CBN: Israel Supporters in Global Parliaments Shocked by Oct. 7 Massacre Aftermath
Kfar Aza, Israel – In a powerful demonstration of international solidarity, members of parliaments from more than twenty nations recently convened in the heart of Kfar Aza to witness firsthand the devastation wrought by the Hamas attack on October 7th.
Organized by Josh Reinstein, President of the Israel Allies Foundation(IAF), this visit marked the largest gathering of international parliamentarians in Israel since the tragic day.
"It's important to educate them (as) to what happened here. They can see it for themselves," Reinstein stated.
He further highlighted the delegates' influential positions in their home countries, noting, “These members of parliament aren't just members of parliament. They are actually chairmen of caucuses of many groups of members of parliament in their home countries. We have 53 Israel Allies caucuses, 21 of them are actually represented today. These people represent hundreds and even thousands of people who support Israel. So, it's important for them to understand so they can go back to their parliaments and explain to their colleagues as well."
The impact of the visit was profound, with parliamentarians expressing shock and horror at the extent of the destruction. Peter Ostman, a member of the Finnish Parliament, remarked, “It's terrible. It was terrible to read what the terrorist organization did here."
Similarly, Branislav Skripek from the Slovakian Parliament declared, “This is a reaction of shock. And realizing how brutal these people are. Is it right to call them people? And this is something that is not acceptable. We cannot remain without any move, without any steps to change the situation. But the main problem is in their minds and in their hearts.
Skripek continued, "So, it's not so much a problem of military power. And I think something has to be done with the way of thinking, and this is something we need to address because these people can repeat such a deed again and as we have heard the leaders of Hamas, they promise to do it again. So, this is something we cannot allow and we need to change the way of thinking."
The group's visit culminated in the signing of a resolution calling for the end of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which has been criticized for being infiltrated by Hamas terrorists.
Skripek expressed his disillusionment with the agency, stating, "I feel a terrible betrayal because these people were supposed to help. People in this international body, and they simply lied to people who commissioned them to help the refugees. This is a terrible deceit."
Ostman added perspective on the broader impact of war, saying, “When the war has gone on, and we can see that civilians always suffer during the wartime, we understand that. We need some kind of organization taking care of humanitarian aid. And this is what the international community will have to decide on. What kind of organization will be more useful than UNRWA has been until now."
The visit was not just about political alliances but also underscored the role of faith in international relations.
Reinstein pointed out, "It's Christians, not countries, who are standing with Israel. What makes this a very special event is that these people are all men and women of faith. These are Christian legislators who take their biblical support and turn it into real political action. And we call that faith-based diplomacy and that's what's unique about this conference that so many members of parliament from around the world come together as people of faith to stand with Israel."
Member of Knesset Sharren Haskel spoke to the group, underlining the importance of their visit against a backdrop of widespread denial and misinformation. “When we see such a mass denial from social media and from full mainstream media about what actually happened here. Those representatives who came here to see with their own eyes what we have experienced – one of the worst butchers that Israel had ever experienced in its history. It's critical. They see the evidence. They feel it. They see it and no one can deny that."
Haskel also framed Israel's struggle within a global context, arguing, “We're fighting here. It's not a territorial war. This is not a Russian-Ukrainian war. This is a war on our values. This is a war against radical Islam. I mean they had their territory. They didn't fight for that. They're fighting for the complete annihilation of the State of Israel and butchering and massacring every single living Jew. We're fighting this war that the rest of the world may be behind. I mean it's creeping in. But we are fighting for our identity, on our values, on democracy, on liberties, on freedom, on woman's rights, freedom of speech, equality. That's what we're really fighting for. And this is a fight and a war that the rest of the world has to join forces together because it doesn't stop in Israel. It's already in Europe, North America, Central and South America. It's everywhere and it's spreading and wherever there's evil we have to be very, very clear about it that there's zero tolerance towards it."
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