The American Israel Public Affairs Committee Alert

Vice President Biden and Congressional Leaders Speak Out in Support of Israel

Urge Senators and House Members to Make Statements in Support of Israel’s Right to Self-Defense

On Monday, the Israel Defense Forces intercepted six ships, known as the “Free Gaza” flotilla. The flotilla attempted to break Israel’s blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Despite claiming its primary aim was to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, in reality, its objective was to provoke Israel and incite international scrutiny on the blockade, intended to prevent weapons from being smuggled into the territory.

The flotilla was sponsored by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation—an organization that has well documented ties to Hamas and has been linked to other Islamic terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda. Israel’s interception of the ships—and the deaths of nine individuals, including some radicals with ties to terrorist groups—have garnered tremendous media attention and international condemnation. As Israel faces international criticism, members of Congress are speaking out in support of Israel’s right to self-defense.

Click here to view statements made by Vice President Biden and members of Congress

Please call members of Congress and thank them for their support

Call Senators and House members and urge them to make statements in support of Israel’s right to self-defense. Senators and House members can be reached through the Capitol switchboard at (202) 225-3121. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact Julie Peretz at (202) 639-5192 or jperetz@aipac.org.

Flotilla Sought Provocation, Not to Provide Assistance

Click here for AIPAC memo that provides background and context on the flotilla and the Israeli response.

Who Was Behind the Gaza Flotilla?

Click here for background on the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation—an organization with ties to Hamas and other terrorist groups.

Click here for Gaza Flotilla timeline of events leading up to Israel’s interception of the flotilla; demonstrates “in real time” with video links the motivations of the flotilla participants and the extent to which Israel went to prevent an incident.