Political Quotes

“early yesterday morning, I returned from a whirlwind trip to the Middle East as part of a bipartisan codel, or a congressional delegation, to Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. The trip was a direct response to Hamas's savage attack on Israel. The codel, led by my friend Senator Lindsey Graham, brought together 10 Senators from both parties to show the United States' support for Israel and to demonstrate U.S. commitment to protecting our now-threatened national interests in the region. Our message was united: The United States stands with Israel. Iran is on notice, and it must stand down; and we need to get hostages freed and Americans out of harm's way. We are committed to seeing Hamas defeated so that a new chapter of prosperity for Israel and its Arab neighbors can begin, of which normalized relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia would be a keystone. Our engagements on the ground included frank and candid discussions with heads of state, Prime Minister Netanyahu, and our U.S. Embassy teams on the ground. Our day in Tel Aviv began with meeting the families of hostages being held in Gaza, including Americans who shared their painful stories. As a parent and grandparent, it is heartbreaking to see and hear the grief of these family members. Later that day, we met with Israeli defense officials for an update on the war. We were shown video evidence of the unnerving atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists--horrific images that I will not soon forget.…”