Mayor Eric Johnson and several Dallas City Council members have publicly voiced their support for Israel in the days since Hamas’ attack over the weekend and will vote to “formalize” their support in a resolution on Wednesday.
“Today, on a holy day of the Jewish calendar, Israel woke up to a brutal and unprecedented attack from Hamas, killing and wounding hundreds of civilians,” the mayor said in a social media post on Saturday. “The City of Dallas strongly condemns this act of terrorism and we stand in solidarity with the State and People of Israel.”
The Jewish holiday Shemini Atzeret was celebrated on October 7 this year, which was when Hamas chose to launch its assault. The holiday commemorates the protective relationship between God and the Hebrew people during their 40 years of exile in the wilderness following their liberation from Egyptian slavery.
“May G-d protect #Israel, our dear friend and Holy Land, and bring peace, justice and security to the whole region,” Council Member Cara Mendelsohn (District 12) said in a subsequent post.
Council Member Jaynie Schultz (District 11) said, “The outrageous unprovoked attack on Israel by Hamas, including the taking of innocent hostages is shocking and will only serve to unite all of Israel and her allies in new ways. I will use my voice and every influence to stand strong with and for Israel.”
Council Member Adam Bazaldua (District 7) described Hamas’ attack as “unconscionable” and said it “demonstrates hate and blatant disregard for human life.”
Bazaldua compared Hamas to Nazis, saying the group’s “violent acts are nothing short of an attempt to eliminate Israeli lives, just as were the motives of Nazi Germany during the Holocaust.”
“Innocent civilians’ lives should never be collateral to political or religious conflict!” he continued. “We cannot continue to fund nations, such as Iran, who collaborates with and praises terrorist groups like Hamas and our country must stand up, with/for our allies, against any terrorist threat!”
The Biden administration has been criticized in recent days for unfreezing $6 billion in Iranian assets, which some claim was used to fund Hamas. However, the Biden administration has said such a claim was “false and misleading.”
In his Sunday newsletter, Mayor Johnson said he would introduce a resolution Wednesday for the Dallas City Council to “formalize” its “support for Israel” and condemn Hamas’ attack. The resolution reads:
“Hamas terrorists launched a coordinated, unprovoked attack on Israel from the Gaza Strip; and whereas, Hamas has fired thousands of rockets toward Israel’s major population centers, breached Israel’s borders, infiltrated Israeli communities and kidnapped civilians, killed more than 300 Israelis, and wounded hundreds more…
“Therefore, be it resolved … that the City of Dallas unequivocally condemns Hamas for this deplorable and unprovoked attack on Israel. The City of Dallas stands with Israel in its fight against Hamas, prays for those who have lost family members and friends, calls for the swift return of all hostages, and hopes for a lasting resolution.”
Johnson said, “The City of Dallas strongly condemns these acts of terrorism and stands in solidarity with the people and State of Israel, who are now at war … [and] will continue to stand up for humanity around the world and to stand against such horrific acts of violence and mayhem wherever they occur.”
The Dallas Express reached out to multiple Palestinian activist organizations in Dallas for comment but received no response by press time.
While the resolution describes Hamas’ attack as “unprovoked,” those who support Palestine claim the attack resulted from decades of apartheid and systemic oppression against the Palestinian people by the Israeli state.
The U.S. Palestinian Council released a statement following the attacks, saying, “After a yearlong increase of atrocious and deadly Israeli settler violence against the Palestinian people, disrespecting Muslim and Christian holy sites, and the continued stranglehold on the people in Gaza, the situation yesterday reached a breaking point.”
The statement went on to claim that international authorities have “ignored this violence and killing of Palestinians” while the media has ignored “months of recent killings by Israeli settlers of Palestinian women and children, as well as [the] destruction of Palestinian homes and confiscation of their land to build illegal settlements.”
“Ignored by the world to their suffering, Palestinians in Gaza resisted. After decades of occupation, apartheid, torture, and loss of life, Palestinians are demanding their freedom, their human rights, and their right to self-determination,” the statement continued.
In Dallas, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on the Grassy Knoll on Sunday to voice their opposition to Israel. The protest was organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement and the Dallas Palestinian Coalition.