Washington — Minnesota’s lawmakers have condemned last weekend’s violent incursion by Hamas into Israel, but there are differences in how they view the very combustible and dangerous situation and whom they are blaming for the conflict.
Rep. Dean Phillips, D-3rd District, has joined other lawmakers, mostly Republicans, in blaming Iran for allegedly helping Hamas — a political and militant organization that governs the Gaza Strip — to plan and carry out its surprise attack. Phillips, who is Jewish, said Tuesday that if Iran was actively involved, the United States should unite with its allies to “neutralize” Iran.
Posting an article by the Wall Street Journal that said “Iran Helped Plot Attack on Israel Over Several Weeks” on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Phillips wrote:
“If this reporting that Iran helped plan, support, and initiate the attack on Israel is confirmed, principled nations of the world must unite and neutralize the most repugnant, repressive, destabilizing regime in the world. Evil cannot be appeased any longer.”
That provoked an immediate response from Keaon Dousti, an Iranian-American activist who works as an attorney in the office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison. Dousti said Phillips was “warmonger(ing) for political gain.
“You actually are everything wrong with politicians,” Dousti said on X. “I gladly will donate my services for free to anyone running against Dean.”
The United States has not confirmed that there’s a direct involvement from Tehran in Hamas’ operation, but U.S. officials have acknowledged Iranians are indirectly complicit in training, funding and supporting Hamas.
In another post, Philips said “As Ranking Member of the House-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group, I joined with Chair @RepDavidKustoff and our entire, bipartisan membership to condemn the depravity of Hamas and extend our unwavering support for our friends in the Knesset and the people of Israel.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Pete Stauber, R-8th District, joined other congressional Republicans in blaming President Joe Biden for Hamas’ bloody attack on Israel. Stauber and those fellow GOP lawmakers say Biden’s decision to release $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets in exchange for Tehran’s release of American hostages helped fund Hamas’ invasion. The money is mostly the proceeds from Iranian oil sales that had been kept in U.S. banks.
“Last month, on the anniversary of 9/11, Joe Biden gave Iran $6 billion. Today, innocent Israelis are being massacred by an Iranian funded terrorist group. Make no mistake, the world is less safe with Joe Biden as President,” Stauber said.
Jonathan Spyer, director of research at the Middle East Forum , a nonprofit that says its goal is to fight radical Islam, and editor of Middle East Quarterly, said “the administration’s actions vis a vis Iran may be well worth trenchant criticism.”
“But I’m not aware of any indications suggesting the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 is connected to the decision to unfreeze Iranian assets,” Spyer added.
Spyer also said he hoped the United States would condemn Iran’s role in supporting, training and arming Hamas and “thus creating its military capabilities.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Michelle Fischbach, R-7th District, joined other lawmakers on Tuesday to insist the Biden administration refreeze the $6 billion in Iranian assets, which has not been released.
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-5th District, one of the first Muslim women to serve in Congress and a frequent critic of Israel, has escaped the harsh criticism directed at fellow “Squad” members Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Michigan, and Cori Bush, D-Missouri, who blamed U.S. military aid to Israel for contributing to the Hamas attack. But Omar continued to press for humane treatment of Palestinians, who are now under Israeli fire.
In a series of linked posts on X on Monday, the Somali-born Omar criticized Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for calling Palestinians “human animals” and for vowing to cut off all electricity, food, water and fuel to Palestinian civilians living in Gaza.
“This is collective punishment, a war crime, and the U.S. should oppose any violations of international law if we truly support a rules-based international order,” Omar said. “Just as we honor the humanity of the hundreds of innocent Israeli civilians and 9 Americans who were killed this weekend, we must honor the humanity of the innocent Palestinian civilians who have been killed and whose lives are upended.”
The death toll in the conflict on Wednesday was more than 2,000, with about 1,200 killed and 2,400 injured in Israel and at least 950 people killed and 5,000 injured in Gaza, according to Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Omar said the solution to the war in the Middle East is not more U.S. military aid to Israel, but a stepped-up U.S. diplomatic response.
Yet the Biden administration, as well as lawmakers from both parties, are pressing for more U.S. military aid to Israel.
On Tuesday, a bill that would provide Israel with $2 billion to replenish the nation’s Iron Dome missile defense system was introduced in the U.S. House.
But that legislation, as well as a resolution condemning the Hamas attack on Israel, cannot move forward because Republicans have not been able to coalesce around a replacement for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted last week by a rebellious group of ultraconservative U.S. House members.
Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-North Carolina, is serving as speaker pro tempore. But that’s a caretaker role whose main purpose is to hold an election for a new speaker.
There are backroom conversations about empowering McHenry for about a month so he could act on issues like advancing legislation to aid Israel if Republicans are unable to quickly settle on a new speaker.
House Republicans will begin voting on candidates Wednesday. Those who have announced an interest in the job include Reps. Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and even McCarthy, who said he would serve again if drafted.
All U.S. House members have been invited to attend a classified briefing Wednesday on Israel by administration officials. Over the weekend, Rep. Betty McCollum, D-4th District, was among many lawmakers demanding such a briefing.
Meanwhile, in a speech on Tuesday Biden pledged continued U.S. support for Israel, promising military aid and other assistance to ensure “Israel does not run out of these critical assets to defend its cities and its citizens.”
Biden said “at least” 14 Americans have been killed by Hamas in what he called “an act of pure evil.” He also confirmed that Americans are among the hostages Hamas seized in its raid on Israel.
“We’re with Israel. Let’s make no mistake,” the president said.
Oren Gross, associate dean of academics and a professor of law at the University of Minnesota, is among many Israelis living in the United States who fear for relatives back home. Gross said he has tried to catch a flight to Israel, but none are available.
To Gross, Biden gave an “amazing speech.”
“I cannot imagine a U.S. president giving a more robust, a more heartfelt speech than he gave today,” Gross said.
Gross said he’s been critical of the Israeli government. But he feels Hamas is completely to blame for the deaths of Palestinian civilians in the conflict who he said have allowed themselves to be used by Hamas.
“The blood of Palestinian civilians or collateral damage is on Hamas,” he said.
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