Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres has every reason in the world to keep a low profile when it comes to Israel. There is not a day that goes by without pro-Hamas activists harassing him. Videos against him on social media are routine. His positions are very unacceptable in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party. Even his mother suffers.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
But Torres, 36 with the life story of a 63-year-old, does not let up. His support for Israel is not only general or partial. Torres gets to the root of the issues, argues with hostile interviewers, fends off annoying activists, and stands by Israel without any buts or caveats. In the international landscape of non-Jewish supporters of Israel, he undoubtedly stands out prominently alongside figures like Douglas Murray.
Torres, an openly gay man, carries a difficult but common life story in the black community in the United States. His Puerto Rican father left the home in the early years of his childhood. His mother raised him and his three siblings alone in public housing in the Bronx. The mold and stuffiness caused the young Ritchie to develop asthma and led to hospitalizations and clinical depression. He dropped out of school and searched for meaning – until he turned to public office and rose like a meteor.
At the age of 25, he was elected to the New York City Council, and since January 2021, he has been a member of the House of Representatives for New York's 15th Congressional District. More than a decade ago, he was exposed to the full story about Israel, the one that is usually not told in the circles in which he grew up. Since then, he has stood by our side.
This week in Jerusalem was our second meeting. The previous time was in the summer of 2022 after Operation Guardian of the Walls brought what then appeared to be an unprecedented surge in antisemitic incidents in the United States. Torres told me then that because of his support for Israel, he "takes more flak than on any other issue. And I'm attacked precisely because I'm a minority as if I'm a traitor. Death threats, insults, accusing me of apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and genocide (against the Palestinians, ed.). A white activist on Twitter even ironically accused me of belonging to 'white supremacy'... I'm a tough guy from the Bronx and my skin is thick, but my pain is about what these attacks do to the people I love, like my mother."
Torres came to Israel on behalf of the UJA-Federation of New York and this is his first visit since the outbreak of the war. Unlike many American politicians who initially came for a solidarity visit but over time criticized Israel – Torres has remained consistent. To the point that he had to leave the progressive caucus in the House of Representatives because of its stance on Israel. During the six months of the war, he also actively worked against the antisemitism of his extremist party colleague Rashida Tlaib.
Video: The interview with Congressman Ritchie Torres
At times, Torres explains us better than we do ourselves. "It's my sixth time in Israel. But it's my first since October 7. I found a country that's been transformed. I mean, Israel has been shaken to the core. By October 7, the country remains in a state of mourning, and grief, and shock. But what's been striking is the resilience of the Israeli people. I went to the Nova music festival, the scene of the massacre, to speak with one of the survivors, and he had a tag that read, we will dance again. And so the words we will dance again, I think beautifully captures the resilience that's so deeply encoded in the Israeli DNA. And that remains powerfully at work in our present moment."
Q: You're still talking about October 7, but the feeling of many here in Israel is that the world is forgetting and that the story has even turned around, and now the blame is being placed on Israel, even though Hamas did things that haven't been seen since World War II.
"We're living in a world of rapidly growing amnesia, about October 7. And my message to the world is that October 7, was a crime against the Jewish state, a crime against humanity so barbaric, that it cannot be ignored. It cannot be forgotten, and can never be repeated. And Hamas must be removed from power. And the perpetrators of Hamas, like Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, must be brought to justice. And Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas in the wake of October 7, just like the United States had a right to defend itself against al-Qaida in the wake of 9/11, self-defense is the right and responsibility of every nation-state including the Jewish nation.
"Hamas continues to have four battalions in Rafah. Any outcome short of removing Hamas from power would constitute a strategic failure. No country, including Israel, should be expected to coexist with a genocidal terrorist organization on its borders, Israel has no choice but to remove Hamas from power. Because if Hamas remains in power, it will regroup, rearm, and attempt to repeat October 7, which Israel cannot afford."
Q: So what do you say to those media outlets, editors, and reporters, who are now turning criticism and blame toward Israel, which is fighting in a civilian area with all the difficulties involved?
I would convey to him what I said to the defense minister, I said, 'No, Israel is fighting in the most complex war zone in human history, like Gaza is a hellscape of terror tunnels and booby trap buildings and combatants camouflage to civilians. Hamas is known to hide behind civilians as human shields. It's known to hide military assets in schools and hospitals and places of worship. And so the cause of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is not Israel. It is Hamas' unprecedented militarization of its own population. And that critical context is lost in all the criticism of Israel.
Q: What you're saying is actually quite similar to what most people here are saying and feeling, but the feeling is that many Americans, including the president, the vice president, and Secretary Blinken, have changed. In the first few days and weeks, we received unqualified support, but now the rhetoric has turned in the other direction, and they are mainly criticizing Israel. What do you have to say to the president about that?
"Look, the keyword is rhetoric. The change that we've seen is at the level of rhetoric, but US policy toward Israel remains fundamentally the same. The US-Israel relationship remains fundamentally the same. And President Biden continues to provide us with the supplies that it needs to win the war. You know, it is healthy to have disagreements in a relationship and a marriage and a friendship. But I wished the disagreements were in private. I think when those disagreements surface publicly, it plays into the hands of Hamas and the information war against Israel. I would tell it to both sides. Because I think what we're witnessing is not a change in policy, but a clash of personalities, between the Biden administration and the Netanyahu administration. And I think we have to put egos aside for the good of the US-Israel relationship. I would tell people to pay attention not to the rhetoric, but to the policy, there's been no change in the policy and the administration just approved arms, the transfer of weapons to Israel, like that, that is suggestive that the policy remains in place.
According to Torres, the rhetoric has changed. "President Biden is a Zionist to the core. He feels it in his kishke [Yiddish for guts] and there is no doubt in my mind that he will remain supportive."
Although in his view the gap between the allies is largely rhetorical, Torres speaks out against one of the administration's moves, which deeply disappointed many in Israel.
Not every disagreement has to be aired publicly. That's it's unconstructive. The Biden administration has been fundamentally supportive of Israel. I respectfully disagreed with the decision to abstain from the UN Security Council resolution. The resolution did call for the release of the hostages and did call for a temporary ceasefire. But it fails to link the two. And so the d-linking of those two demands, gives Hamas enhanced leverage, both in the war and in the hostage negotiations. And so I thought the US abstention from the Security Council resolution was a profound misjudgment. But it was an aberration in an otherwise pro-Israel administration.
Q: In your opinion, can Israel be confident that at the practical level, Biden will continue to support the war's goal of eliminating Hamas until the end?
"I remain confident, it seems to me the debate is not whether to go into Rafa but how, right there has to be an evacuation of civilians first. And then Israel needs to conduct a military operation to dismantle the four remaining battalions. If you judge him by the standards of history, he has given Israel more latitude than any president who came before him. Now remember, George W. Bush, pressured Israel to end the Second Lebanon War, and the international community pressured Israel to enter into a ceasefire that kept Hezbollah in power. And that ceasefire has come back to haunt Israel, like the present crisis in the north, a displacement of thousands of Israelis. They've become exiles in their own land. Right? That is the consequence of a UN Security Council that kept Hezbollah in power.
Q; The feeling here is that often senior members of the administration are trying, in a gentle way, to effectively bring about an end to the war.
"It is in the nature of the media to overreact to every political event."
Q: You are part of the progressive wing of the party. You are black, Latino, and LGBT. According to the stereotypes, someone like you is against Israel or should be against Israel, but you choose, in my opinion, to be a hero. And you get a lot of criticism on a daily basis in the media and on social networks. So what brings you to pay such a high price, and keep supporting Israel as a Jewish state?
"I cannot imagine a greater threat to liberal democracy than an ideology that justifies and glorifies violence and terror of the kind we saw on October 7th. It is a threat to our civilization, and I will do everything in my power to fight against this kind of extremism, to speak out against the anti-Semitism of October 7th, the celebration of October 7th, and the denial of October 7th."
Q: So what do you make of the fact that those calling themselves progressive organizations are marching hand-in-hand with Hamas?
"It shows that human folly knows no bounds. I mean, there's nothing more inexplicable than the organization 'LGBTQ+ for Palestine'. I have a simple rule in life: Never march with those who want to kill you."
Let's move on to a topic that you and I discussed in your office in Congress two years ago. You belong to the progressive side of the Democratic Party. You're black, Latino, a member of the LGBTQ+ community. According to all the stereotypes, someone like you is supposed to be a critic of Israel. Instead, you are supportive, and you pay a heavy price for it. What leads you to take this position?
"It's the right thing to do. The US-Israel relationship is one of the most important friendships in the world. For me, Israel is an oasis of liberal democracy. In a region where none exist. There is no country in the Middle East and there are a few countries on earth that are as protective of women's rights and minority rights and LGBTQ rights as the State of Israel. There is no country on Earth that has a greater density of ingenuity. Now, even though it's been often said that even though 60% of Israel is a desert, it has emerged as a water superpower on the strength of its own ingenuity. It has been a leader in desalination technology, it has one of the most impressive high-tech economies in the history of the world. I cannot help but stand in awe of what the Israeli people have achieved. And it's and for me, you know, a country that provides a sanctuary for historically oppressed people is profoundly progressive.
Q: You mentioned the issue of human rights. We are still seeing silence from organizations working for women's rights and human rights.
"I think those so-called human rights organizations have betrayed their mission. UN Women, which is the women's rights arms of the United Nations, went nearly two months, without uttering a word without condemning the rape and the sexual atrocities perpetrated by Hamas. You know, I'm reminded of a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said that history will record that the greatest tragedy is not the strident clamor of the bad people. But it's the appalling silence of the good people. And what we've seen in the aftermath of October 7 is appalling silence and cowardice and indifference from so-called progressives from so-called human rights organizations, from institutions that we once admired colleges and universities. For me, this is not only about Israel and the Jewish community, this is about the future of our civilization. If we as a civilization cannot condemn with moral clarity, the butchering of babies, the murder of children and civilians, and we have to ask ourselves, what are we becoming as a civilization? And what it says about the depth of antisemitism in our soul. And so I worry that we are in danger of rotting from within because of antisemitism
Q: You know, the truth is that these organizations are not just staying silent. Many of them are actually supporting the pro-Hamas protests and rallies across the US and the West. So I agree with you. What is the future for those who truly support human rights and liberalism?
"I cannot imagine a greater threat to liberal democracy than an ideology that justifies and even glorifies violence and terror, the kind of violence and terror that we saw on October 7. It is a threat to our civilization. And I'm going to do everything in my power to combat that kind of extremism to speak out against the antisemitism of October 7 denial or October 7 celebration.
Q: But we see many, so-called progressive organizations who actually go hand to hand with Hamas. So what does it tell about the future of people who really support human rights?
"Well, it shows that human stupidity has no limits. Like nothing is more inexplicable to me than the organization Queers for Palestine. You know, I have a simple rule of life, never side with people who would murder you. And, there's nothing remotely progressive about Hamas, or Hezbollah, or the Houthis. There's nothing remotely progressive about these terrorist organizations. And anyone who claims otherwise is living in an alternate reality."
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
