The Arizona House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolutionMonday in support of Israel amid its ongoing war with Hamas, despite opposition from a small contingent of Democratic lawmakers who kept quiet about their objections.
A few hours before House Speaker Ben Toma, R-Peoria, called for a vote on the resolution, five Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Cesar Aguilar, D-Phoenix, stood outside the Capitol alongside a coalition of Jewish and Muslim groups.
The organizations criticized Israel’s ongoing attacks in Gaza and called for a ceasefire.
After the vote, Aguilar said he and his colleagues kept quiet to avoid distracting from the governor’s State of the State address.
“There’s definitely opposition, especially to one line in there, and it’s that Arizonans all support Israel to defend itself, and I think not all of Arizona really feels that way,” he said.
Federal vs. state politics
In November, Aguilar was one of 16 Democratic lawmakers who signed onto a letter to President Joe Biden calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The resolution lawmakers passed in a voice vote states that the Legislature recognizes Israel’s right to “act decisively and unilaterally in self-defense to protect its citizens,” and affirms the Legislature’s support for Israel’s “right to pursue without interference or condemnation the elimination of Hamas.”
Aguilar suggested that Toma wanted to bring the issue forward first thing on the opening day of session to use the issue for his congressional campaign. Toma declared his candidacy last year for the Republican nomination in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District.
“I mean, the speaker is running for Congress so, I think it’s brownie points for him, I guess, and he’s trying to bring federal politics to our state,” Aguliar said.
'That's not a nation we should be backing with blind loyalty'
Outside the Capitol, Rowan Imran with the group Healthcare Workers for Palestine called the resolution one-sided.
“A nation that’s OK with wiping out children by the masses, that’s OK with turning whole towns into graveyards, that’s OK with starving people and weaponizing aid; that's not a nation we should be backing with blind loyalty,” she said.
The press conference was followed by a protest, which went on outside the House as the resolution moved forward.
Senate Republican spokesperson Kim Quintero said in a text that the Senate will consider the resolution later this week.
