offensive and unprovoked attack against the
nation of Israel resulting in 1139 dead from the attacks, with 373 military personnel and 766 civilians
among those numbers;
Whereas, These attacks took place in areas of civilian population, including drone and hang glider-
paratroop assault at a music festival, culminating with the taking 247 civilians and military personnel
hostages, removing them from Israel and dragging them back to Gaza with hostages still being held by
Hamas;
Whereas, Israel has the right to respond to threats to its existence and the intentional attacks made
against it, and to actively seek out and recover hostages taken by Hamas held in Gaza;
Whereas, When there is a misuse of protected buildings and symbols, non-combatant edifices and
symbols forfeit their protected status, attacks on them may be permitted and are justifiable, so long as
the rules of proportionality and precaution are followed, which reasonably include the elimination of
Hamas which has declared its goal to be the total annihilation of Israel;
Whereas, Israel has an obligation to minimize collateral damage to non-combatants but still has the
right to protect its borders and citizens;
Whereas, It is acknowledged and tragic that non-combatant residents of Gaza used as human shields
by Hamas have lost their lives as a direct result of the initial unprovoked attack on Israel on October
7, 2023; and
Whereas, Anti-Semitism is taking place in U.S institutions of higher learning, businesses, houses of
worship, schools, and even government agencies and by elected government representatives at local,
state, and federal levels as seen by a significant uptick in anti-Semitism including physical violence,2
verbal threats of imminent harm or death, vandalism, and rallies featuring support for terrorism with
a focus on organizations that call for the genocide and annihilation of all Jews.
Resolved, The Lee County Republican Party condemns Hamas as a terrorist organization, denounces
its acts of violence perpetrated against the sovereign State of Israel, the citizens of Israel, and the non-
combatants in Gaza used as human shields, and further rebukes Hamas’ calls for worldwide anti-
Semitism, the annihilation of Jews, the total destruction of the Jewish Nation of Israel, and affirms
that anti-Semitic speech and/or actions will be met with staunch condemnation, and that Jews who
are facing anti-Semitism will be actively defended and supported.