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October 19th, 2021 
Awake Goy 
Kentucky Senator Rand Paul is not a champion of Palestine by any stretch of the imagination. He’s expressed his unwavering dedication to Israel many times through the years. Most recently, he put out a statement celebrating May’s deadly attacks on Gaza which killed killed at least 253 people, including 66 children.
“Every sovereign nation should be allowed to defend themselves. We know that Hamas is firing rockets into Israel, generally at civilians, and Israel should be able to defend its citizens,” declared Paul. “Having visited Israel, I know they do live in fear, fear of daily attacks, and the decision for a cease-fire ultimately has to be made by Israel based on their security needs. This resolution reaffirms the United States’ support of our allied nation in their decision in rightfully responding to imminent threats by a terrorist group.”
Earlier this month a vote to provide $1 billion in additional funding for Israel’s Iron Dome system easily passed the House. Both parties wanted a quick vote in the Senate, but this possibility was blocked by Paul. That’s not because Paul’s support for Israel is suddenly wavering, it’s because he wants the Iron Dome paid for with money that has already been earmarked for Afghanistan reconstruction.
“I support Israel. I voted for hundreds of millions of dollars to support Iron Dome. I am glad the United States has a strong bond with Israel. But the United States cannot give money it does not have, no matter how strong our relationship is,” said the Senator.
Paul’s clear support for Israel hasn’t stopped Democrats from attacking him for an alleged lack of devotion. “There is no conceivable reason why anyone in this chamber on either side of the aisle should stand in the way of US support for this life-saving defense to be fully ready for the next attack,” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ) told the Senate. “The only reason [the bill is] being held up in this body is because of [Paul’s] amendment. It is not a member of the Democratic caucus. This is a defensive life safety system built on years of cooperation with our ally Israel. I’m disappointed we’re in this situation.”
“Sen. Paul has demanded that we add unrelated language to rescind funds from the Department of State and Department of Defense before he will agree to a unanimous consent decree,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT). “We should prevent this sacred relationship [between the U.S. and Israel] from becoming a political football. We should make sure that we preserve it as a bipartisan source of consensus.”
Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), who has not apologized or faced rebuke for effectively calling his colleague Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) an antisemite on the House floor, told Ami Magazine that the extra Iron Dome funding is “being held up by a single Republican senator. Hopefully, by the time this article is printed that senator will have relented, and if not, I hope we’ll spend as much time asking how it is that one Republican senator hates Israel so much that he won’t allow this lifesaving system to be replenished.”
This narrative has even been adopted by progressive politician and activist Charles Booker, who rose to popularity while running to become Mitch McConnell’s Democratic challenger in 2020. Booker ultimately lost that fight to Amy McGrath (who ended up being soundly defeated by McConnell) but now he’s launched another Senate campaign with an eye on Paul’s seat.
In a statement to Jewish Insider that ran today, Booker attacks Paul for holding up the Iron Dome vote and makes an equivalency between violence against Israelis and violence against Palestinians.
“In the midst of the ongoing conflict that has cost so many Israeli and Palestinian lives, Rand chose to pit our allies against one another when he made a dishonest, empty excuse to singularly oppose funding for Israel’s ability to defend itself and keep families safe,” Booker told JI. “[Paul] opposed funding for the Iron Dome because he likes playing political games with people’s lives no matter the consequences.”
“We cannot ignore the inhumane devastation that has taken place. We cannot look away or dismiss the importance of Israeli and Palestinian self-determination,” he continued. “That is the conversation we really need to have, but that is not what Rand Paul seeks to do. His actions here should deeply concern us all.”
“Disappointing,” tweeted IfNotNow co-founder Yonah Lieberman. “Progressive politicians do not need to campaign as supporters of endless military aid to Israel.”
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