“We are grateful to the state of Alabama for its clear stand against terror and in support of Israel,” said Anat Sultan-Dadon, Israel’s consul general to the southeastern United States.
Larry Brook, Israel InSight, Montgomery, Ala.
(JNS)
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a joint resolution from the Alabama legislature on April 9, expressing the state’s “unequivocal support” for Israel in its war against Hamas.
Arthur Orr, a state senator, presented the resolution, SJR 29, which details Alabama’s historical support for Israel and honors the memory of those killed on Oct. 7 in an “unwarranted and unjustified vicious assault.”
Anat Sultan-Dadon, Israel’s consul general to the Southeastern United States who is based in Atlanta, said that as Israel fights a genocidal terrorist group, “We are grateful to the state of Alabama for its clear stand against terror and in support of Israel.”
Sultan-Dadon stated that she was pleased that the resolution included references to the “intentional and systematic” torture and gender-based violence committed by Hamas against Israelis, since “to a large extent we have seen international women’s organizations stay silent in the face of these atrocities.”
The resolution not only condemns Hamas, but also “all those who support their violent, genocidal, and hateful acts—globally, in the United States and in the State of Alabama.”
It also references attempts by Hamas to “ethnically cleanse the land of Jews” and reaffirms “unequivocal support for the State of Israel as a Jewish state,” recognizes that the Jewish people are indigenous to the land, condemns all attacks on the people of Israel and supports Israel “in lawful acts of self-defense.”
The resolution also opposes economic and political isolation of Israel internationally, and “all efforts to assault the legitimacy of Israel as the sovereign homeland of the Jewish People.”
It concludes by rejecting the claim that Jews are colonizers or occupiers in Israel, citing “testimony including more than 3,000 years of archaeology and history.”
The statement is important, “because of all the false narratives we hear about us, as if we are so-called occupiers of the land,” Sultan-Dadon said, “and recognizes our historic ties to our ancient homeland.”
Many legislators attended a March 5 screening of the raw footage from the Oct. 7 atrocities, which the Israeli Consulate held in Montgomery. There have also been screenings in Birmingham and Huntsville.
That night, the state Senate passed the resolution unanimously, with all senators added to the bill as co-sponsors. The bill then went to the House, where it was passed on March 7, and officially enrolled on March 14. The passage in both chambers was by voice vote.
The delay in publicizing the resolution was due to an attempt to schedule a public signing ceremony with Ivey and Sultan-Dadon, and to avoid anti-Israel protests like the ones that have occurred at delegation meetings earlier in the year.
Sultan-Dadon said it was important to note the overwhelming bipartisan support for the resolution—“a reflection of the nature of the U.S.-Israel relationship, which have always been and should always remain bipartisan.”
The war against Hamas is not just Israel’s fight; it’s part of the larger fight against Iran, she added.
“The fight for life, freedom and humanity is the fight of the entire free world, in stark opposition to those who glorify death and seek a radical Islamist world order,” she said.
John Buhler, co-chair of the interfaith Alabama-Israel Task Force, said that the resolution “made a strong and emphatic
“It is vital to not remain silent and bear witness to the truth when so many shout or repeat unfounded outrageous claims, echoing Hamas, originally fueled by bigotry and Jew-hatred and now twisted and cloaked in a facade of justice and nobility to infer Israel is somehow to blame or at fault,” he added.
The resolution is the latest in a long series for the state.
Alabama was the first state to call for the establishment of the Jewish homeland, in 1943, five years before Israel’s rebirth. In 2019, Alabama was reportedly the first state to use the language “eternal undivided capital of Israel,” referring to Jerusalem.
“We commend Alabama for once again standing on the right side of history,” Sultan-Dadon said.
Image: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs a resolution supporting Israel and condemning Hamas on April 9, 2024. (Anat Sultan-Dadon, Israeli consul general to the southeastern United States, stands to the governor’s immediate right.) Photo by Larry Brook/Israel InSight.
Thank you Alabama!!
Today @GovernorKayIvey signed a meaningful bi partisan resolution reaffirming Alabama’s steadfast support of Israel & the Jewish people and condemning the genocidal terror organization #Hamas.
In the aftermath of the #October7th massacre and the ongoing… pic.twitter.com/XxOSZ0kO7p
— Anat Sultan-Dadon ????️ (@AnatSultanDadon) April 9, 2024
