Bellevue, WA – Rep. Adam Smith said his Bellevue home was vandalized Thursday night by “people advocating” for a cease-fire in Gaza.
“This attack is sadly reflective of the coarsening of the political discourse in our country, and is completely unwarranted, unnecessary, and harmful to our political system,” Smith said in a statement Friday.
Smith, a Democrat, serves as the U.S. representative for Washington’s 9th Congressional District, which covers much of King County. The Bellevue Police Department confirmed it responded to a malicious mischief report at 9:13 a.m. Friday.
“Throughout the course of my career, my staff and I have continually met with groups from all parts of the political spectrum, including pro-Palestinian and left-wing activists, and I remain open to meeting with these groups and discussing our differences and where we can come together in a productive and peaceful way,” Smith continued in his statement. “We must engage with politics in this way and reject the rise in political violence that we have witnessed over the past several years.
“The extremism on both the left and right side of our political spectrum is a threat to a healthy, functioning democracy and has been condoned for far too long. The simple truth is that extremism on both sides is degrading to our political system and must be rooted out for our democracy to be able to persist.
“The world is increasingly complicated and full of tough challenges that require strong leaders. I am committed to taking on these challenges and this act of vandalism has only made me more determined to remain in politics to ensure that we resolve our differences in a peaceful way that truly reflects representative democracy.”
Israel’s war with Hamas erupted again Friday, days after a deadly bus stop attack by Hamas outside of Jerusalem during the cease-fire, as airstrikes hit houses and buildings in the Gaza Strip minutes after a weeklong truce expired. Health authorities in the besieged territory reported dozens of Palestinians killed and Israel dropped leaflets over Gaza City and southern parts of the enclave, urging civilians to flee to avoid the fighting.
Militants in Gaza resumed firing rockets into Israel, and fighting broke out between Israel and Hezbollah militants operating along its northern border with Lebanon.
The resumption of the war threatens to compound the suffering in Gaza. Some 2 million people — almost its entire population — are crammed into the territory’s south, where Israel urged people to relocate at the war’s start and has since vowed to extend its ground assault. Unable to go into north Gaza or neighboring Egypt, their only escape is to move around within the 85-square-mile area (220 square kilometers).
Renewed hostilities also heighten concerns for about 140 hostages still held captive by Hamas and other militants, after more than 100 were freed during the truce. For families of remaining hostages, the truce’s collapse was a blow to hopes their loved ones could be the next out after days of seeing others freed.
Qatar, which has served as a mediator along with Egypt, said negotiators were still trying for a deal to restore the cease-fire. Israel and Hamas traded blame for ending the truce.
A day earlier, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israeli officials to do more to protect Palestinian civilians as they seek to destroy Hamas. Blinken met Friday with Arab foreign ministers at global climate talks in Dubai.
Blinken said the peaceful pause ended when Hamas reportedly killed three people and wounded others, including Americans, in an attack at a bus stop outside Jerusalem. Blinken added that Hamas began firing rockets before the pause ended.
It was not clear to what extent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will heed the appeals of the United States, Israel’s most important ally.
Netanyahu’s office said Friday that Israel “is committed to achieving the goals of the war,” including releasing the hostages and eliminating Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007.
In response to the U.S. calls, the Israeli military released an online map dividing the Gaza Strip into hundreds of numbered, haphazardly drawn parcels. It asked residents to learn the number of their location in case of an eventual evacuation. The map did not designate safe areas to evacuate to, and it was not clear how easily Palestinians could access it.
Hours into the renewed bombardment, Gaza’s Health Ministry said 109 people were killed and dozens wounded. Israel said it struck more than 200 Hamas targets.
Since the war began, more than 13,300 Palestinians have died, roughly two-thirds of them women and minors, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
The toll is likely much higher, as officials have only sporadically updated the count since Nov. 11. The ministry says thousands more people are feared dead under the rubble.
