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Texas State Rep. Mayes Middleton (R-Wallisville) spoke out against the recent violence in Israel and called on the Biden administration to support the Israeli government.
On May 11, escalating tensions between Palestinian militants and Israeli forces came to a boiling point with Palestinian militants launching dozens of rocket from Gaza and Israel responding with air strikes, AP News reported.
"Palestinian terrorists from Gaza have been firing rockets into Tel Aviv, Israel, targeting neighborhoods and innocent civilian lives, and the Biden administration has been notably silent," Middleton wrote in a May 11 Facebook post. "The United States must stand strong alongside our allies. We must stand strong with Israel."
Over the course of two days, Hamas and other Gaza militants fired hundreds of rockets from the Gaza strip. Some of the rockets targeted Jerusalem over 60 miles away, the first time the holy city had been targeted since a war in 2014. Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted dozens of the rockets, but one home was damaged and an Israeli man was wounded when a missile hit his vehicle.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “terrorist organizations in Gaza have crossed a red line and attacked us with missiles in the outskirts of Jerusalem,” according to AP News. He added that fighting could continue for some time and that “whoever attacks us will pay a heavy price.”
Hamas launched the initial attack following demands for Israel to withdraw forces from the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam's holiest sites. On May 7, Israeli police had clashed with Muslim worshippers at the compound. Worshippers threw rocks at police forces, who responded with rubber bullets and stun grenades, NPR news reported. Over 200 Palestinians were injured in the incident according to Palestinian Red Crescent emergency services.
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price condemned the rocket attack on Israel and called for both sides to deescalate the situation.
“More broadly, we’re deeply concerned about the situation in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, including violent confrontations in Jerusalem,” Price said, reported AP News.
The Israeli air strikes killed 24 people, including nine children, according to USA Today. Over 700 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli security forces with nearly 500 treated at hospitals.
The Biden administration and Israel recently argued about the escalation in violence between Israeli security forces and Palestinians, with Israelis asking the White House not to interfere.