Praises Obama Administration's Support For Israeli Naval Inspections

Washington, D.C. -- Congressman Vern Buchanan (FL-13) said today that Israel has the right to protect itself by inspecting all cargo headed to the Gaza Strip.

“Israel’s naval blockade and inspection of cargo ships is entirely appropriate to prevent munitions and missiles from being delivered to Hamas terrorists in Gaza and subsequently used against innocent Israeli civilians,” the Congressman said.

Buchanan, who visited Israel in 2007, noted that Hamas has publicly called for the annihilation of Israel and continues to send rockets into Israeli territory.

Buchanan applauded Vice President Joe Biden for clearly stating that Israel has a legitimate right to inspect ships headed for Gaza.

“Hamas is a terrorist group in the eyes of the U.S. government,” added Buchanan. “Israel has every reason to be concerned about unchecked cargo going into the Gaza strip. Any ship seeking to deliver goods to the Gaza Strip should be carefully screened. Unfortunately, the so-called Flotilla ignored established means and methods of delivering humanitarian aid in an apparent attempt to provoke a military confrontation. Israeli Navy personnel used force when their lives were threatened.”

“I remain committed to supporting the only democracy in the Middle East, which is surrounded by nations and terrorist organizations that refuse to abide by previous agreements, publicly support Israel’s extinction, and refuse to acknowledge that Israel has a legitimate right to take whatever action it deems necessary to protect itself and its people.”