NC Democrats explain why they didn’t join bipartisan gestures of support for Israel

Several Democratic state lawmakers, responding to criticism of their decisions to not sign onto bipartisan expressions of support for Israel, said they condemned the terrorist attacks by Hamas but could not support statements that made no mention of Palestinian civilians.

The N.C. House and Senate formally expressed their support for Israel on Tuesday after the Palestinian militant group, designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization, launched deadly land, air and sea attacks over the weekend that had left more than 1,200 Israelis dead as of Wednesday, and between 100 and 150 Israelis captured as hostages, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Retaliatory strikes by Israel on Gaza had killed at least 1,200 Palestinians, The Journal reported.

A statement read into the record by the state Senate and a resolution adopted by the state House, which said Congress should reaffirm that the U.S. stands with Israel unequivocally, were endorsed by all Republicans and the vast majority of Democrats.

But some Democrats did not join their colleagues. Twelve in the House didn’t vote on the resolution adopted 104-0, and four in the Senate chose not to sign the statement that received 45 signatures.

Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Greensboro Democrat, told The News & Observer the attack by Hamas “attacking, murdering, torturing, kidnapping innocent civilians” was “evil” and “reprehensible. She said she didn’t vote on the House resolution because she felt it condoned giving Israel “carte blanche to do whatever it felt it needed to do in terms of retaliation or retribution.”

She said she was troubled by that because the resolution didn’t acknowledge the 2 million people living on the Gaza Strip.

“I don’t know the solution is to go bomb the heck out of the Gaza Strip, when you’re going to be killing thousands of innocent civilians, and it has felt like the resolution sort of seemed to green-light that,” Harrison said in an interview.

GOP slams Democrats not voting as ‘unconscionable’

Republicans strongly criticized the Democrats who didn’t endorse the House resolution or the Senate statement, saying it should’ve been “a simple choice” to back both chamber’s gestures of support.

Rep. Erin Paré, a Holly Springs Republican, said it was “unconscionable” and “shameful” that some Democrats didn’t vote on the resolution. Paré was one of the resolution’s four primary sponsors along with GOP leaders House Speaker Tim Moore and House Deputy Majority Whip Jon Hardister and Democratic Rep. Caleb Rudow of Asheville.

“When I spoke on the floor, I expressed my strong hope that we could come together as a body to support Israel and stand up against the evil and heinous actions of Hamas,” Paré said in a statement. “Sadly, these twelve Democrats chose to turn their back and walk out in shame.”

Rep. Marcia Morey, a Durham Democrat who also didn’t vote on the resolution, responded to Paré on social media, saying that Paré had no idea why she walked out of the vote.

“It was not shame, it was because this resolution was hollow,” Morey said. “I condemn violence against all civilians and children, including shutting off water, electricity and food from children in Gaza.”

Morey had told The N&O earlier in an email that she condemned the attack by Hamas and “brutal taking of civilian hostages,” but didn’t support the resolution because it “did not go far enough” because it urged Congress to support Israel but “said nothing about the safety for all Israeli and Palestinian civilians and children who live in the region.”

GOP Sens. Danny Britt, Warren Daniel and Buck Newton, chairmen of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also criticized the four Senate Democrats who didn’t sign the chamber’s statement, saying that Democratic leaders Gov. Roy Cooper, Attorney General Josh Stein and NCDP Chair Anderson Clayton should “swiftly denounce the silence of these Democrats, and make clear where the Democratic Party stands on this issue.”

Cooper and Stein both declared after the attacks they stand with Israel, with Clayton sharing Cooper’s post on X, formerly Twitter.

Hillsborough Sen. Graig Meyer, one of the Democrats who didn’t sign the statement, said that as a state legislator, he was elected to “govern on state and local issues, not weigh in on foreign affairs, which are not our expertise nor our jurisdiction.”

“But as a human, what I see is the toll of hatred and war on real people, and it’s horrible,” Meyer said in an email. “I condemn the recent attacks by the terrorist group Hamas and all forms of violence. I pray for peace. What it will take to find peace in this situation is beyond me, but I will not put my energy or my very limited influence into encouraging war.”

What other Democrats have said

Democratic Rep. Gloristine Brown of Bethel said in a statement that she is a “strong supporter of the people of Israel” and said the U.S. should stand with Israel and “continue to defend its liberty.” She also said that terrorism “is always a morally repugnant act.”

“However, I believe strongly that the collective punishment of millions of civilians in Gaza is wrong as well, and this belief should be echoed in the actions of our body,” Brown said.

Rep. Renee Price of Hillsborough echoed what other Democrats said about the resolution not mentioning Palestinians, saying in an email that she condemned the attack by Hamas but didn’t vote for the resolution because it “falls short of considering all aspects or dimensions of the situation.”

“My concern is for the Israelis and Palestinians who are suffering the consequences and sacrificing their lives because of extremism,” she said. “My prayer is for the cessation of violence, humanitarian aid to all innocent people, and a resolution of peace throughout the land.”

Rep. Kanika Brown of Winston-Salem said in an email that she strongly condemned the attacks by Hamas, saying that “there is never an excuse for such acts of terror” and urging both sides to “work towards a ceasefire and de-escalation.”

The House resolution “did nothing to achieve that goal,” she said, and “was done purely for political showmanship rather than genuine care for Israeli and Palestinian people.”

Rep. Amber Baker, also of Winston-Salem, said in a statement that she didn’t believe she had the authority as a state lawmaker to “weigh in on a foreign policy situation as complex as the Israel-Palestinian conflict.”

Other Democrats in the House said they didn’t vote for the resolution because they thought Republicans had introduced it as a distraction.

Rep. Julie von Haefen of Apex said on social media that she condemned the attacks by Hamas but called the resolution an effort by Moore to distract from earlier votes Republicans had taken on Tuesday to override Cooper’s vetoes on five bills taking away powers from the governor, changing the structure of election boards and loosening environmental regulations for a controversial pipeline project, among other changes.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday after the House session, Moore touted the fact that the day’s five veto overrides had brought the legislature’s total to 19 vetoes defeated this year.

Rep. Terence Everitt of Wake Forest, on the other hand, said Republicans were trying to “cover up” their silence over antisemitic remarks made by members of their party. He specifically mentioned Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the party’s frontrunner for governor, whose remarks have been criticized by Democrats, and Republicans who are running against in him.