Congressman Neal Dunn: Time to put politics aside: We must stand by Israel and punish Iran

Congressman Neal Dunn
·3 min read
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The war between Israel and Hamas is not about “underdogs” or about the “oppressor” and “oppressed.” It is about good versus evil.

Israeli soldiers take positions near the Gaza Strip border, in southern Israel, Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza in the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into Israel.
Israeli soldiers take positions near the Gaza Strip border, in southern Israel, Monday, Dec. 11, 2023. The army is battling Palestinian militants across Gaza in the war ignited by Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into Israel.

Hamas terrorists slaughtered Israeli civilians, raped women, kidnapped children, and the elderly, and burned entire families alive. They also used Gazan civilians as unwilling human shields and kept them captive in an active war zone instead of allowing them to retreat to the South.

Hamas’ behavior has made them a pariah throughout the Middle East including their only other bordering nation, Egypt. Israel, however, is our most loyal ally in the Middle East, with whom we share democratic and humane values. The contrast could not be starker. As the war between Israel and Hamas unfolds, one issue that cannot be ignored is Iran’s involvement in the conflict. Iran must face sanctions to cut off its financial support to Hamas and Hezbollah. Considering its nuclear threat to Israel, it is long overdue for America to stand up against any of Iran’s control in the Middle East and to condemn all attempts to build nuclear weapons. As a co-sponsor of the Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum (SHIP) Act, I am pleased the House has passed this legislation and I urge the Senate to join us in passing this bill as well so it can be sent to the President’s desk. The SHIP Act imposes sanctions on foreign ports and refineries that process petroleum exported from Iran, hitting Iran where it hurts most.Iran’s oil revenues allow it to fund terrorism and hatred. This financing has boosted Hezbollah and Hamas into the threats they present today. Petroleum exports also finance the regime’s oppression and violation of human rights at home. Iran must pay a price for its worldwide sponsorship of terrorism. This is a matter of national security, and the SHIP Act is crucially important in getting this done. Iran is the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism. Its terrorist proxies include Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza, the West Bank, Trinidad and Tobago, the Houthis in Yemen, and various Shiite militias in Iraq and Syria. Iran provides funding, training, and arms to these groups. It has made Hezbollah the most heavily armed non-state actor in the world. Iran also funds Hamas and other terrorist groups to the tune of at least $100 million a year. It also provides Hezbollah with more than $700 million a year, and through that group, effectively controls Lebanon.

People gather in the Imam Hussein square in Tehran, during the televised speech of Lebanese Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah Nov. 3, 2023. Nasrallah told the United States on Nov. 3, that his Iran-backed group was ready to face its warships and the way to prevent a regional war was to halt the attacks in Gaza.
People gather in the Imam Hussein square in Tehran, during the televised speech of Lebanese Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah Nov. 3, 2023. Nasrallah told the United States on Nov. 3, that his Iran-backed group was ready to face its warships and the way to prevent a regional war was to halt the attacks in Gaza.

Iran’s support of terrorist proxies has caused the people of Gaza to suffer immensely. Hamas does not care at all about Gazan civilians. It steals aid and uses the funds to build terror tunnels, fire rockets at its neighbors, and bring war and devastation to the Palestinian people. Just recently, Hamas leader and U.S. designated terrorist, Mousa Abu Marzouk said explicitly that Gazan civilians are not Hamas’s problem: they’re the responsibility of the international community and Israel. How can Israel make peace with leaders who don’t even care about their own people? The only way to bring peace to Israel and the Palestinians is to bring an end to the rule and the influence of Hamas, a genocidal jihadist organization that since its inception has been a roadblock to reconciliation.

Fighting the vicious antisemitism and terrorism that Hamas and Iran represent is not a Democratic or Republican issue: it is a bipartisan issue, one that should unite all Americans. Politics must be put aside at this moment.

U.S. Rep. Dr. Neal Dunn
U.S. Rep. Dr. Neal Dunn

Neal Dunn (R-FL) is a Representative who serves on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO, and the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. Dunn participated in a U.S. Israel Education Association bipartisan Congressional tour to Israel in May 2022 where attendees were briefed about Israel’s multi-layer defense structure. 

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Why the SHIP Act is essential in halting Iran's funding of terrorism