By Mike LiPetri, Republican Nominee for Congress (NY-03)
Since October 7th, in the Halls of Congress, on college campuses, throughout social media, and most significantly, right here in New York’s 3rd Congressional District, acts of Jew hate have gained dangerous traction. This will not be tolerated.
We have activists on the streets burning flags, students tearing down posters of the missing hostages in their school cafeterias, terrorist sympathizers destroying our monuments and buildings with pro-Hamas graffiti, and even elected members of Congress who chant the anti-Israel rallying call of “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” All of this because our weakness towards the Terror Republic of Iran has fostered an environment which allows for unchecked antisemitism both at home and abroad.
This isn’t just campaign rhetoric. I saw it firsthand when I traveled to Israel in 2022 for the ICT World Summit on Counterterrorism. A trip I took on my own dime to better educate myself—not a taxpayer funded diplomatic trip most of our “representatives” take just for the photo-op. Hearing from experts like David Bernea, the Director of Mossad, they warned of the risks associated with softening our financial and physical choke on Iran. Horrifically, just one year later on October 7, 2023, we saw what weak sanctions and oversight could lead to with the rape, carnage, and violence carried out by the Iran-backed Hamas terrorists.
In Congress—if they present a realistic plan and strategy to do so—I will urge the use of U.S. Special Forces to go in and rescue the still missing hostages—some of which are American citizens and people with deep ties right here in the 3rd Congressional District like Omer Neutra. This is personal for us, and we will not allow Hamas to dictate our foreign policy by holding these hostages over our head. The game we are playing here is not only dangerous, it is unconscionable.
I support the full destruction and complete eradication of Hamas. Period. By any means necessary. I stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters and fully support their efforts to save their people. This extends to Hezbollah coming from the North in Lebanon and the Houthis in Yemen. All these groups are being funded and armed by the Terror Republic of Iran. We will cut the head of the snake. We will cripple them.
It is imperative that we continue to ensure that America’s foreign policy and defense framework not only includes but maintains and builds upon Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge so they can continue to defend themselves. Additionally, we must continue to support the Memorandum of Understanding that increases security assistance to Israel.
Lastly, I will stand up against all actions to boycott, divest from, and sanction (BDS) Israel because these efforts are a direct attempt to delegitimize and destroy the Jewish state.
Simply put, an enemy of Israel is an enemy of the United States and our policy towards Jewish hate must be one of absolute zero tolerance. When I went to Columbia University earlier this year to stand-up to the pro-terror sympathizers who took over and destroyed that campus, I did so with one clear message—Jew Hate will not be tolerated—and demanded that we bring home our hostages now. We will not waver on this position.
When elected to Congress, I look forward to building on this framework and using my role to both continue and advance this important dialogue, and ultimately, working to ensure that America and Israel always present a united front on the international stage—one that no country or terror group will ever test again.
As a beacon of freedom, democracy, and hope, Israel shines as a leader in a region often defined by hate, tyranny, and violence. The U.S.-Israeli bond goes beyond simple strategic military and diplomatic relations, but is grounded in our shared values, culture, and vision for the future of our people.
An enemy of Israel is an enemy of the United States. Period.
Mike LiPetri is the Republican Nominee for Congress in New York’s 3rd Congressional District. He is a former New York State Assemblyman from Long Island. Learn more at LiPetriForCongress.com
