Mike Collins: “Thank you as well for yours, and thanks for doing this tonight. Mr. Speaker, this is an easy one for me. I stand with…”

“Thank you as well for yours, and thanks for doing this tonight. Mr. Speaker, this is an easy one for me. I stand with the State of Israel as well as her right to defend herself. It is amazing to me at times that that is even called into question, because Israel has proven time and time again that it is very capable of defending herself, and it is amazing to me that the world doesn't want to acknowledge that. This commitment that I have to Israel is here now and will continue to be unwavering even in the midst of this conflict between Israel and Hamas that is taking place mainly in Gaza. I am in firm support of Israel's decision to launch a ground operation, and I hope this conflict will be resolved quickly and negotiations for a permanent cease-fire will occur soon for this area. Currently, Israel's strategic objective is to eradicate Hamas' ability to terrorize Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu gave the go-ahead to send ground troops into Gaza after a 10-day air operation failed to diminish Hamas' rocket barrage. Think if the U.S. were being targeted. Do you think we would wait a day to execute a ground incursion, let alone 10 days? Absolutely not. In fact, Israel and Egypt tried to negotiate a cease-fire with Hamas, but Hamas was unwilling to accept it. We see the true stripes of Hamas when they will not come to the table and when they, instead, want to basically put their own citizens up as human shields.…”