[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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