Olathe, Kan - Former State Rep. Patricia Lightner, Republican candidate for Congress in the 3rd District of Kansas, today issued a strong statement in defense of Israel in response to the recent controversy surrounding the incident on the Gaza-bound flotilla.

"While any loss of life is always regrettable, it is also critically important to remember the facts of the situation in the Middle East and remind ourselves of Israel's right to defend itself.

"It is an established fact that Hamas is a terrorist organization which has sworn to eliminate Israel from the map and is in a self-declared state of war against Israel. They effectively control the Gaza Strip, rendering it a state-like entity. Since Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, thousands of missiles have rained down on Israel. In an effort to defend itself against attacks, Israel along with Egypt has justifiably blockaded the Gaza Strip, while still allowing in humanitarian and food supplies. As with any blockade, Israel has a right to intercept vessels on high seas that are attempting to break that blockade, which was the apparent goal of the flotilla.

"Before the six ship flotilla set sail and as these ships approached Gaza , Israel repeatedly warned the flotilla not to try to break the blockade. Unfortunately, the flotilla did not heed Israel's warning and the Israelis were forced to respond. While boarding the ships only one of the six ships resisted -- it was only after the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) were attacked by those on board that ship did the IDF respond.

"Israel is the chief ally of the United States in the Middle East. It is important we stand with Israel and support its right to defend itself, as it did in this case."