[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 171 (Wednesday, October 18, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5066-S5067]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 ISRAEL

  Ms. ERNST. Madam President, I just returned from a mission to the 
Middle East, where I had the unique opportunity to lead a bipartisan 
delegation to the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, and Israel. We 
had planned this visit long before the heinous attacks by Iran-backed 
Hamas, with the goal of strengthening the Abraham Accords and our 
relationships in the region.
  In the UAE, I led a discussion with their Crown Prince and President 
about increasing cooperation between our two countries to further 
security, peace, and prosperity. I left feeling more determined than 
ever to intensify our efforts to advance growth across the Middle East 
and beyond.
  In Saudi Arabia, I met with Muhammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince and 
Prime Minister of the Kingdom. During this visit, we discussed the 
prospect of an Israeli-Saudi peace deal to further the dream of a 
thriving and integrated Middle East.
  The delegation left that very meeting optimistic that the Crown 
Prince was dedicated and committed to this dream--a dream, for many of 
us, like myself, who served in the region after 9/11, a dream that was 
rocked the next morning when we heard the news that Israel was at war 
once again.
  At this moment, there was no question what my bipartisan delegation 
needed to do. It was our job to ensure our ally Israel understood 
clearly that America is and will always stand shoulder to shoulder with 
her.
  Our delegation was briefed at the highest levels as we completed our 
visit in Saudi at the Prince Sultan Air Base, where we witnessed 
integrated air and missile defense systems in action, something my 
bipartisan DEFEND Act helped to ensure.
  We continued into Bahrain the next morning to meet with the Crown 
Prince and Prime Minister. Once again, a meeting that was intended to 
be another step on the path to regional security took a very different 
turn. The Crown Prince provided his insight into the current situation 
in Israel and his assessment of the causes and potential scale of the 
conflict. He also spoke of a peaceful future and highlighted the 
longstanding relations between Bahrain and America, noting the history 
of bilateral ties and his commitment to achieving mutual aspirations.
  Our final stops in Bahrain included the U.S. Naval Support Activity 
and Task Force 59, which integrates unmanned systems and artificial 
intelligence to help ensure maritime security and to deter Iran's 
illegal activities in the Gulf.
  The situation in Israel continued to degrade, and I made the decision 
that we were ultimately going to accomplish what we set out to achieve. 
Despite all attempts to stop us, I led our bipartisan delegation to 
Jordan in preparation for a cross-border drive into Israel.
  Upon our previously unscheduled arrival, we met with His Majesty King 
Abdallah II of Jordan, where he painted a dire picture of regional 
escalation and the need for stability in the West Bank. He was open and 
honest about his concern that Iran would capitalize on the chaos by 
using their other proxies to further escalate the conflict. He 
discussed the tensions within Jordan and the need for the United States 
to once again lead and establish peace through strength.
  The King's clear-eyed insight into the savage nature of Iran-backed 
Hamas was chilling, and his concern for escalation was felt by every 
member of our delegation.
  It was clear that what we were about to walk into was chaotic and 
uncertain and not for the faint of heart. But, in unity, our bipartisan 
delegation pressed on, and on October 10, we set foot in Israel.
  We first met with Eli Cohen, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and 
received an update on the war. Here, we heard, for the first time, the 
true nature of the atrocities that the Hamas savages were conducting--
rape, beheadings, dragging bloody bodies into the streets--and among 
those dead were American citizens. The Israeli Foreign Minister made it 
very clear that the threat Hamas poses to civilization is no less than 
what the United States faced with ISIS in Iraq, where I served, and in 
Syria, and I couldn't agree more. These terrorists are monsters, and 
they deserve nothing short of destruction.

  We then spoke with the family of Chaim Peri, an 80-year-old peace 
activist and father of five who was kidnapped from his home during the 
invasion. We heard firsthand accounts of the inhumanity of the attack: 
the destruction of their home, the violence his family endured, and, 
ultimately, that one of his sons was murdered in defending the family.
  Shaken but not deterred, the delegation carried on to Tel Aviv, where 
we met with Opposition Leader Lapid, the Minister of Strategic Affairs 
Ron Dermer, and, ultimately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. We 
heard increasingly graphic accounts of torture and mutilation of 
civilians. We ultimately witnessed a nation that was and is truly in an 
existential fight for survival against a psychopathic terrorist 
organization whose stated goal is destruction of the State of Israel 
and killing as many Jewish people as possible.
  Let me tell you, there was no daylight between the political factions 
in Israel on what needs to be done. The complete and total destruction 
of Hamas is the greatest near-term priority for Israel. Reestablishing 
deterrence against all others who seek the destruction of Israel is 
critical.
  I am here to say that, in these goals, the United States must not 
waver in our commitment to our greatest ally in the Middle East. Now is 
not the time for weak-kneed leadership and ongoing appeasement of the 
world's leading state sponsor of terrorism that risks the lives of 
Americans and our allies at

[[Page S5067]]

home and abroad and allows Hamas to wreak havoc in Israel.
  Now is the time for strong American leadership, one that understands 
the threat a war waged by Iran-backed proxies is to our own national 
security here in the homeland. With Americans still being held hostage 
by Hamas and the death toll of our fellow citizens continuing to rise, 
this moment demands clarity from our elected officials. Not only today 
but in the coming days and months, as Israel fights to secure their 
most basic human right--the right to life--the United States must stand 
resolute in our support.
  May God bless the families who have lost a loved one, and may God 
bless Israel as she defends herself from Hamas's brutal attacks.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from North Carolina.

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