RALEIGH — The North Carolina House adopted a resolution urging Congress to support Jewish citizens and Israel.
“The United States Congress is urged to take any and all necessary steps to criminalize and prohibit acts that perpetrate harm and injustice to members of the Jewish faith and supporters of the nation of Israel and bring justice on behalf of those who have been unlawfully kidnapped and held hostage by Hamas following the unprovoked attack on innocent civilians in Israel,” the resolution states.
The resolution specifically mentions the terror attack in Boulder, Colorado, where peaceful protesters supporting the release of hostages held by Hamas after the 2023 terror attack on Israel were set on fire using Molotov cocktails and a “makeshift flamethrower.”
Egyptian national Mohamed Sabry Soliman was arrested in the attack and admitted to law enforcement that he had been planning it for more than a year.
In remarks in support of the Resolution, Rep. Grant Campbell (R-Cabarrus) also raised the Boulder attack, noting “the perpetrator has since stated that he has no regrets and his goal is to, quote, ‘kill all Zionists.’”
In a video recorded by Soliman before the attack, he said, ”Jihad for Allah’s sake are more beloved to me than you and the whole world are.” The video, posted on Telegram by Soliman on June 3, is in Arabic and was subsequently translated and published by the nonprofit Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
Soliman faces federal hate crime charges and is accused of several felonies.
The resolution cites the rise in “antisemitic attacks and violent pro-Palestinian protests” following the 2023 Hamas terror attack.
Campbell listed an escalation in antisemitic violence, including the murder of a young Jewish couple in Washington, D.C.
“This rising tide of targeted violence does not require our consent by joining as active participants or by praising their crimes,” Campbell said. “They simply assume our consent by our silence. Whether it be at Wounded Knee in 1890 or in Selma, Alabama, in 1965, violence brought to a people based on their identity, their skin color, or their faith is the most un-American act one can perform.”
The resolution was filed June 4, and the House adopted it that day by a vote of 98-0.
While the vote was unanimous, six Democratic members present did not vote on the resolution: Reps. Cecil Brockman (Guilford), Deb Butler (New Hanover), Maria Cervania (Wake), Monika Johnson-Hostler (Wake), Marcia Morey (Durham) and Renée Price (Durham).
Morey condemned the violence in Boulder but argued that it was not the legislature’s job to address it.
“It was awful, but we’ve had many, many acts of violence,” said Morey. “And for this body to take up what appears to be a foreign policy issue, urging Congress to take action, and names a perpetrator but not the victims, and calls pro-Palestinian protests violent when the vast majority are not violent. … I have real concerns.”
Price reacted similarly and objected to calling pro-Palestinian protests violent.
“We should be looking at going against all hate crimes,” Price said, adding she would not be voting on such a resolution unless that was discussed.
Cervania, Morey and Price were among the 12 House Democrats who faced backlash in 2023 for walking out on a resolution supporting Israel following the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack.
