[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 171 (Wednesday, October 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5064]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ISRAEL
Mr. WICKER. Madam President, I join with my overwhelming bipartisan
majority of Senators and House colleagues in delivering a message of
unwavering support for our friends in Israel. And I want to
congratulate my friend, the senior Senator from Oklahoma, for his very
fine speech just now and to associate myself with every single remark
that he made, and I congratulate him on making it so eloquently.
We have all seen the devastation from Hamas's brutal attacks. We need
to send this clear signal from both sides of the aisle and both ends of
this building: Israel has the right to self-defense, just as we in
America deserve a right to self-defense, and Israel is entitled to our
full support. The weeks ahead will require decisive action from
Congress and decisive action from the White House. We must ensure our
allies are armed to the teeth as they enter what amounts to a Hamas
fortress across the border in Gaza.
They must also receive the tools they need to keep Hezbollah in the
north and the Palestinian-Islamic jihad at bay. And we must stand
united against Hamas's patron, the Islamic Republic of Iran. Israel
needs more Tamir interceptor missiles for the Iron Dome system. They
need them immediately. We have several hundred in inventory, and the
administration should use its drawdown authority immediately to send
these missiles without delay. We need to pass a supplemental
appropriations bill to accelerate Tamir production in Israel, even as
the United States builds our own Tamir manufacturing capability here in
the United States by 2025.
Congress should also support the delivery and production of more
precision-guided munitions and ammunition for Israeli ground forces, as
well as expansive intelligence sharing. And there are many questions
about intelligence failures and shortcomings leading up to this
terrorist attack.
This episode, again, highlights that our national defense is far
behind where it should be. Some of us have been raising this point for
a long time. I have been making this point long before I was able to
become ranking member of the Armed Services Committee.
The administration needs to send Congress a funding request that
fully resources the U.S. military for a rapidly worsening threat
environment in Israel and the Middle East and Ukraine and Europe and in
the Western Pacific.
For over seven-and-a-half decades, Israel has made every effort
simply to be a peaceful democracy in a dangerous area of the world.
Hamas wants to end the nation of Israel. That is part of their charter.
It is in writing. That is their goal.
And, you know, our fellow American citizens are also victims of the
Hamas violence. We have lost more than 20 fellow Americans to these
terrorists, and, of course, we know that some are being held captive.
Millions of Americans are praying today that they come home.
The people of Israel know that there can be no return to the pre-war
status quo. The pre-war status quo, the pre-October 7 status quo is
over. Israel must now destroy Hamas, no matter how long it takes.
As it pursues this goal, no nation should give Hamas terrorists safe
haven. Iran should not give Hamas terrorists safe haven. Tehran's
support for this war makes one thing clear: We successfully deter bad
actors only through unmistakable signals of American strength. We need
to return to the maximum pressure policies of the previous Trump
administration, and we can match that financial pressure with a
heightened defense posture in the region.
We must also examine why Iran and its proxies believe they can get
away with this heinous massacre. We know, for example, that the Biden
administration's Iran policy--and this pains me to say, Madam
President--the Iran policy was led by individuals who were actually
part of an Iranian Government information operation. One of those
individuals has been relieved. Another of those individuals, Dr. Ariane
Tabatabai, inexplicably remains in the Office of the Secretary of
Defense. Thirty Senators have joined me in a letter asking for answers
on this. We need answers now on why this is still allowed to happen and
what steps the administration will take to remediate it.
We should support the continued Arab-Israeli peace efforts, which
President Trump initiated through the Abraham Accords. While I disagree
with many of the Biden administration's Middle East policies, I
strongly support the recent Saudi-Israeli peace initiative. Hamas
clearly hopes their terrorist attacks will grind this process to a
halt.
I am grateful that many of our Arab partners, in the face of extreme
pressure and hardship, still see the true nature of Hamas today. They
understand that Hamas is an Iranian-backed terrorist organization who
wants to wipe Israel off the face of the map. Many of our Arab partners
have fought and defeated similar organizations like Hamas within their
own borders.
So I urge the Biden administration today to emphasize the shared
Arab-Israeli interest in Hamas's defeat so that Arab-Israeli peace
efforts can continue to progress.
Finally, let me say this. I can state with confidence that the people
of my State are with Israel. My office has received a remarkable
outpouring of support for Israel from the people across Mississippi. We
express that support in word and deed.
The three flagship Navy corvettes of the Israeli battle fleet were
built by the skilled craftsmen of our Mississippi shipyards. Think
about that. Mississippi-made hulls, carrying the flag of the Star of
David, are being used to protect the Israeli people from further
attack. It is just one example of our common cause.
With the people of Mississippi and with the overwhelming majority of
Senators on both sides of the aisle, I call upon all of us to stand
united in support of an Israeli victory.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.
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