Michelle Fischbach: “I thank my colleague from Louisiana for organizing the Special Order this evening. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight in…”

“I thank my colleague from Louisiana for organizing the Special Order this evening. Mr. Speaker, I rise tonight in solidarity with the State of Israel. As the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel is among our greatest allies and friends. Since the beginning, Israel has had two goals: to live as a Jewish state and to do so in peace. This was true at its founding, and it remains true today. But just as it has been throughout history, Israel again finds itself under attack, this time by Hamas terrorists, who, with the help of Iran, are bent on destroying the only Jewish state in the world. Does Israel not have a right to defend itself? Make no mistake, Hamas is not interested in peace. They want to destroy Israel and its people, and are willing to use women, children, and journalists as human shields to do so. Some, including Members of this body, have taken to propaganda to paint Israel as the aggressor, but that is nothing more than cheap gaslighting. Israel is not now, nor have they ever been, an aggressor state. Its only actions have been in its own defense. There is simply no moral equivalence between a nation defending itself and those who would use terrorism to annihilate the Jewish people. In fact, defeating this terrorism is a prerequisite for peace. Mr. Speaker, these ongoing attacks are exactly why the United States must stand with our Israeli allies, condemn Hamas terrorists, and sanction those who provide them support.…”