A former Democratic representative who served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives officially endorsed former President Donald Trump on Monday. Peter Deutsch, who represented Florida’s 20th Congressional District from 1993 to 2005, cited his concerns about Israel’s security as his primary reason for backing Trump. The endorsement was announced during a conference call organized by the Trump campaign, coinciding with the anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel.
“I feel very comfortable today publicly announcing that I’m endorsing Donald Trump to be reelected as president,” Deutsch said on the call, according to Jewish Insider. He argued that the current administration’s approach, led by Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, has only strengthened Iran—a sentiment underscored by Iran’s recent ballistic missile attack on Israel last week.
“Their policies towards Iran make the world a dramatically less safe place,” Deutsch, who is Jewish, stated during the call. “It’s not just about what is happening in the Middle East. It’s literally about the homeland. It’s about Israel. Iran, their enemy is not just Israel — their enemy remains the United States. They still want to destroy the United States,” he added.
Deutsch said that the Biden-Harris administration “would make Neville Chamberlain proud in terms of how they’re reacting,” Deutsch commented, pointing out that the “driving force” behind his endorsement is “really world peace,” Deutsch continued. “For what I believe is the most important job of the president of the United States, which is trying to retain peace in the world, there is an extraordinarily clear choice,” he explained. “I think every American, hopefully, will come to the same conclusion that I have, that President Trump should become the next president of the United States.” He added: “I take this decision very, very seriously. I also feel 100% comfortable with the decision.”
Monday marks the one-year anniversary of the coordinated attack by Hamas and other Palestinian nationalist militant groups, referred to as Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, which targeted southern Israel from the Gaza Strip. This marked the first invasion of its kind since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and took place during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah. The assaults involved over 4,300 rockets and incursions at 119 points along the Gaza-Israel barrier, resulting in significant casualties and destruction. A total of 1,139 individuals were killed, including 695 Israeli civilians and 373 security personnel.
The October 7th attack also led to the abduction of approximately 250 Israelis. Worldwide, the incident garnered widespread condemnation as an act of terrorism, though some attributed the violence to the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This day is considered one of the bloodiest in Israeli history and is particularly significant in the context of Jewish historical tragedies.
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