U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) voiced support for Israel from the Senate floor on Wednesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech before a joint meeting of Congress.
Netanyahu's visit was fraught with contention. After pro-Palestinian protesters released bugs and pulled fire alarms in the prime minister's hotel, thousands of protesters took to the streets outside the capitol, defacing monuments and burning American flags. Several people were arrested, some charged with assaulting capitol police.
Several members of Congress, including Vice President Kamala Harris, did not attend Netanyahu's speech, in which he lamented the ongoing war in the region that began after a coordinated terrorist attack on October 7, 2023.
Britt took the mic on the Senate floor to give an unambiguous, full-fledged voice of support for the Israeli government, contrasting the October 7, 2023 attack with 9/11.
"I actually visited Israel two weeks after October 7 after that attack, visiting with a bipartisan delegation, not only to Israel but throughout the Middle East," Britt said. "Remember, Israel was created after the Holocaust so that the Jewish people would never have to hide again. This is something that former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer talked to us about during our visit. A colleague of mine shared that his daughter asked him right after 9/11, 'Are we safe?'”
"The truth is October 7 was similar to our 9/11. However, there's also a large difference: On October 8, Israel knew exactly who the perpetrator was. They knew exactly where they were. They were just miles away, their neighbor. It's like if we woke up on September 12, 2001, and we had the terrorists who had masterminded the attacks of 9/11 living next door in Brooklyn. Additionally, they [Hamas] said they would come back again, and again, and again until they eradicated the Jewish people and the State of Israel. That's the proximity and the gravity of the threat that Israel faces. It's literally at their doorstep. And bottom line: They can't tell their daughters that they're safe right now,” she added.
Britt went on to lament the actions taken by Hamas on October 7 while expressing disgust at what she believes to be pro-Hamas sentiments stateside.
"Unfortunately, here at home, look no further than the disgusting pro-Hamas, antisemitic protests that have taken place on college campuses and in city streets across our nation, and today in our nation's capital," Britt continued. "Today, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came before Congress and asked us to do what we have promised: to stand behind Israel; to stand behind the Jewish people."
"America cannot be a country of broken promises,” she added. “We cannot let our allies down. We cannot be viewed as a country that is weak and unreliable around the world. We must stand strongly with Israel and show her support not just in normal times but when she needs us the most.”
Britt concluded her remarks by expressing intent to deal with Iran, the primary source of Hamas's support, while giving a nod to Alabama as the first state in the union to call for the establishment of a Jewish state.
"We also have to remember who funds and fuels Hamas," Britt continued. "It's time to use every tool in our toolbox to dry up Iran financially. We've done it before under the Trump administration, and I know we can do it again."
"This isn't complicated; the more money Iran has, the more they use it for nuclear proliferation, and they use it to fund terrorism,” she added. “They fund Hamas in Gaza, they fund the Houthis in Yemen, and they fund Hezbollah in Lebanon. We know what that means for Israel, and, frankly, we know what that means for America."
Britt concluded. "As I listened to Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech today, I was in awe of the Israeli people's courage. The courage to fight for Democracy. The courage to fight to secure peace in the Middle East. And the courage to fight for their very existence. Congress is behind Israel. Alabama, the first state in America to call for the establishment of the Jewish state, stands behind Israel. And the United States of America is behind Israel."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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