January 2, 2009

REPRESENTATIVE HASNER’S STATEMENT ON SPONSORSHIP OF BI-PARTISAN RESOLUTION
EXPRESSING SOLIDARITY WITH ISRAEL

-Florida will be First State in Nation to Express Support for Israel’s Right to Self-Defense-

TALLAHASSEE, FL – House Majority Leader Adam Hasner (R-Delray Beach) today announced his sponsorship of a bi-partisan resolution expressing solidarity with the people of Israel and supporting Israel’s right to self-defense from attacks by Hamas. Leader Hasner will be filing the resolution to be heard at the start of the Special Session scheduled to begin on Monday, January 5, 2009. Florida State Senator Ted Deutch (D-Boca Raton) will be filing a similar resolution in the Florida Senate.

In conjunction with the filing of the House resolution, Hasner released the following statement:

“Since Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, the thousands of rockets and mortars launched against innocent Israeli civilian targets by the Iranian-sponsored Hamas and Islamic Jihad organizations demonstrate in deed their declared intention of destroying the State of Israel.

“In a fully justified defense of its citizens and its democracy, Israel's government has been forced to respond to the terrorist attacks emanating from Gaza in order to change the current realities. In doing so, Israel has acted firmly against the terrorists' strongholds while exerting extreme effort to minimize suffering and casualty of innocent Palestinians, who are cynically being used as human shields.

“As an American and as a Jew, and with the support of those in the Florida House of Representatives from many religions, races, and regions across this great state, I am proud to lead the bipartisan effort in the Florida House of Representatives to express our firm solidarity with the people of Israel and support the government of Israel's right to protect and defend themselves against terrorism and destruction from these ongoing attacks.

“And as we begin the New Year, we pray for a peaceful end to these hostilities. May God Bless Israel, America's democratic ally in the Middle East.”

First elected to the Florida House of Representatives in 2002, Hasner has been a consistent leader on Israel-related issues. In addition to sponsoring Florida’s first-in-the-nation Iran Divestment legislation, which prohibits the investment of public funds in companies doing business in Iran, Hasner has also sponsored legislation that prohibits life insurance companies doing business in Florida from denying coverage to individuals who travel to Israel.