One by one, Gov. Brian Kemp embraced a group of grieving Israelis on Tuesday outside his Capitol office. He emerged 20 minutes later, visibly shaken over the “horrific” stories from the relatives of civilians taken hostage by Hamas earlier this month.
“To hear it from victims and family members makes it more real but also unreal that something like this could happen,” said Kemp, whose wife, Marty, blinked back tears as she added: “You hug them, cry with them. It’s family.”
As the Israel-Hamas war escalates, few Georgia politicians have staked such outspoken support for Israel as Kemp, a second-term Republican who may have national ambitions in 2026.
He has positioned himself as an unwavering supporter of Israel in its battle with Hamas, which he has condemned as an “evil” organization bent on destroying the Jewish state.
The governor has instructed the state treasurer to invest $10 million in Israeli bonds, pledged to protect Jewish people from violent protests and rebuked former President Donald Trump for praising Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant organization the U.S. has designated as a terrorist group.
“You’re dealing with terrorists in Hamas that have attacked families that were asleep in the middle of the night or early in the morning,” he said. “People like this don’t care what laws are, and they obviously don’t care about human life. We value that. And sometimes you have to fight for that.”
Kemp’s stance comes amid a growing political rift in Georgia over the escalating violence.
While key political leaders from both parties united to condemn the deadly Hamas attacks, some Democrats have expressed grave concerns about the plight of Palestinian civilians killed in Israeli counterstrikes, and they’ve called for de-escalation of violence or a resumption in peace talks.
Meanwhile, key community leaders and politicians have urged Kemp to take more decisive action to support the Jewish community.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
State Rep. Esther Panitch, a Sandy Springs Democrat who is the only Jewish member of the Legislature, urged Kemp to press legislators to pass a measure designed to combat antisemitism during a special legislative session set to begin Nov. 29.
The legislation, House Bill 30, stalled earlier this year, and Panitch this week criticized lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who refused to support it during legislative debate.
“For those who voted no against it, or who tried to block it, I haven’t heard from any of you — not one,” she said. “So please don’t tell me how much you hate antisemitism when the Jewish world is burning.”
The governor said he won’t add the measure to the agenda for the November session, which will be dominated by a court-ordered overhaul of Georgia’s political map and a vote on a gas tax break.
But he indicated he could endorse the measure ahead of next year’s legislative session, and his allies often note that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu specifically lobbied him to embrace the measure during a May visit to Israel.
Credit: Israel GPO/Kobi Gideon
Credit: Israel GPO/Kobi Gideon
“I think people know we’re very open-minded when it comes to those things,” the governor said, “but I wouldn’t want to get into specifics right now.”
Key GOP officials say Kemp could also endorse legislation that would criminalize the distribution of “litter” on private property for the purpose of harassing the owner’s race or religion to deter hate groups who have targeted Jewish leaders with antisemitic flyers.
And they say lawmakers could consider outlawing those who project images and text onto private property without the owner’s consent after a white supremacist group cast “Heil Hitler” on an I-75 overpass in Cobb County this weekend.
Israel has stepped up its attacks in the Gaza Stip and vowed to crush Hamas following an Oct. 7 rampage that left more than 1,400 Israelis dead. More than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million Palestinians have fled their homes, and the Hamas-run Health Ministry says more than 8,500 Palestinians have been killed in the war.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that Israel conducted airstrikes near Gaza City as ground troops battled Hamas militants across northern Gaza, where several hundred thousand Palestinians remain.
The Israel Defense Forces, according to The Washington Post, took responsibility Tuesday for an attack on the Jabalya refugee camp on the outskirts of Gaza City. The Hamas-run Interior Ministry reported a large number of casualties but did not immediately provide details.
The families of Israeli hostages, meanwhile, met with Kemp and other state leaders to try to steer the focus on their plight amid the escalating ground war.
“Our hostages, our family members — we would like the world to see them as your own,” said Shani Segal, whose cousins were taken captive by Hamas. “It’s about being human. Civilians cannot be taken from their homes. That is not something we can tolerate.”
She was one of a half-dozen Israelis who met Monday with lawmakers and business leaders before headlining a “Bring Them Home” rally at an Atlanta synagogue to steer more attention to their relatives who were abducted by Hamas.
Among those who spoke to Kemp on Tuesday was Or Sella, who had 12 family members victimized in the Oct. 7 attack. Three were killed. Two were taken captive and released. Seven more are still being held hostage by Hamas.
“As a family we are the first to help others, to strive for peace,” Sella said. “These are the most beautiful people, and these are the ones who were targeted. We still can’t imagine it’s real.”
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