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Floor Speech

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Mr. RICKETTS. Mr. President, on October 7, Hamas--a terrorist organization--committed a horrible atrocity on the people of Israel. Over 1,100 people were killed, hundreds taken hostage.

We must support Israel to destroy this terrorist organization called Hamas. We must get our five American hostages back, and all the hostages must be released. We need to have an ironclad friendship with Israel to get this done.

This seems obvious to most Americans. However, on the floor of this very institution, the majority leader got up and called for new elections in Israel; and Israel's Prime Minister, he said, was the obstacle to peace.

It is absolutely outrageous the majority leader would make that speech from this floor while we have five American hostages being held by a terrorist group. He was pandering to the fringe anti-Israel, pro- Hamas wing of his party. It is despicable. It is terrible that he would undermine an ally of ours who shares our values, who has a democratically elected government, and undermine them in their hour of need when they are fighting against a terrorist organization.

This is good versus evil. The atrocities Hamas committed were barbarous, uncivilized. And yet the majority leader took their side.

Americans know Hamas must surrender--Hamas must surrender and release the hostages--and that we need to support Israel until Hamas is destroyed.

So what was the majority leader doing? Well, was he really concerned about the elections in Israel, or was he concerned about our elections? Pandering to the pro-Hamas terrorist wing of his party, somehow trying to distance himself from Israel--it is unbelievable.

Now, President Joe Biden, on October 7, talked the talk. He said we would stand with Israel no matter what. But the President called the majority leader's speech a good speech. He has been backing away from our ally Israel.

There are even reports that he is considering conditioning some of the aid to meeting Hamas's conditions. This is outrageous. What do you think Hamas does when they see the President of the United States start to step back from our ally?

If they were going to negotiate a cease-fire and somehow release hostages, you know that this is actually the opposite of what they are going to do now. They know if the President is weakening, the longer they hold out, the better their position is. It is the opposite of what we should be doing.

Hamas is a terrorist organization and understands one and one thing only, and that is strength. We need a President who is going to project that strength--project the strength and support our ally Israel. That is what would bring our hostages home. That is what would bring all the hostages home.

Let Israel do the work of civilized nations and destroy this terrorist organization. That is what needs to happen.

Everyone in America knows it is not the Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu who is the obstacle to peace; it is Hamas who is the obstacle to peace.

Hamas started this. October 6 there was a cease-fire. They broke it on October 7. Hamas is responsible for every death on October 7 and every death since then. They are the obstacle to peace.

I am proud to stand with my colleagues and remind the majority leader that Hamas is a terrorist organization that is the obstacle to peace, not our friend and ally Israel.

I will point out to him what Americans know: that this is a terrorist organization that needs to be destroyed. We must stand with Israel. I am proud to say I stand with Israel. The majority leader and the President must reverse course and stand with Israel as well.

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