Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) strongly urged his Democratic colleagues to stand with Israel during his floor speech Thursday, stating they should not boycott Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's March 3 address to Congress.
A growing number of Democrats have said they will skip Netanyahu's address out of protest, including Vice President Joe Biden. They have the right to voice concerns, Rubio said, but he reminded them of the plight of Jews worldwide, the Jewish state's perilous status and the strong alliance they should enjoy with the United States.
Rubio also spoke about the threat posed to Israel by a nuclear Iran and the legitimacy of Netanyahu's concerns about that becoming a reality.
"Don’t do this to a people that are in the crosshairs of multiple terrorist groups with the capability of attacking them," Rubio said. "Don’t do this to a nation whose civilians are terrorized by thousands of rockets launched against them at a moment’s notice. Don’t do this to a country that’s facing down the threat of a nuclear weapon annihilating them off the face of the Earth. Don’t do this to a people that are being stigmatized all over the world, even as we speak, who are being oppressed. Don’t do this to a country that in forum after forum has become the subject of de-legitimatization as people argue that somehow Israel’s right to exist is not real. Don’t do this to them."