00:00Thank you, Mr. President.
00:04Since October 7th, when Hamas launched the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel's history,
00:12Israel has continued to face a barrage of threats from Iran and its terrorist proxies
00:17in the region.
00:20The attacks on Israel, they didn't just happen on October 7th.
00:25That's when it started.
00:28Resolutions we're debating today will hurt Israel's ability to defend itself against
00:32these attacks.
00:34These resolutions would block weapons that are critical to restocking Israel's defenses
00:41and deterring Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and others.
00:47Just this weekend, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile attack on Israel.
00:54If it passed, these resolutions would embolden more attacks like these from Iran and, again,
01:02its terrorist proxies.
01:03It would send a disastrous statement to the world, emboldening terrorism and potentially
01:08prolonging wars in the region.
01:12Now, I know some on my side of the aisle are considering supporting these resolutions because
01:18they may disagree with the current Israeli government.
01:23But let's be clear.
01:26Support for the U.S.-Israel relationship is not an endorsement of all the actions of any
01:32one Israeli government.
01:35In the same way that other nations' support for America does not equal an endorsement
01:40of all the actions, well, by the Trump administration.
01:44So I urge my colleagues to stand with and stand for our historic and mutually beneficial
01:52relationship with Israel and the Israeli people.
01:57As the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel has been our strongest ally in the
02:02region, and the passage of these resolutions, well, would damage our bond for years to come.
02:11Government leaders, politicians, well, they come and go, but our commitment to Israel's
02:17security must be ironclad.
02:21Restricting much-needed arms to Israel because you don't agree with everything the current
02:26government is doing will leave our ally vulnerable, just not only to current threats of terrorism
02:35but to future threats of terrorism.
02:40And while Israel has an absolute right to defend itself and the aid provided by Israel
02:46is critical to its defense, I do share the concerns of many of my colleagues about the
02:52need to limit civilian casualties during these conflicts.
02:57It's an important reason why I oppose these resolutions.
03:02The Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, the very same guidance kits that would be
03:08restricted by one of these resolutions, would actually help convert unguided dumb bombs
03:14into more accurate ones.
03:17These save civilian lives by enabling the Israeli Air Force to hit military targets
03:23more precisely than they would without the JDAMs.
03:28By providing Israel with JDAMs, which make weapons more precise and more accurate, we
03:33are helping Israel to defend itself while also working to minimize civilian casualties.
03:41The munitions these resolutions would block, well, they're also critical because Israel
03:47continues to face threats from both above and below the ground.
03:52For this reason, it's essential that Israel be able to reach all their military targets,
03:57including reinforced concrete structures like terror tunnels, weapons depots, factories,
04:04and rocket missile sites.
04:08These resolutions would undermine these capabilities.
04:16I know many of you here are torn.
04:19You want to do what's right for Israel, the United States, and the region.
04:24And I believe that we all share a goal of ending the war between Hamas and Israel.
04:31And we all look forward to a future without hostilities, where the hostages taken by Hamas
04:36are finally all freed.
04:40Right now, 59 hostages, only about half of whom are still believed to be alive, including
04:52a living American hostage, they still are in Hamas captivity.
04:59They are still in Hamas captivity.
05:04And I think we can all agree that freeing all of these hostages is a fundamental piece
05:09to ending the war, passing these resolutions that threaten that goal.
05:18We've seen Hamas harden their stances on negotiations when they perceive gaps between the U.S. and
05:24Israel.
05:26And after almost 550 days, 550 days, the hostages cannot afford to have Hamas delay
05:38one day longer.
05:44So to best ensure the safety and security of Israel and the Palestinian people, to end
05:50civilian casualties on both sides, and to ensure we never, ever have another October
05:577th again, Hamas cannot be allowed to remain in power in Gaza in any capacity.
06:07I still hold hope for a future where two states live side by side in peace, a future that's
06:15free from Hamas, which has devastated countless lives in the regions, both Israelis and Palestinians.
06:24And the key component of making this a reality is to make sure that Israel maintains its
06:30qualitative military edge to push Hamas out of Gaza for good.
06:40Passing these resolutions would do the opposite.
06:44It would allow Hamas to entrench even further in Gaza, believing Israel's stockpiles are
06:49decimated, allowing them to expand their foothold, emboldening their current and future assault
06:54on Israelis and oppression of the Palestinians.
06:59Blocking these arms sales will hurt Israel.
07:04It will send the wrong message to Hamas, to Iran, and to all of its terrorist proxies
07:09that America is abandoning our ally.
07:15So I want to be clear, I want to repeat this.
07:18The message to terrorists, if these bills are passed, the message to terrorists will
07:25be that they can continue without impunity.
07:34If we're serious about preventing another atrocity like October 7th, if we're serious
07:41about limiting civilian casualties, if we're serious about ensuring that Israel can defend
07:48itself, if we're serious about sending a message to terrorists around the globe, if we're serious
07:56about a stable path forward, and if we're serious about stability in the region and
08:03a safe and secure state of Israel, someday living alongside a peaceful, independent Palestinian
08:13state, I urge all my colleagues to vote no on these resolutions.
08:23I yield the floor.
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