WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho) ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), and every Senate Republican, one year since the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks that killed dozens of Americans, in a resolution fully condemning Iran-backed Hamas for its actions, supporting the forever survival of Israel, and calling for the safe release of American hostages.
The entire Senate Republican Conference stands united in opposing violent anti-Semitic protests and Iran-backed Hamas’ use of rape as a weapon of war. They also reiterate Israel’s right to defend itself and emphasize the importance of denying Hamas the ability to reconstitute in the region to ensure the horrific events of that day are never repeated.
“Today, people across the world are remembering those lives lost and the hostages who remain in captivity in Gaza. Unfortunately, a year later, Iran-backed groups continue to threaten the safety and security of the Israeli people. Hamas continues to hold innocent hostages in Gaza, while the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon fire rockets and missiles towards Israel,” said Risch. “The United States can and should continue to do all it can to support our ally Israel and hold Iran and its proxies accountable for their brutal attacks. This resolution is an important message to the people of Israel that we remain committed to defending them.”
“Just as the sun began to rise one year ago, barbaric Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel and launched a widescale attack on thousands of innocent Israeli citizens. Hamas kidnapped, tortured and brutally murdered thousands of innocent people, plunging the Middle East into turmoil once again. I continue to press for the release of the remaining hostages and to stand unwaveringly with our strongest ally in the Middle East and its right to defend itself from ongoing threats from Iran and Iranian-backed terrorists,” said Crapo.
“This time last year, I woke up in the Middle East to the unbearable news that Israel was under attack by Iran-backed terrorists and Americans were being killed and taken hostage,” said Ernst. “I immediately traveled into Israel to show that our nation’s friendship is unwavering, in good times and bad. Regardless of whether I have been in Jerusalem, Washington, or Iowa, I have worked around the clock to hold the White House accountable to its ‘ironclad’ commitment, bring our hostages home, and cut off the source of terrorism in Tehran. One year since that day, as Israel remains under attack on all fronts, Senate Republicans stand united with our greatest ally in the Middle East.”
Text of this resolution can be found here.
