[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 37 (Thursday, February 29, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1054-S1055]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Israel
Ms. WARREN. Mr. President, I rise today in pursuit of peace in the
Middle East. After nearly 5 months of war in Gaza, the human suffering
must end. Just today, Americans woke up to the news that Israeli troops
had opened fire on Palestinians desperate for humanitarian aid, killing
dozens and adding to the more than 30,000 people in Gaza who have been
killed during this conflict.
Hamas's October 7 terrorist attack on Israel took more than a
thousand lives. Israel, like every nation, has the right to defend
itself and the right to prevent another terrorist attack like this one
from ever occurring again.
Other rights are important as well. The people who live in the Middle
East deserve a lasting peace and deserve to live their lives with
dignity and self-determination.
For decades, the United States Government has supported a two-state
solution to guarantee those rights for both Israelis and Palestinians--
two states for two people. For years, I have spoken out against the
diminishing prospects for a two-state solution. For years, Palestinians
have been poorly served by their leaders, both in the West Bank and in
Gaza. For years, even before October 7, Hamas's governance of Gaza was
a major impediment to peace. And also for years, I have believed that
Israel's long-term strategic interests were endangered by Prime
Minister Netanyahu's leadership.
Since October 7, it has only gotten worse. Prime Minister Netanyahu
and his rightwing war cabinet have created a massive humanitarian
disaster, pushing the region even further away from a two-state
solution. Indiscriminate bombings in Gaza have killed tens of thousands
of Palestinian civilians, wiping out entire families and leaving
thousands of children orphaned. Nearly 2 million people have been
displaced, and 45 percent of the residential buildings in Gaza have
been destroyed. The Israeli Government's refusal to allow adequate
humanitarian aid into Gaza has left hundreds of thousands of people on
the brink of starvation.
And still, more than 100 hostages are held by Hamas. The Israeli
Government's top priority should have been to bring those hostages
home, but, instead, Prime Minister Netanyahu focused on revenge. He
publicly invoked the plight of hostages to justify indiscriminate
bombing that thwarts the negotiations that would bring them home. This
is a betrayal of the families whose loved ones are still held hostage
by Hamas.
Netanyahu's opposition to a two-state solution is fierce and
longstanding. For decades, he has undercut Palestinian independence. He
has deliberately propped up Hamas to try to keep the Palestinian people
divided. He approved Qatar's payments to Hamas--payments that may have
been used for Hamas's military operations. He expanded settlements in
the West Bank, turning the region into a patchwork of disconnected
parts that undermine Palestinian hopes for a united homeland.
The result has been a vicious cycle of violence. That is why, for
years, I have advocated that U.S. military aid should help Israel and
Palestine move toward peace, not subsidize policies that move peace
further out of reach.
Today, Netanyahu is doubling down on his opposition to peace. The
Prime Minister has openly and directly rejected U.S. policy. He has
promised he will not compromise and he will hold fast to his rejection
of a Palestinian State.
Under his leadership, the Knesset has backed him to the hilt. The
Prime Minister has also tried to pressure Egypt and other countries in
the region to accept Gazan war refugees, raising the specter that his
government is working toward permanently expelling Palestinians from
their homes. He has insisted that Israel and Israel alone must control
the entire area of the Jordan River, leaving no room for a Palestinian
State.
And the fallout from his bombing campaigns is not limited to Gaza. He
has given cover for Hezbollah, the Houthis, and other terrorist groups
to expand the conflict.
The bottom line is clear: Netanyahu's leadership in this war has been
a moral and strategic failure that is in direct opposition to American
policy and American values.
Netanyahu cannot bomb his way to the return of the hostages.
Netanyahu cannot bomb his way to security in the region. Netanyahu
cannot bomb his way to peace.
The only path to protect Israel's long-term security and to ensure
that Palestinians have equal rights, equal freedom, and the self-
determination they deserve is a two-state solution--two states for two
peoples.
This has been the stated policy of the U.S. Government dating back
decades, and if this far-right Israeli Government does not share that
goal, then it is our responsibility to make clear that the Netanyahu
government does not get a blank check for U.S. aid.
That is why I have been fighting to condition aid to Israel and
protect civilians in Gaza. Over the last few months, I have called for
Israel to prevent harm to civilians and for accountability when U.S.
weapons are used to target refugee camps and safe zones. I have
challenged the administration's decision to bypass Congress in
approving arms transfers to Israel. I have worked with my colleagues,
led by Senator Van Hollen, on an amendment to condition aid to Israel.
Earlier this month, President Biden delivered a critical step,
issuing a national security memorandum that makes clear that any
country that receives aid from the United States must follow
international law, including Israel. This is a good policy, but
enforcement is crucial. Oversight of its implementation is necessary to
ensure that it is a meaningful step and not just lip service.
Netanyahu has made clear he plans to launch a military offensive in
Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians with nowhere safe to go
are currently taking refuge. The administration has warned that
expanding operations to Rafah would be a ``disaster'' that the U.S.
Government does not support.
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid remains strangled and hunger and disease
are sweeping Gaza.
Netanyahu is on dangerous ground. Every day that he continues, more
innocent civilians in Gaza suffer and are killed, and thousands more
Americans say ``enough'' and call on our government to end U.S. aid for
such actions.
President Biden has indicated that we are on the verge of a cease-
fire that would free the hostages and would allow desperately needed
humanitarian aid in. I hope that is true, and it is a meaningful step
toward an enduring peace.
But until then, the United States has a responsibility to ensure that
our weapons aren't used to target innocent children and families in
Gaza. We also have a responsibility to ensure that our support is used
to advance long-term peace and stability in the region.
We recognize that it takes two parties to negotiate a meaningful
peace, and we should also urge the allies of the Palestinians to do the
same. All nations should push in the same direction: Condition aid,
return the hostages, resume the cease-fire, and advance peace through a
two-state solution.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Hawaii.
Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, before I begin my remarks, in the Hawaii
Legislature, there was a common custom to ask the presiding officer
that the previous speaker's remarks were adopted
[[Page S1055]]
as if they were my own. And although I didn't listen to the entirety--I
am not prepared to do that because I only got the back end--I just
wanted to commend the senior Senator from Massachusetts for her moral
clarity about the conduct of the war in Israel and the fact that it is
a strategic and moral failure, and that the Prime Minister of Israel
must be held to account for the fact that so many people are suffering
so unnecessarily.