|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited on Tuesday the site of the Nova music festival in southern Israel, where he met massacre survivor Natalie Sanandaji.
Sanandaji — a Long Island native who now works for the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) as a public affairs officer — shared with Pompeo and his wife Susan her account of the traumatic ordeal she endured on October 7th.
“I danced among all these people who did not make it out alive,” Sanandaji said, pointing toward photos of the more than 360 partygoers who were murdered. “We came to the party to escape from reality and you don’t expect reality to meet you there.”
Pompeo commented, “Israel has a duty and responsibility, no matter what the rest of the world says, to do its level best to ensure that something like this never happens again.”
“We are on sacred ground,” he added. “There is never anything like being on the ground even if you’ve read the stories and seen the videos.”
Later on Tuesday, Pompeo traveled to the city of Ofakim, which was also invaded by Hamas terrorists on October 7th.
He met there with a group of local municipal leaders, including Ofakim Mayor Yitzhak Danino, to hear about their recovery efforts following the attack.
Pompeo was also briefed by CAM CEO Sacha Roytman on the success of CAM’s Israel Emergency Support Fund, which was established in the immediate aftermath of October 7th to provide direct assistance to relief organizations operating on the ground in Israel to help victims and impacted communities, and raised more than $850,000.
Thrilled to welcome Secretary Pompeo (@mikepompeo) and his wife, esteemed friends of Israel and the Jewish people, who are visiting Israel to express their solidarity and support. It was a privilege to showcase the impactful efforts of the Combat Antisemitism Movement… pic.twitter.com/t4mNPASyT4
— Sacha Roytman (@SachaRoytman) February 13, 2024
