Political Quotes

“Mr. President, it has been 2 months since the horrific Hamas attack that killed 1,200 innocent Israelis and saw another 240 people taken hostage--some of them Americans, including Hersh Goldberg- Polin with family in my State of Illinois. For anyone who watched 60 Minutes this past weekend, the ordeal shared by one of the released hostages was harrowing and almost unimaginable. These hostages have been subjected to brutal physical and psychological torture. Some 115 hostages are believed to still be held, and I have long called for a humanitarian pause by both sides that includes the release of all the hostages as quickly as possible. I believe this remains the right path forward, and I hope our government will pursue this goal. But make no mistake, this Hamas attack was a reminder that there are still those who do not recognize Israel's right to exist. I do; and I understand their right to self- defense. But what has happened since October 7 raises larger questions about how Israel should defend itself, how it should retaliate and address the long-term need for two neighboring people to learn to live in peace. Early in this conflict, I urged Israel to learn from our mistakes in the United States after the deadly attacks on September 11, to not make the mistakes in the fog of their rage and pain that we made. I fear some of the important lessons we learned the hard way may not have been heeded by this Israeli Government.…”