While Rep. Ritchie Torres thinks that the US’s recent abstention in the UN Security Council which led to the passage of a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, was wrong, he also wants Israel to know that “ the Israel-US relationship remains fundamentally intact.”
“What we are witnessing is not a change in American policy, but a clash of personalities,” the New York Democratic congressman explained to The Jerusalem Post, adding that this “is natural in every relationship.” The crisis between the US and Israel is “more perception than reality,” according to Torres.
Torres thought that the US abstention was a mistake because it did not tie the demands for a ceasefire to the release of the hostages. “The de-linking of those two demands gives enhanced leverage to Hamas in the war and the hostage negotiations. I thought it was a colossal misjudgment on the part of the US,” he explained.
Torres visits Israel to show that the Jewish state is not alone
Torres brought a delegation made up of local leadership and clergy from his district to Israel on Sunday with UJA-Federation New York, to send the message that Israel is not alone. This may seem like a surprising stance from the progressive congressman, but Torres says the connection is natural.
“There is no greater expression of progressive values in the Middle East than the state of Israel,” he said, adding that no country is more protective of the rights of minorities.
“There is a concerted effort by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement to purge pro-Israel Jews from the progressive movement,” Torres explained, but his support for Israel has remained steadfast.
US President Joe Biden has been supportive of Israel, according to Torres, who added that his administration has been more supportive than past administrations, citing US pressure to end the Yom Kippur War and more recently to end the war against Hezbollah in the North.
“President Biden has given Israel the time it needs to win the war, but we have to see it through,” he said.
“The end goal of removing Hamas from power must be nonnegotiable because if Hamas remains in power, there will never be an end to the violence and bloodshed,” said Torres, adding that Hamas has openly said it will attempt to repeat the October 7 massacre, “over and over” again.
“Hamas is intent on murdering every Jew in Israel until the Jewish state itself is annihilated. No country should be expected to coexist with a genocidal terror organization like Hamas. Israel has no choice but to remove Hamas from power,” he said.
The Israel-Hamas war is not as simple as a conflict between Israel and Hamas, according to Torres, who said it is a fight between right and wrong, and on a much larger level, “about the future of liberal democracy.”
Monday, the second day of Torres’s delegation, was focused on seeing the South of Israel and hearing from survivors of the atrocities of October 7, about which Torres says there is a “growing amnesia,” in the US.
The tour started with a meeting with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. “I have enormous empathy for the plight of the defense minister, who is fighting a defensive war in the most complex war zones in human history,” said Torres after the meeting. “Gaza is a hellscape of terror tunnels and booby-trapped buildings, combatants camouflaged as civilians. Hamas is known to hide behind Palestinians as human shields.”
“I reminded the minister to ignore the mixed messaging and background noise of American politics,” Torres added. “Most Americans support Israel, most members of Congress support Israel.”
The delegation then went on to Kibbutz Nir Oz, one of the hardest-hit communities, in which around a quarter of the residents were murdered or kidnapped. The delegation toured ruined homes as they heard from a resident of Nir Oz about how he survived the Hamas attack, holding the door of his safe room shut as his wife held the window and daughters hid under the bed.
The next stop on the tour was the site of the Supernova music festival, where hundreds of playgoers were killed and many kidnapped. The delegation met with a producer and survivor of it and heard about how he has made it his mission to create healing spaces for the Nova community. The delegation also met with a survivor who said that these healing communities have saved her life. Clergy from the trip took a moment to pray with the delegation at the site of the massacre.
The final stop was Netiv Ha’asara, where the delegation met with the head of the community and heard a security briefing, as well as visiting the Peace Wall, a mosaic on a wall facing the border with Gaza.
Torres called the day “emotionally overwhelming,” but added that “Despite the massacre, there is overwhelming optimism. So I cannot help but feel inspired by the optimism that is so deeply encoded in the Israeli DNA.”
“History tells us that the story of the Jewish people is a story of resilience, a story of rebuilding. Israel itself is the greatest example of a civilization rebuilt in human history. I’m leaving the South horrified by the massacre of October 7, but also heartened by the indefatigable optimism of the Israeli people.”
Torres said that the trip was also in honor of Riverdale resident, the late Congressman Joe Lieberman. He dedicated his life to the Israel-US relationship, said Torres, adding that the delegation is in Israel to “carry his mantle forward.”
When asked if this trip will impact his policy or actions taken when he gets back to his district, Torres said that the trip will motivate him to “fight his heart out for the US-Israel relationship – which is worth preserving.”
“UJA has a long record of sponsoring and leading important solidarity trips to Israel,” said Hindy Poupko, deputy chief planning officer, at UJA-Federation New York.
“Particularly in the wake of October 7 we have been redoubling our efforts to ensure that influential New Yorkers have the opportunity to bear witness to what happened here,” she said, adding that UJA believes that leaders have a responsibility to come and see what happened in Israel.