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




                                 ISRAEL

  Mr. BUDD. Madam President, I rise today to express my total and 
complete support for the State of Israel.
  On October 7, Hamas terrorists launched an unprovoked and despicable 
series of terrorist attacks inside of Israel. The level of barbarism 
that we witnessed was nothing short of evil incarnate with the mass 
slaughter of innocent civilians and unspeakable violence against women, 
children, and the elderly. It was the deadliest massacre of the Jewish 
people since the Holocaust. These crimes against humanity were also 
visited upon our American citizens as well. At last count, 30 Americans 
were murdered by Hamas, and others are currently being held hostage.
  We pray for comfort for the families of those who were killed, and we 
continue to pray and work for the safe return of those who are unjustly 
being held by the terrorists.
  Compounding these atrocities are the reactions in some parts of the 
world and even here in our own land, like the sickening anti-Semitic 
protests in city streets and on university campuses. These vile 
demonstrations celebrated, they justified, and they endorsed this 
violence. Simply put, there can be no place in our country for anti-
Semitic bigotry.
  But we have also seen some politicians--some who work in this very 
Capitol--express a cynical moral ambiguity, blithely declaring that 
both sides are at fault, explaining away the motives of the terrorists 
while preaching restraint from the nation that was attacked.
  So, to those who need a reminder, there is a stark difference between 
the two sides here.
  Israel is the Middle East's only democracy. They have been a force 
for stability in a region historically beset by chaos. They have been 
one of America's strongest friends in good times and in bad. When faced 
with attacks, they go out of their way to avoid civilian casualties, 
sometimes at the cost of their own Israeli lives. Israel is an 
unmistakable force for good.
  Then you have the terrorists of Hamas. Their founding charter calls 
for the destruction of the State of Israel. Their largest benefactor, 
Iran, lends its materiel and financial support to this cause of their 
destruction each and every day. They intentionally target civilians--
they fire rockets into crowded markets--and they preach the sort of 
hate that triggered the Holocaust.
  Make no mistake, the only word to describe all of this is ``evil.'' 
And, unlike the Holocaust, we have seen this evil in realtime. We have 
seen it with our own eyes.
  Evil is surrounding a music festival full of innocent young people 
and systematically hunting them down and slaughtering them on the side 
of the road. That is evil. Evil is kidnapping elderly women out of 
their homes and threatening on the internet to murder them. And evil is 
beheading and burning babies in front of their mothers and fathers.
  The line between morality and depravity, right now, is as bright as 
it has ever been. As a country, we must not avoid the reality that this 
is good versus evil, because if we try to turn away from evil, if we 
try to deny that it is evil, or to beg for context to explain away the 
evil, then we do a disservice to our credibility, and we stain the soul 
of a nation.
  We must stand shoulder to shoulder with the State of Israel. We must 
provide them with everything that they need to secure the safety of 
their nation and eliminate the threat of terrorism.
  So I call on the Biden administration to project unequivocal strength 
to the forces of evil in our world. In this struggle between good and 
evil, America must lead the forces of good. And we must not fail.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Rosen). The Senator from North Dakota.

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