Before the Arizona Globe even launched, a particular photo (below) caught our eye. On the desk belonging to Representative David Marshall (R-7) sat three flags— the state of Arizona, the American flag, and the blue and white national banner of the State of Israel. The photo was taken July 31, 2023.

Back on Sept 13, nearly a full month before Hamas launched murderous attacks on civilians in neighboring Israel, the Globe reached out to Marshall to inquire about the decorations.

Today, we got a reply and it’s as powerful and unequivocal a statement of support we’ve seen yet from an elected official. Here in its entirety is what Marshall told the Globe:

On September 11th, 2023, Joe Biden and his administration sent $6B to Iran with no accountability. Iran is an active financier of terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah – directly fueling the fire we are seeing in the current war in Israel.

Late last night, Hamas infiltrated Israel – seizing towns while murdering and raping innocent civilians.

The State of Israel has every right to defend itself and respond with overwhelming force to ensure that these events never take place again. Calls for Israel to back down and not retaliate are fueled by a hateful indifference as to the existence of the Jewish people and a Jewish state.

We stand with Israel.

Marshall, who sits on the Military Affairs and Public Safety and Judiciary Committees, comes to the question with some relevant experience. He is a former Police Officer, as well as a pastor of Calvary Chapel Snowflake. He became well known for efforts to “identify houses of faith as essential organizations” so that they would be protected from forced closures during any future pandemics.

Right now, politicians of both parties are issuing statements supporting Israel. While a few Democrats have called for “restraint” — widely interpreted as permission for Hamas to rain terror on its enemies without enduring retaliation, President Biden has surprised some with how forcefully he has come to Israel’s aid, including sending the Ford carrier group and its 5,000 sailors to the Eastern Mediterranean to be in position to strike on Israel’s behalf.

But Marshall stands out for his willingness to stand by an ally before it found itself under attack.