On the recordJune 16, 2021
I stand again today in support of our great ally Israel. Israel is a vibrant democracy that supports capitalism, champions human rights, and holds free and open elections. Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East, and Israel deserves our unwavering support. Israel is surrounded by nations and terrorist groups that want it wiped off the face of the Earth. I saw this firsthand during my latest visit as Senator, which gave me a clear picture of Israel's proximity to its enemies--Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS, and Iran. At my last visit, I was about a half mile from the Gaza Strip and went to a kibbutz. What was shocking to me is that there were little children there instinctively raised that, whenever they would hear the sirens, they instinctively raised their hands because somebody is going to pick them up and get them to a bomb shelter. I think what they were telling me when I was there is they had 15 seconds to get to a bomb shelter when the sirens went off, which said that Hamas was sending rockets. Also, they were told the story that Hamas was sending balloons with candy and explosives. So when the balloon would come down, if the children would touch it, it would explode. It is disgusting. For 11 days last month, we saw rockets rain down on Israel. As we watched Hamas terrorists target innocent Israeli citizens, I thought about the families impacted by this evil. Think about a 5-year-old you know. They like to play games.…





