Her message to those who heard her was one of support for Israel.
The Consul General of Israel to the Southeastern United States Anat Sultan-Dadon was invited as the guest speaker to the District 9 Republican Gala held in Dillard, GA, on Friday, April 19. The gala was attended by about 150 Republicans from across northeast Georgia.
She expressed her gratitude to the United States and the international community for their support during the Iranian missile attack that occurred on April 13. “We are grateful to the United States. We are grateful to those international partners for their moral clarity and for recognizing that Iran, this terror state, and its many terror proxies are a threat to Israel but they are a global threat.”
Dadon acknowledged, “We have yet to see the broader international community recognize that.”
Threat of Iran
She explained that Iran is the largest terror organization in the world. Though currently a threat to Israel, an even broader threat internationally. “It is a threat to the free world. It’s a threat to all who value life, freedom, and humanity.”
Dadon added, “ We are seeing the United States, European countries, and countries in our region recognize the threat Iran poses to the region and the world. Iran has shown it is willing to act on the threats that it is making.”
Antisemitism / protests
Over the last several months, there has been a rise in antisemitism across the country and in Georgia. This past session, the state legislature passed an antisemitism bill that Governor Kemp signed into law. He also has taken a stand that antisemitism would not be tolerated in Georgia.
Dadon applauded Governor Kemp for his action. “We need more such leadership.”
She explained that the Anti-Defamation League has been tracking antisemitism in the United States over the last few decades. Since they started tracking these incidents, the number has risen several hundred percent in the United States, “Averaging an antisemitic incident every hour, of every day throughout the year,” Dadon confirmed.
Dadon addressed the pro-Palestinian protests that are taking place on college campuses and in cities across America. “In the media, they reference them as pro-Palestinian. This terminology must change!”
She added, ”There is nothing pro-Palestinian about supporting Hamas. There is nothing pro-Palestinian about supporting terror. There is nothing pro-Palestinian about supporting the genocide of the Jewish people,” she states.
Dadon admonished college presidents and administrations for not taking a stand against the demonstrations on their campuses. “Where the president and the administration have not taken a clear stand, they need to be called out because there is no such thing as neutrality in the face of evil. There is no such thing as neutrality in the face of terror, of murder, of rape. They must take a clear moral stand.”
Palestinian freedom
As it relates to the Palestinian people, Dadon states, “The Palestinians in Gaza deserve to be free from Hamas. A terror organization that is oppressing its own people, that is willingly and intentionally putting their civilians in harm’s way, using them as human shields because in their thwarted minds, the more casualties from their own people, the better it serves their agenda.”
Before the gala, she made it clear who was Israel’s enemy. “The Palestinian people and the Iranian people are not our enemy. Our enemy is the Iranian terror state, that terror regime and its terror proxies,” Dadon states.
Gender-based violence
There have been numerous reports of crimes committed against women during the October 7 attack. Not only was torture and murder committed against women, but rape and gang rape as well. According to Dadon, there are 19 women currently held hostage by Hamas. Reports from released hostages state those 19 women are subjected to rape on an ongoing basis.
She expressed her disappointment in international organizations not speaking out against the gender-based violence that Hamas committed during the October 7 attack and continues to this day. “Within the international community, we’ve also seen international women’s organizations fail to find their voice in the face of the gender-based violence that was committed against Israeli women and girls on October 7th.”
Dadon added, ”What kind of standing do they have as organizations ‘supposedly’ dedicated to the rights of women everywhere if they cannot find their voice when it comes to Israeli women and girls?”
American support
She applauded the United States and American support for Israel recently and for the last 75 years. Dadon pointed out that Israel is a sovereign nation and is only protecting itself as any sovereign nation would after a terrorist attack. No country would sit back and wait for another attack. She asks, ”Why is Israel expected to do so?”
Her plea to America and Americans as individuals was to spread the truth about Israel. Now is the time for people to visit southern Israel and witness what happened on October 7. Now is the time to speak out against hate and misinformation.
Press conference
Before the event, Dadon held a press conference to inform local media about ongoing events in Israel and her role in the United States. At the beginning of the press conference, she presented a short video that contained clips of the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023.
The horribly graphic video lasted approximately seven minutes. The footage was obtained by the Israeli government and the Israeli Defense Force from cell phone transmissions and cell phones seized from Hamas terrorists. The footage was shot as the attack was in progress, demonstrating the indiscriminate shooting of Israelis and foreigners in southern Israel.
One reporter looked away halfway through the viewing of the video due to the gruesome graphic nature of the footage.
The video shown during the press conference was a shortened version of a 45-minute video that had been compiled by the Israeli government and shown to U.S. government officials and select journalists.
