McConnell Statement on Terrorist Attacks Against Israel
‘In the face of such brazen acts of terror, it is of course Israel’s right to take swift and decisive action to defend its people... And it is the responsibility of every peaceful nation to condemn the terrorist organizations behind them, and to continue to expose those governments and private entities that provide illicit support for their actions. Foremost among them is Iran, which has become a critical lifeline for the terrorist activities of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) made the following remarks on the Senate floor regarding the attacks that took place this past weekend in Israel:
“Over the weekend we were given yet another tragic reminder of the daily threats that face our friends and allies in Israel. While American families enjoyed a spring weekend, those who make their home in the border regions of the Jewish state were subjected to a barrage of hundreds of rockets and other projectiles launched from within Gaza.
“The attacks were carried out by Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. They targeted civilian populations. They killed a worker at a cement factory, a truck driver in a border village, a man in the yard of his own home, and a rabbi as he left his car to run for cover. They caused countless Israeli citizens to scurry to bunkers for safety, unsure whether rockets would rain upon their farms, apartment buildings, schools, or hospitals. These attacks, we should remember, are targeted at Israel’s innocent civilians. They are intended to kill, to maim, to terrorize.
“In the face of such brazen acts of terror, it is of course Israel’s right to take swift and decisive action to defend its people. Frankly, it’s an existential necessity. And it is the responsibility of every peaceful nation to condemn the terrorist organizations behind them, and to continue to expose those governments and private entities that provide illicit support for their actions. Foremost among them is Iran, which has become a critical lifeline for the terrorist activities of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
“I know my colleagues will join me in expressing sympathy for the families of the victims and for the communities left to rebuild the wreckage of these latest attacks. Furthermore, I hope this weekend’s attacks could at least spur some action here in Congress, where Senate-passed legislation to renew and strengthen our partnership with Israel is still sitting over in the House where it has not been permitted a vote. That thoroughly bipartisan legislation contained several provisions to strengthen our security ties to Israel and also to combat the scourge of anti-Semitism.
“Behind these attacks lurks the same hatred that motivated the violence at Chabad of Poway last month and the Tree of Life Synagogue last year. The same ugly bigotry that takes refuge within the BDS movement while masquerading as a legitimate political stance. It’s the same tide of discrimination that an overwhelming majority of European Jews report is on the rise in their own communities -- even as the Holocaust remains a vivid, living memory. This disturbing trend has already taken its toll on communities of faith and on peaceful Jews in Israel and around the world.
“But when America does any less than our level best to confront it, we further undermine the cause of our friends and allies in the free Jewish state. So I hope this terrible violence can again spur my colleagues in the House to act on the bipartisan legislation that has been languishing there for weeks. Clearly, the need to reaffirm our commitment to the safety, security, and sovereignty of Israel is as important as ever.”
Related Issues: Iran, Israel, War on Terror
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