A State Senator recently returned from an overseas trip to witness the aftermath of a Middle Eastern war.

District 24 Senator Jesse Green serves on the Senate International Relations Committee; and he was part of a 13 Midwest Legislative group that went to Israel. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio that because Israel is wanting to increase its international relations with other countries, they were able to visit several places, including religious sites and locations next to the Gaza border. 

Green says the biggest surprise when he went to areas near Gaza was the strict gun laws, including a military base that was next to the border. He points out that when the horrific attacks by Hamas happened on October 7, 2023, it was an Israeli holiday and only 150 military personnel were stationed, including 75 female intelligence officers, many of whom didn’t carry a firearm. After Hamas broke through the border, Green states that lots of those women were raped and killed.

Other areas he went to, Green learned that only a few people were allowed to be armed, but since that awful time, gun rights are being brought back up in Israel.

“And so there is kind of a debate happening within Israel about gun rights. For example, I told you about the military where a lot of women weren’t able to carry guns. The Israeli Parliament changed their rule on that instantly after October 7th (2023) that women soldiers should and will be carrying (firearms) in the future.”   

Green shares that following everything he experienced in Israel, he was reminded of 2006 when Israel pulled out of Gaza and Hamas took control.

“Well ever since then, we’ve been hands-off, Israel has been hands-off in Gaza. What you have is a result is you have a new generation now 20 years later, that have grown up under this ideology just demonizing the Jews. And so, when I was watching videos of some of the terrorists and what happened, they were calling back to their parents and just exuberated that, ‘Mom, mom, I killed ten Jews today,’ and just so proud of that. Well that’s a result of this indoctrination that’s happened within the last 20 years, since Hamas has taken over.”

Green adds it was one of the most surreal and religious-filled trips he has ever been on.