[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.

                          ____________________