-9999
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. RICKETTS. Madam President, I am going to say something that I don't think ought to be controversial--that Hamas should receive no U.S. taxpayer dollars. But apparently some people think that is controversial.
On October 7, Hamas, a terrorist organization dedicated to the destruction of Israel and to killing Jews, broke the cease-fire and attacked Israel.
Now, this was not a military attack; these were terrorists who came across the border to kill civilians. They killed 1,200 Israelis and 33 Americans.
Last week, along with my Senate colleagues, I watched an uncensored video taken from Hamas body cameras, cell phones, on surveillance television, intercepts of radio and telephone conversations. It was horrific. This atrocity was perpetrated by barbaric savages. We witnessed them shoot unarmed civilians. We saw the evidence of young girls raped. We saw the dead bodies of children, some burned beyond recognition. We watched as a Hamas terrorist decapitated an Israeli soldier. It was truly horrifying.
Hamas started the war. They are responsible for every person who died on that day and every person who has died in Gaza since. They are a terrorist organization dedicated to destroying Israel. In fact, we heard some of the phone conversations from Hamas terrorists who called back their parents, bragging about how many Jews they had killed. It is absolutely horrific.
We must stand with Israel until Hamas is destroyed utterly. Humanity will have been done a favor by the State of Israel when Hamas is destroyed. We also must examine the Biden policies that are supporting Hamas. I know--yes, I said that. It is crazy, but it is true. The Biden administration has already given $730 million and wants to add another $260 million to it.
You see, there is this organization called the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, and it has long been documented that they have been infiltrated by Hamas.
This organization, also known as UNRWA, has hired Hamas agents. Their teachers have been preaching about killing Jews. Their textbooks glorify martyrdom. They demonize Israelis and sow anti-Semitism. UNRWA schools have stored weapons facilities for Hamas. There is a U.N. report that shows UNRWA schools have launched attacks against Israel. On October 7, UNRWA employees applauded the attack, including 14 UNRWA teachers. Now we have a report that an UNRWA teacher held one of the hostages in that teacher's attic, barely feeding the hostage.
This is an organization that has been described as essentially a branch of Hamas. The Trump administration knew this, and so they cut off funds, with President Trump saying the organization UNRWA was irredeemable. Inexplicably, the Biden administration resumed funding and wants to continue resumed funding.
We must not let our tax dollars go to support Hamas, and that is why I have introduced the Stop Support for Hamas Act.
This act would make sure no economic development dollars go to Gaza or to the West Bank until Israel verifies that Hamas has been dismantled. It would ensure that the Palestinian Authority is not hiring Hamas or their affiliates. It would strengthen the Taylor Force Act to make sure the Palestinian Authority does away with this horrific pay-to-slay policy, and it would ensure that any other NGO that is working would not hire Hamas or Hamas affiliates.
What we saw on October 7 was inhumane; it was barbaric; it was horrifying; it was an atrocity--an atrocity committed by Hamas. We must stand with Israel until Hamas is utterly destroyed.
We must ensure that no more funding from American taxpayers goes to Hamas through UNRWA as 118 of the terrorists who attacked Israel on October 7 were educated in UNRWA schools. These schools are part of the problem, and the Trump administration knew it. I ask all of my colleagues to support my bill that will end this terrible policy.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source