Georgia lawmakers back home after being caught in middle of Israeli conflict

ATLANTA — Two Georgia lawmakers are back home after they were in Israel when the Hamas attacks first happened.

State Sen. Russ Goodman and state Rep. Karlton Howard told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot that they got out of the country through neighboring Jordan.

Goodman, of Cogdell, said he is very happy to be back home in South Georgia. He spent the past few days trying to get himself and his mother out of Israel.

Goodman shared photos with Elliot as he and his mother took a much-anticipated church trip to the Holy Land.

While they were on the Sea of Galilee, they got word of Hamas attacks south of them, and when they returned to their hotel, the war got uncomfortably close.

“We could hear the iron dome rockets going off from our hotel balcony. I think there were some rockets that landed about a mile and a half from our hotel. We could hear small arms fire,” Goodman said.

Howard, of Augusta, said he was with his church group getting baptized in the River Jordan when the attacks happened.

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“We started Googling and finding out what had happened. They had declared war that day,” Howard said.

State and federal government officials worked to get Howard and Goodman’s groups out of Israel because, as American elected officials, the Israelis worried both men were high-value targets for terrorists.

Both were finally able to get out through Jordan.

“I’m a big believer in prayer, and I know there’s because of those prayers, and God’s grace, that we made it home and made it safe,” Goodman said.

Howard said his prayers were answered, too and he kept praying for innocents on both sides.

“We feel saddened with all the deaths that are taking place on both sides of that conflict,” Howard said.

Goodman credits his Israeli tour guide, an ex-soldier, who stayed with them and protected them even though missiles were falling close to his own home and family.

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