Ohio State Senator Brady Condemned for Labeling Israel’s Prime Minister a “War Criminal”
Listed in: Israel, NJDC News, Press Releases
Washington, DC: According to press reports, at a Sunday rally in Toledo, Ohio, State Senator Daniel Brady of Cleveland referred to the democratically-elected Prime Minister of Israel, Ariel Sharon, as a "war criminal." The Criterion, a Toledo-based Muslim newsletter, reported that "Senator Daniel Brady gave an explosive, crowd-pumping, hair-raising, energetic speech that brought the crowd to its feet. Time and time again, Senator Brady said, 'It wasn't a difficult decision for me. It's an easy decision to denounce the government of Ariel Sharon, who I consider a war criminal.'" The rally organizers, "Americans for Peace," did not invite representatives from the organized Jewish community to the rally, according to the newsletter.
"If these reports are true, Senator Brady's remarks are simply outrageous and unacceptable," said Ira N. Forman, Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council. "As a member of the Democratic family, this organization rarely criticizes statements made by Democratic officials. But in this case, Senator Brady's patently offensive rhetoric left us no choice.
"Israel is now in a state of crisis. Its citizens have been subjected to the abject horror of terrorist bombings. Civilians, including women and children, have been wantonly targeted by Palestinian militants in supermarkets, at bus stops, and even at religious observances. Yet when the Israeli government takes measures to defend its citizens and root out terrorism, Senator Brady chooses to label Israel's leader a 'war criminal' for protecting Israeli men, women and children.
"Israel has the inalienable right of self-defense that every country has. In the face of unspeakable barbarism, Israel's democratically-elected leaders must be allowed to root-out this terrorist infrastructure without confronting such reckless accusations from America's heartland. Senator Brady's rhetoric is unacceptable, and his reckless hurling of such accusations is damaging to democracies around the world. He owes his constituents, the Democratic Party, and all fair-minded Americans an apology."
