In an interview which aired December 8 on CBN, Congresswoman Elaine Luria spoke about her concern with the growing number of her Democratic colleagues publicly espousing anti-Israel views.
“I’ve always viewed the U.S. support for Israel as incredibly strong,” Luria told CBN News. “Israel’s our strongest ally in the Middle East and the U.S. Congress was a place where that support was unanimous, and I’ve come to find that although it is broad and bipartisan there are some very vocal voices that unfortunately continue to get louder, that we have to make absolutely sure don’t undermine that broad support that we have for Israel.”
When Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) came to Washington in 2019, she said she never expected her first speech on the House floor would be standing up against antisemitic comments made by fellow Democrats regarding dual-loyalty, the first of many times she’s defended Israel during her time in office.
Luria said she’s surprised how often she’s had to speak out against antisemitism in Congress and believes some in her own party would prefer to say Israel doesn’t have a right to exist.
“They’ve said it clearly and publicly and some of the rhetoric that has been used recently…referring to Israel as an apartheid state…[They] overlook the unique situation of Israel and the unique security situation of Israel and Israel’s need to be able to defend itself. So, I think that it is very concerning when elected members of Congress voice those types of opinions,” Luria continued in the interview.
Eight Democrats and one Republican recently voted against providing $1 billion in funding to restock Israel’s Iron Dome Missile Defense System after Hamas launched more than 4,000 rockets across the border last May.
“It is concerning that a very small amount of members felt like they couldn’t support providing Israel with the resources to defend itself,” said Luria. “I would just reiterate to people that’s an incredibly small number and they do not represent the majority of the House.”
A few years ago, Luria met with Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) to voice concern about her anti-Israel rhetoric. “I was hopeful that moving forward that she would change her tone, but unfortunately that group has actually grown both in numbers and visibility,” Luria said.