U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, joined a bipartisan group of senators in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Sunday to denounce attacks by Hamas militants.
Collins condemned atrocities committed by Hamas and touted support for U.S. aid to help Israel. The Biden administration has asked Congress to approve $14 billion in assistance. On their trip, Collins said she and her colleagues met with some Jewish family members who survived the unrest.
“I cannot stop thinking about a little 3-year-old girl named Abigail who has been taken hostage by Hamas,” Collins said, holding up Abigail’s photo. “Her older brother and sister, ages 6 and 9, hid for 14 hours in a closet to escape Hamas. Her mother was murdered and her father was murdered as he was trying to rush little Abigail away. What kind of people commit such atrocities?”
Collins said “Hamas is a terrorist group and we must do all we can to support Israel in its quest to eliminate Hamas.”
She said eliminating Hamas is not only in Israel’s interest, but also in the interests of the United States and the world.
In addition to Collins, the bipartisan group included Republican U.S. Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John Thune of South Dakota, Dan Sullivan of Alaska and Katie Britt of Alabama. Democratic senators attending were Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Chris Coons of Delaware, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Cory Booker of New Jersey.
More than 1,400 people have been killed since the war began, mostly civilians killed by Hamas, according to the Associated Press.
Blumenthal, D-Connecticut, said that Hamas is a “terrorist organization” whose goal is genocide of the Jewish people.
“Hamas doesn’t just hate the Jewish people – like me – it wants to kill us, period. Every one of us,” said Blumenthal, whose father fled Nazi Germany during World War II to come to the United States. “The world cannot tolerate that kind of genocide anymore.”
Israel is on the verge of launching a ground offensive in Gaza, the site of a terrorist attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, with tanks and troops massed at the border of Gaza, according to he Associated Press.
Two U.S. Navy aircraft carriers have re-positioned to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea to assist Israel, according to news reports.
The lawmakers met with Saudi Arabian officials on Saturday, and are now in Egypt on the last leg of the trip, which was planned to show solidarity with the Israeli people.
Comments are not available on this story.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
