Republican Florida Rep. Brian Mast showed up in an Israeli army jacket Friday to express support for Israel, and slammed Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib for displaying a Palestinian flag.
“As the only member to serve with both the United States Army and the Israel Defense Forces, I will always stand with Israel. Tlaib’s got her flag. I got my uniform. ‘Global Day of Rage’ my ass,” Mast tweeted.
As the only member to serve with both the United States Army and the Israel Defense Forces, I will always stand with Israel.
Tlaib’s got her flag. I got my uniform. “Global Day of Rage” my ass. pic.twitter.com/WPWvst17ww
— Rep. Brian Mast (@RepBrianMast) October 13, 2023
Mast was seemingly referring to the Palestinian flag outside the Democratic congresswoman’s office, per a photo shared by The Washington Examiner’s Reese Gorman on Monday. A journalist confronted Tlaib in the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday and asked whether she would condemn any of the atrocities committed against Israeli civilians by Hamas, a terrorist organization. She repeatedly refused to answer the journalist’s questions, including one about the flag. (RELATED: ‘Are You Seriously Asking Me About Palestinian Civilians?’: Naftali Bennett Unloads On Reporter)
Tlaib released a statement saying, in part, she “grieve[s] the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day. I am determined as ever to fight for a just future where everyone can live in peace, without fear and with true freedom, equal rights, and human dignity.”
The “Global Day of Rage” referenced by Mast was a call by a former Hamas chief for Muslims to rise up Friday and wage “jihad” and sacrifice their “blood and souls” to show support for Hamas and Gaza. More than 1,200 people, including at least 25 Americans, have been killed in Israel following Hamas’s Saturday assault on the southern part of the country.
Mast served as a bomb disposal expert in Afghanistan and lost his legs due to a hidden explosive device going off, CBN reported. He volunteered in 2015 to work at an Israeli army base in a civilian capacity for two weeks, the Jewish Press reported.