Mayor, L.A. City Officials Say They Stand with Israel

Calling Israel “by far our strongest ally” in the “tumultuous” Middle East region, Mayor Eric Garcetti today joined other city leaders in support of Israel in its battle against Hamas.

Garcetti, the first Jewish mayor to be elected in Los Angeles, said “all of us ... are sickened to see what we’ve seen in the last few weeks, as parents, as human beings as caring people.”

Israel, he said, has an “obligation to protect its citizens, to stop the terror tunnels, the raining down of rockets and the fear of those strikes -- the randomness -- in the heart of every single residence of Israel.”

That “existential fear” is something that few in a country as secure as the United States can relate to, Garcetti said.

Thousands of rockets have been fired at Israel’s citizens by Hamas, from “the tiny, densely populated Gaza strip,” prompting Israel’s military to respond with its own attacks, said Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who organized the gathering of city elected leaders to support Israel.

“Were Canada or Mexico firing rockets daily into Los Angeles, I would expect we would see a response from our own forces,” he said.

The war has resulted in the loss of almost 1,900 Palestinian and 67 Israeli lives, according to the Associated Press.

The two sides are in the midst of a “fragile cease-fire,” that was still holding today, the councilman said.

Israel made the “unilateral decision this morning to remove its troops from Gaza,” he said, adding that “to stand with Israel is to stand on the side of peace.”

Blumenfield said city leaders “are not against the Palestinians nor the residents of Gaza, both of whom have suffered needlessly in this conflict.”

Blumenfield said the Palestinians’ “suffering is not taken lightly and it’s heartbreaking to all of us,” but the city is standing with Israel’s fight against the “Hamas regime,” which declares in its charter the desire to kill Jews and to drive Jews to “hide behind rocks and trees.”

“This regime willingly sacrifices its own Palestinian people and rebukes attempts to find peace,” he said.

City Controller Ron Galperin said his father, a Holocaust survivor from Romania, and his mother, who was born in Israel, both served in Israel’s military, the Israel Defense Forces.

“And we really kind of understand how important it is to defend the country,” he said. “And everybody from every single country would do exactly the same thing. But we pray for and we hope for peace.”

Also joining today’s event, which included a moment of silence for “all innocent lives lost” in the conflict, included City Attorney Mike Feuer, Council President Herb Wesson and council members Joe Buscaino, Mitch Englander, Tom LaBonge and Paul Koretz.

--City News Service