Martha McSally, candidate for Arizona's 2nd congressional district and the first American woman to fly in combat, met this week with Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin, Outreach Director of Chabad of Tucson.
Expressing her support for Israel, she said: "As the only real Democracy in the Middle East, Israel is an amazing example for other countries in the region to follow and has flourished despite continuous and often existential threats.
"It is vitally important that the U.S. and Israel maintain a close and strong partnership to defend our mutual vital interests and ensure that the security and defense of Israel is guaranteed well into the future."
Following her meeting with Rabbi Ceitlin at Maynard's Market in Downtown Tucson, McSally released the following statement on her Facebook page:
"Having carried out multiple deployments to the Middle East during my time in uniform, I wanted to express my thoughts on the current conflict ongoing in Israel:
"I strongly believe the Jewish people have the intrinsic right to self-defense. I stand in solidarity with Israel and believe they should be defending their citizens from unprovoked rocket and tunnel attacks, and not from John Kerry and the White House.
"Hamas is a terrorist organization funded by Iran. They have proven time and time again they are unwilling to cooperate, and, as I write this, have broken four cease-fires. It is impossible to come to the negotiating table when one side wants the other completely exterminated.
"Israel wants to live in peace. They have shown good will in negotiating peace treaties with both the Jordanians and Egyptians.
"Hamas has repeatedly called for the obliteration of the Jewish state. Their tunnels must be destroyed, their rockets eliminated, and Hamas must be disarmed and neutralized. I stand with Israel. Am Yisrael Chai."