Brief Remarks for Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Good morning.

    Thank you for joining us this morning.

    I appreciate all of you making the time to be here to show our support for Israel and its people in the face of the evil attacks of the last few days.

    Today in my capacity as acting governor, I've issued a proclamation calling for a day of prayer and declaring North Carolina Solidarity with Israel Week throughout the state.

    We honor and mourn the victims of the terrorist attacks by Hamas and their allies against Israel and its people.

    These terrorists launched an unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Israel and have taken hostages and murdered innocent civilians - even American citizens.

    The terrorists have attacked innocent civilians in their homes with their families, and brutally beaten, kidnapped or even murdered infants, the elderly and even survivors of the Holocaust.

    Many of you have already seen disturbing video and images of the violence that has occurred.

    These images show unspeakable brutality - truly the face of evil.

    As a father and grandfather myself, I can't imagine the fear that families whose loved ones have been killed or reported missing must be facing.

    We pray that God will comfort them and return those missing safely to their homes.


    These evil acts are unconscionable - but sadly they are only the latest in a long line of terrorist attacks by groups like Hamas and their allies.

    As a solemn commemoration of the lives that have been lost - and the fight against evil yet to come - as acting governor I've declared Thursday October 12 through Thursday October 19 as North Carolina Solidarity with Israel Week throughout the state.

    I've also proclaimed a day of prayer throughout the state to begin at sunset on Friday October 13 through sunset on Saturday October 14.

    We invite all North Carolinians to join us in this solemn commemoration.

    I'd also like to applaud lawmakers under the leadership of North Carolina Senate President Phil Berger and House Speaker Tim Moore for passing a resolution this week expressing support for our ally Israel, and calling on the support of Congress and the White House as well.

    I also appreciate Speaker Moore ordering the flags at half staff at the legislative building, and the governor calling for flags to fly at half-staff at state facilities.

    These many voices show the strength and unity of our resolve for our friend and ally Israel - and drown out a radical few that would sadly side with extremists who seek nothing less than wiping out the Jewish people and the State of Israel from the map.

    These radicals do not reflect the people of North Carolina, and they are setting a poor example for our young people.

    We sadly see student groups at colleges and universities and groups of fringe activists around the country - and even on campuses here in North Carolina - glorifying the terrorists' evil acts.

    One group at our state's flagship university even distributed a flyer featuring images of the motorized paragliders Hamas terrorists used to attack and brutalize innocent civilians.

    We are here today to condemn these extremist voices in the strongest possible terms.

    The people of North Carolina offer our hearts and our prayers to the people and the nation of Israel - and to our own countrymen and women - whose loved ones were killed, wounded or kidnapped...or who may soon face danger in the combat operations sure to come.

    The United States must stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel and its people in the face of this unprovoked and unjustified terrorist invasion.


    I ask all of you here today and the people of our great state to join us in this solemn commemoration, and to continue to offer our prayers and our support for Israel, its people and its military as they face down evil.

    God bless the people of Israel and the United States of America.

    I'm happy to take a few questions about today's proclamation.

Proclamation.pdf

• Contact: John Wesley Waugh
•     john.waugh@nc.gov