Dem senator: ‘I stand in support of Israel and peace’

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) tweeted her support for Israel and condemned the rocket attacks by Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip over the weekend.

“I condemn the rocket attacks on innocent civilians and stand in support of Israel and peace,” Sinema wrote in a post on Twitter Sunday night.

I condemn the rocket attacks on innocent civilians and stand in support of Israel and peace.

— Kyrsten Sinema (@SenatorSinema) May 5, 2019

Palestinian militants reportedly fired more than 600 rockets into Israel starting Saturday, prompting Israeli military forces to return fire, further escalating the already tense relationship in the region.

{mosads}Sinema recently spoke at an American Israel Public Affairs Committee event in Arizona earlier this year, tweeting that America’s “support for a secure Israel as a beacon of democracy must remain unwavering.”

The Gaza Strip has been a highly contested region for years now, and the conflict there is splitting members of the Democratic Party, because individual members support both sides.

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) on Sunday criticized The New York Times for its headline and framing of the ongoing conflict.

Tlaib, the first Palestinian American woman elected to Congress, has been outspoken about her support for the Palestinians, also pushing back on what she says is Islamophobia in the Democratic Party.

President Trump also weighed in on the conflict Sunday, calling on Palestinians to “END the violence and work towards peace.”

–Updated at 10:55 a.m.