[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 37 (Thursday, February 29, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1062-S1063]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Israel
Mrs. MURRAY. Madam President, it has been several months now since
Hamas carried out a truly heinous terrorist attack against Israel. The
barbarity of October 7 should not be brushed aside and cannot ever be
excused.
We are talking about terrorists gunning down innocent civilians--
including in their homes--committing horrible acts of torture and
sexual violence, and taking hostages, among them women and elderly
people and infants.
As I have said repeatedly, Israel has a clear right to defend itself
and its people against the very real and continued threat that Hamas
poses to Israeli civilians.
As I have also said many times, that has to be done in accordance
with the laws of armed conflict and international humanitarian law.
I appreciate that this is a tough, emotional topic. War always is.
But at times like this, we cannot let passion kill compassion. We
cannot let the horrors of the present end the hope for a brighter
future.
As Israel seeks to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas, it must make
every effort to protect innocent civilians in Gaza, who make up the
vast, overwhelming majority of people in the Gaza strip.
But as we have watched this conflict escalate, it has become
increasingly clear that is not what is happening. Just consider,
hundreds of Palestinians were injured or killed today after Israeli
troops fired on civilians crowded near aid trucks desperate for
something to eat. While we are still learning more about the details,
you have to believe that this kind of bloodshed should be completely
avoidable.
I come to the floor today as a friend of Israel. I understand the
very real threats Israel--home to about half of the world's Jews--faces
outside its borders and in keeping its population safe.
And I come to the floor as someone who feels very strongly that
Israel absolutely must change course. The collective punishment in Gaza
has got to stop, and Israel must do more to protect civilian life.
We need a mutually agreed-upon cease-fire to end the fighting as soon
as possible. We need the return of all the hostages by Hamas. And we
need a massive surge in humanitarian aid.
Israel needs to understand the casualties they have inflicted on the
people of Gaza. The devastation they have caused cannot continue. It is
not in line with American interests nor does it make Israel safer.
The prosecution of this war so far by Netanyahu's far-right
government has been nothing short of an unquestionable strategic
failure. Many of the families of hostages have been protesting
Netanyahu themselves, demanding a mutually negotiated cease-fire to see
their loved ones safely returned.
Let's consider what is actually happening in Gaza, the human reality
on the ground. There are over 2 million people in Gaza who have been
displaced from their homes and 1.7 million people facing imminent
starvation.
Most of the water in Gaza is unfit for consumption, and two-thirds of
the hospitals are no longer operating--there are only 11 left.
Think about that. Think about what that means for the countless
people who are starving, who are sick, and who are scared, the
survivors. Or better yet, listen to the firsthand accounts. I did.
There are more than 150,000 pregnant and lactating women in harm's
way. Doctors who had worked on the ground in Gaza spoke to me about
performing emergency C-sections on rubble or in tents without
anesthesia and women bleeding out because they couldn't get medical
care.
Since the start of the war, 66,000 Palestinians have been injured,
29,000 have been killed, and more than half of them are women and
children.
We all understand that war is not a simple thing. But I will just
say, I don't know how you call a military operation targeted when there
are 29,000 deaths.
I don't know how you call it targeted when there are babies and
children being pulled from the rubble. Who does this serve? It cannot
continue this way. The situation in Gaza and in the West Bank where
there has been a disturbing rise in brazen violence from rightwing
Israeli settlers against Palestinian families does not lead to peace
and security for Israelis or Palestinians. It just doesn't.
And the rhetoric and stated policies of the Netanyahu regime--like
abandoning a two-state solution--have been nothing short of deeply
dangerous and wildly counterproductive.
I have voiced my strong support for the President's Executive order
to allow sanctions on Israeli settlers in the West Bank who threaten or
perpetrate violence against Palestinians.
I also want to make it crystal clear now: Indefinite Israeli control
over Gaza is unacceptable, as is any contraction of territory for the
Palestinians.
As someone who voted against the war in Iraq, I am acutely aware of
mistakes our country made. You cannot defeat terrorism through sheer
military force alone. That much is clear. And it is my hope that Israel
can heed that lesson.
Winning a war against terrorism isn't a matter of how many people you
kill. That approach isn't just bloody and brutal; it can be self-
defeating. Terrorists don't care how many people you kill. They
certainly don't care how many civilians you kill, because terrorism is
not a human enemy of flesh and blood. It is an idea, it is a hatred, a
violence, and it thrives on suffering.
So while Israel must work to eliminate the threat posed by Hamas,
that fight must be targeted if it is to be successful. You have to
fight the hopelessness extremism feeds on. You have to fight the sprawl
of violence that entrenches conflict. And you have to stay clear-eyed
and strategic in pursuit of justice and in pursuit of lasting peace.
I may be just one of a hundred Senators here, but I have been using
my voice to help move things in that direction. On humanitarian aid, I
have pressed the Biden administration repeatedly in many conversations
to take steps that would dramatically increase aid to Gaza.
And I made including humanitarian aid for Gaza in our national
security package a red line for me as the Senate put together our
bill--even as Republicans tried over and over and over again to chisel
it away.
I also want to be clear about the fact that the taxpayer-funded
military aid we provided for Israel for their self-defense is subject
to the Leahy Law. I have insisted throughout many conversations that
this law is implemented as intended and that civilians are protected
and that international law is followed.
And, finally, on moving towards a lasting peace, as President Biden
recently noted, talks are ongoing and
[[Page S1063]]
productive towards a mutually agreed-upon cease-fire and the safe
return of all the hostages. Recent developments like the deaths we saw
today in Gaza City will likely make that more difficult, but diplomatic
efforts must continue--even after this conflict--to ensure a lasting
peace.
That is why I have backed efforts to reiterate America's longstanding
policy of support for a two-state solution and will rebuff any
statements by Netanyahu or his government that reject Palestinian
sovereignty. It is why it is important to me that we don't just talk
about fighting the enemy and winning the war but that we also talk
about facing the hatred, the Islamophobia and anti-Semitism that have
been on the rise in the wake of this conflict and doing the work of
peace, creating a future that ensures dignity and security for both
Palestinians and Israelis alike.
I want to close by saying a bit about what is happening here in
America and in my home State of Washington. Because while this war may
be happening across the world, it has been painful for our Arab and
Jewish communities at home. They are seeing not just horrific news--
including sometimes about relatives and friends--but also a horrific
rise in anti-Arab and anti-Semitic violence.
Synagogues in my State have faced bomb threats. A 6-year-old
Palestinian boy in Illinois was stabbed to death. And across the
nation, there have been other disturbing reports of violence and
threats against people perceived to be Arab, Muslim, or Jewish. It is
heartbreaking, and it is incumbent upon all of us to stand against that
hatred.
Our North Star has to be valuing the humanity in others and listening
to the humanity in ourselves. That is my message today, and it is a
message I am going to keep working to see put into action.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Maryland.
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