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Floor Speech
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Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, 9 days have passed since Hamas launched its unprovoked attack on the State of Israel. Hamas fighters have entered Israel by land, air, and sea. They brutally murdered, abused, and kidnapped innocent civilians. They paraded hostages through the streets of Gaza like trophies.
Hamas terrorists--and that is exactly what they are--killed at least 1,400 Israelis, making it the deadliest days for Jews since the Holocaust. Nearly 200 additional people were kidnapped by Hamas, including at least 13 Americans who are currently unaccounted for, on top of the 30 Americans who we know have been killed in the attack.
Since this war began--and that is what it is, a war on the State of Israel--we have witnessed evil in its purest form. There is no excusing, no equivocating, no explaining the actions of Hamas. It is not trying to protect the Palestinian people or promote freedom; Hamas's singular goal is to annihilate the Jewish people and wipe Israel off the map. Any attempt to explain or justify or provide some argument of moral equivalence is completely wrong, and it is dangerous. It plays directly into these terrorists' hands.
First of all, Israel has a right to defend itself. It has a right to exist--something Hamas wishes was not the case. If Hamas or any other terrorist group launches an attack on Israel, its government has both the right and the responsibility to protect its citizens.
Second, the number of civilian casualties on both sides, particularly those children and babies, is absolutely appalling and heartbreaking. But then again, the innocent always bear the ultimate cost of war.
Over the last several days, we have seen videos and heard firsthand accounts of the terror Hamas has unleashed against Israel and the Israeli people. These images and stories are extremely difficult to watch, but they are also very important to share. People need to know what is happening. They need to know the truth, not some candy-coated version of the truth. The people of the United States and the rest of the world need to understand the magnitude and the threat of what is unfolding in the Middle East.
Texas, I am happy to say, is home to a sizable Jewish community. For these individuals, the war in Israel is far more than just a sad clip or the most recent news; it is a deeply personal attack on their faith and their family, because many Texans--many Americans--have relatives living in Israel as I speak.
Last week, I visited the Temple Emanu-El in Dallas to hear from several members of the Jewish community in my State whose families and friends were directly impacted by this war against Israel. I heard from one incredible mom, Kim, whose sons--26-year-old Benji and 24-year-old Sammy--both serve in the Israel Defense Forces. They were born and raised in Dallas and moved to Israel after high school and joined the IDF. Benji's wife Leah is a New York native and also a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. Kim says she struggles to sleep at night. She is constantly checking her phone to see if she is getting messages and to make sure her two sons are safe.
I also heard from another brave woman, Aya, whose family moved from Israel to Dallas just 2 months ago. Aya and her husband and her three children came to the United States from a small kibbutz near the Gaza Strip, where she was a teacher. She said she and her husband were awakened last Saturday by a string of messages on her phone from friends, neighbors, and former students describing the terror that was unfolding in their former home. Aya told me about conversations with former students who were terrified that they might be next. She shared stories of people fleeing and showed me photos of four people who were believed to have been kidnapped and two others who had been killed.
As hard as it is to hear these tragic stories--and I know there were even more difficult ones to share--they help us all understand the depravity and the evil of what Hamas has unleashed on innocent men, women, and children--civilians--in Israel. Although this is thousands of miles away from where we are, it affects all of us deeply.
Of course, these pictures show the brutality of Hamas and underscore the need to continue our support for the nation of Israel as it tries to eradicate this terrorist threat. Over the last several days, the support for Israel has been overwhelming. It transcends party lines, religion, race, and ethnicity. This is not an issue of opinion; this is a battle between right and wrong, good and evil.
Of course, the United States has a long and proud history of supporting Israel since its inception in 1948, and it is important for Hamas and its allies--and they, of course, are a proxy force for Iran, the No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism, as is Hezbollah in Lebanon--it is important for the terrorists and their sponsors to understand that America's support for Israel is not limited to rhetoric. If Israel needs weapons, the United States will provide them. If Israel needs support gathering or analyzing intelligence, the United States will provide it. If Israel needs help with humanitarian assistance, medical supplies--whatever they need--the United States and the people of this great country will answer the call.
The United States will not toe the line between good and evil. We will stand with our allies as they defend their home against a terrorist invasion, just as we did when cowardly terrorists took 3,000 lives here in Washington, DC, and Pennsylvania about 20 years ago.
As the fighting continues, I am reminded of the saying that has been around for years. It goes: If Hamas laid down its weapons today, there would be no more violence. If Israel laid down its weapons today, there would be no more Israel.
Hamas is not fighting for peace. It is not fighting to defend their way of life or their territory. It is trying to wipe out an entire people. It is trying to wipe Israel off the map--with the help, support, and training, the aiding and abetting by Iran, the No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism, as I said. That is what is at stake here.
Israel has been the lone beacon of democracy in the Middle East. It is a sacred home for the Jewish people. Christians travel to Israel each year to look at the place where their faith and their religion were born.
Of course, Israel is also a longtime friend and ally of the United States and has always had America's full and unwavering support. Whether there is a Democrat or a Republican in the White House, whether Democrats have the majority or are in the minority or vice versa, the United States has always supported Israel and will continue to do so during these very difficult and tragic days.
This week, the Senate is expected to pass a bipartisan resolution condemning Hamas's attack on Israel and expressing our support for Israel's response. I am proud to be a cosponsor of that legislation--or that resolution, and I hope it will pass the Senate with a unanimous vote.
America must remain steadfast in its commitment to support Israel and continue to counter threats posed by terrorist organizations around the world. As I have said, we have been the victim of some of these terrorist organizations, and Americans have lost their lives as a result of our failure of imagination to dream of the possibility that they might not just attack over there but would actually attack us here.
Of course, we all hope and pray for a day in the future when the Middle East can be a place of peace, stability, and democracy. We simply will not reach that point without a strong and secure Israel.
I stand in full support of Israel and will continue to advocate for any form of assistance she needs, whether it is military, humanitarian, or otherwise.
We must stand with Israel. The United States does not bow down to terrorist organizations, and we will not allow our allies to be bullied and beaten by Hamas or any other terrorist organization.
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