Iowa Democrats have been largely quiet on an anti-Israel “die-in” targeting one of Iowa’s largest employers, while the state’s likely GOP nominee told the Washington Reporter that she “stand[s] with Israel.”
At a University of Iowa job fair, activists wearing COVID masks and doctors’ uniforms drenched in fake blood demanded that Collins Aerospace — one of the largest employers in Iowa — “end [its] complicity” with Israel.
“Israel bombs, Iowa builds,” one of the signs read. Another said “don’t kill for Collins.”
Rep. Ashley Hinson (R., Iowa), who is running for the state’s open Senate seat, was quick to side with the Iowa company.
“Hamas terrorists are 100 percent responsible for the suffering in Gaza following their horrific October 7 attacks where they murdered entire families, dragged women through the streets, and kidnapped Americans and continue to use civilians as pawns,” Hinson said. She also singled out one of her potential Democratic opponents, state Senator Zach Wahls, and called on him to take a stance on the issue.
The Reporter reached out to both Wahls and to state Representative Josh Turek for comment about the die in. Neither responded.
Hinson wasn’t alone in criticizing Wahls for his silence. “Today’s Democrat Party is so extreme that they can’t even condemn terrorists that murdered innocent men, women, and children,” Samantha Cantrell, the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s (NRSC) regional press secretary, told the Reporter. “The contrast could not be more clear: Ashley Hinson stands with Israel and Zach Wahls sides with terrorists.”
For years, anti-Israel activists have targeted Collins Aerospace for its ties to Israel. The company, which is a subsidiary of RTX, formerly Raytheon, helps equip Israeli fighter jets to target Palestinian terrorists in and around the Gaza Strip.
