On Oct. 7, Hamas, the terrorist group governing Gaza, started a war against Israel with a barbaric attack targeting civilian communities across southern Israel. More than 1,400 civilians were gruesomely slaughtered, including 260 young people attending a peace concert and entire families hiding in their homes, many burned alive.<\/p>\n
Bone-chilling stories of rape, torture, kidnappings and beheadings have been reported, and, according to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, were \u201cworse than what I saw with (the Islamic State).\u201d At least 27 American citizens are confirmed killed, and another 14 remain unaccounted for. Families have been torn apart, including in our community. I have heard from many friends in Israel who have lost loved ones and seen unspeakable horrors.<\/p>\n
Oct. 7 has been called Israel\u2019s 9\/11, but Hamas is not halfway around the world like al-Qaida. Rather, it is entrenched on Israel\u2019s border. There can be no peace for the Palestinians and Israelis as long as Hamas controls Gaza and remains a threat to Israel.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to recognize that Hamas has oppressed the Palestinians over whom they rule for decades before this unspeakable attack. Rather than building schools, hospitals and industry to lift up their own people, Hamas built a terrorist army to destroy Israel and kill Jews. Israel is at war with Hamas, not with the Palestinian people.<\/p>\n
And let me be clear. Israel has not only the right but also the obligation to defend itself. Israel must protect its citizens, secure its borders and rescue its captives, no matter how long it takes. And Israel must destroy Hamas\u2019 ability to ever again attack Israel like it did on Oct. 7, the worst day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.<\/p>\n
The United States, Congress and the American people stand resolutely with Israel. That has been clearly and beautifully articulated by President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Austin. It has been demonstrated by the immediate assistance the United States has provided Israel, including munitions and Iron Dome interceptors and positioning U.S. ships in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Our relationship with Israel is ironclad. Support for Israel in Congress is steadfast.<\/p>\n
I was supposed to be in Israel this past week for a conference to talk about the Abraham Accords. We were supposed to be exchanging ideas for expanding the normalization of relations between the Jewish state of Israel and Arab nations. We planned to be celebrating the beautiful idea codified in the Abraham Accords that Jews and Arabs belong to the land and that by embracing each other, Jews and Arabs can live together in peace.<\/p>\n