Two Oregon lawmakers are among 250 state legislators across the U.S. who visited Israel this week on a trip sponsored by the Israeli government.
Israel hosted Rep. David Gomberg, D-Otis, and Rep. Emily McIntire, R-Eagle Point, on a trip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as the largest-ever bipartisan delegation of American lawmakers to visit. The Consulate General of Israel, calling the trip “50 States, One Israel,” is covering the lawmakers’ cost of air travel, lodging, ground transportation and meals between Sept. 13 and Sept. 18.
The visit comes as the Israeli military began its ground invasion of Gaza City this week, pushing troops into the war-torn city after nearly two years of raids and bombardment. It also coincides with Oregon’s junior U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley introducing legislation Thursday calling for the U.S. to formally recognize a Palestinian state.
Gomberg, answering a phone call from the Oregon Capital Chronicle at 1 a.m. in Israel, said the week has been emotional, full of sleepless nights and that he’s still processing what he’s seen.
He said the group of lawmakers had the opportunity to ask Netanyahu and Israeli President Izaac Herzog questions and visit the music festival site where Hamas militants raided an Israeli community near the Gaza Strip, killing and kidnapping dozens in a surprise attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
At the same time, he said he heard bombs going off in Gaza a mile and a half away.
“I’m not here to support what’s going on,” he said. “I’m here to better understand what’s going on. I know Oregonians have strong opinions about this, so they deserve to have legislators who care about the facts and care about the people. Getting an opportunity to go to the places where this sad conflict began is very distressing.”
Gomberg, who is Jewish, said he understands if constituents and legislative colleagues are upset by his visit to Israel. Outside of the itinerary organized by the Israeli government, he said he and other lawmakers have met with local Israelis who believe the country is guilty of genocide in Gaza.
“Certainly the government of Israel has an agenda, but that doesn’t mean it’s my agenda or the agenda of all the legislators that are here,” he said. “I think it’s time for this conflict to end, and I’m trying to better understand why it’s continuing.”
Before the trip concluded Thursday, Gomberg said he and other lawmakers met with the U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
McIntire said in an email from Israel that traveling to the country has always been a dream for her, and the trip has only solidified her support for Israel.
“To see what the Israelites endure, bomb shelters in every home or village, on the streets, the bus stops, and in hotel basements, knowing their children grow up with the sound of war, like thunder in the background, sirens at all hours of the day and night — and for what?” she said.
The trip will forever change her perspective, she said.
“These people fight to defend their country, their families, their freedoms, as would we — and we did — when terrorists attacked our country 24 years ago. Israel wants and desires peace, but for them, there is no peace if Hamas exists,” McIntire said.
— Mia Maldonado, Oregon Capital Chronicle