Biden, Buttigieg condemn rocket attacks on Israel

Presidential hopefuls Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg condemned rocket attacks against Israel as violence escalates with militant groups in the Gaza Strip. 

“Israel has a right to defend itself against terrorist threats. It is intolerable that Israeli civilians live their lives under the constant fear of rocket attacks. That’s why our administration was such a strong supporter of Israel’s life-saving Iron Dome,” former Vice President Biden tweeted Tuesday.{mosads}

Israel has a right to defend itself against terrorist threats. It is intolerable that Israeli civilians live their lives under the constant fear of rocket attacks. That’s why our administration was such a strong supporter of Israel’s life-saving Iron Dome. https://t.co/aQOUdKZqq7

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 12, 2019

“I strongly condemn the rocket attacks on the citizens of southern and central Israel. Israel has a right to defend itself against acts of terror that set back any progress towards peace and will only serve to inflame the humanitarian situation in Gaza,” Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., added Wednesday.

I strongly condemn the rocket attacks on the citizens of southern and central Israel. Israel has a right to defend itself against acts of terror that set back any progress towards peace and will only serve to inflame the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

— Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) November 13, 2019

The tweets come as fighting escalates between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Militants in the territory have launched more than 360 rockets into Israel, according to the Israeli military, after Israeli forces killed Islamic Jihad leader Baha abu al-Ata in an early morning raid Tuesday.

1 rocket every 7 minutes.

That’s how often Islamic Jihad has been firing rockets into Israel since yesterday morning.

Israel’s Iron Dome intercepted over 90% of the rockets before they could reach Israeli homes. pic.twitter.com/pT0Xw4LqgQ

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 13, 2019

“He initiated, planned and carried out many terrorist attacks. He fired hundreds of rockets at communities in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip, whose suffering we have seen. He was in the midst of planning additional attacks in the immediate short term. He was a ticking bomb,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday, referring to al-Ata.

“I would like to reiterate: Israel is not interested in escalation, but will do everything necessary to defend ourselves,” he added.

At least three Palestinians were killed and 30 wounded in retaliatory strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to Haaretz. The Israeli military has launched a series of counterattacks, saying it has killed 20 militants since Tuesday morning, most of whom belonged to Islamic jihad.

Since 4am Tuesday, we targeted terrorists involved in firing rockets at Israeli civilians. We killed 20 terrorists, most of them from Islamic Jihad.

Our mission is to defend the people of Israel.

We will fulfill this mission relentlessly, as these 9 terrorists have learned pic.twitter.com/UkLE8RvclR

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) November 13, 2019

Montana Gov. Steve Bullock and Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet, two other Democratic White House candidates, also condemned the rocket launches. 

I stand with Israel as terrorists backed by Iran fire rockets targeting innocent civilians.

I support Israel’s right to defend its citizens from these heinous and cowardly attacks.

— Steve Bullock (@GovernorBullock) November 13, 2019

Rocket attacks against innocent civilians are unacceptable. Israel has the right to self-defense against attacks by terror groups inside Gaza. De-escalation is the only path forward to peace and stability. https://t.co/OqOGK03wGQ

— Michael Bennet (@MichaelBennet) November 13, 2019

Israel has faced criticism over its counterstrikes, however, with detractors saying it uses disproportionate force in its response.

“There is great imbalance in force used by the IDF and the casualties faced by Palestinians,” tweeted the progressive group IfNotNow. “Only in Gaza are civilians killed and wounded in these numbers. Neither Israelis nor Palestinians should live in fear of violence but this context cannot be ignored.”

There is great imbalance in force used by the IDF and the casualties faced by Palestinians. Only in Gaza are civilians killed and wounded in these numbers

Neither Israelis nor Palestinians should live in fear of violence but this context cannot be ignoredhttps://t.co/CZ0h9Iy3AY

— IfNotNow (@IfNotNowOrg) November 13, 2019