Sen. Cruz Praises Decision to Recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital and Move U.S. Embassy, Observes National Police Week
Discusses visit to Jerusalem, honors fallen officers with KTRH’s Michael Berry and WOAI’s Joe Pags
WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) appeared on KTRH’s ‘The Michael Berry Show,’ and WOAI’s ‘The Joe Pags Show’ to discuss his visit to Israel for the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem and recognize National Police Week.
On the Joe Pags Show, Sen. Cruz discussed his attendance at the opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, calling the move a ‘powerful message’ to both friends and enemies of America.
“When the modern state of Israel was created 70 years ago, Jerusalem was its capital then and it’s been its capital every day since then,” Sen. Cruz said. “And yet for 70 years we’ve operated under this fiction where we have treated – we’ve had our embassy in Tel Aviv. We’ve ignored the fact that the Knesset is in Jerusalem, we’ve ignored the fact that the Supreme Court is in Jerusalem that the Prime Minister is in Jerusalem, that the President is in Jerusalem, and it’s the only country on earth where we don’t have our embassy in their capital city. Yesterday, President Trump did the right thing, he followed through on a campaign commitment, and we opened the embassy in Jerusalem. […] We dedicated the American embassy in Jerusalem, and I think it powerfully says to both our friends and our enemies, that America stands by Israel unshakably, and we stand by our friends.”
When asked by Michael Berry about the violence in Gaza and what the media is portraying as peaceful protests on the Israeli border, Sen. Cruz condemned Hamas for using human shields and blasted the media for handing the Palestinian terror group propaganda victories.
“They weren’t [peaceful protests] at all, and what we’re seeing from the media is absolute propaganda. It’s absolutely shameless,” Sen. Cruz said. “What’s going on is a propaganda effort, which is to coincide with the opening of the embassy. Hamas is sending people out to die charging the wall with maps. If they breach the wall and enter Israel, they have maps of where there are residential communities and go and commit a terror act. They’re using Molotov cocktails. One of the things they’re using is they’re flying kites with Molotov cocktails attached to the kite, in order to get the kite over the wall and use it to light on fire the Israeli fields and to wage terror. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) are protecting the nation of Israel from terrorists who are attacking and provoking. [The terrorists] are using human shields because they know that the media will be as the phrase goes, useful idiots, and will put on the front pages the pictures of these Palestinians that the terrorists have sent there to die, precisely because they want to use that to try to undermine Israel.”
Sen. Cruz also recognized National Police Week, thanking officers and their families for their bravery, and honoring those who have fallen in the line of duty.
“We’re all grateful to the incredible heroes who protect us every day, the police officers that put their lives on the line,” Sen. Cruz said to Berry. “Just a few weeks ago I hosted an event up in Fort Worth that was honoring fallen police officers. It included a number of family members from the Dallas five – the five police officers who were murdered during a Black Lives Matter protest. We had hundreds of officers there and their families, and we stood and gave tribute to their service. As Texans we’re grateful, we say thank you for it. Today across the country, we’re thanking the everyday heroes that we live next door to who keep us safe and secure. We’re grateful for their bravery.”
Audio from Sen. Cruz’s interviews may be found below:
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