By Rep. Adrian Smith
As the Israel-Hamas War continues, 111 of the 251 hostages taken by Hamas terrorists in the October 7th attacks remain in Gaza. This week, in southern Gaza, Israeli forces recovered five bodies of hostages killed by their Hamas captors. Of the American citizens taken hostage, eight have yet to be recovered, and, tragically, three of these are known to have lost their lives. It remains uncertain how many other hostages are still alive.
Tasked with confronting such a grave situation, the Biden-Harris Administration has exhibited a troubling lack of clarity. President Biden has recklessly lent credence to illegitimate claims against Israel’s right to forcefully recover hostages. He also balked on delivery of support to Israeli defense efforts just days after Congress passed a military aid package for Israel with broad, bipartisan support, and on Wednesday after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Vice President Harris called for immediate implementation of a Biden administration ceasefire plan which would leave Hamas intact.
In March of this year, Vice President Harris publicly opposed the Israeli military moving into the city of Rafah. Strategically located as the southernmost city in Gaza, Rafah has long been known as a Hamas stronghold, and a site where hostages were likely to be kept. Such profound errors in judgement have weakened the standing of the United States in the eyes of the world and eroded trust among our allies. It is the same kind of failed leadership which made the Biden Administration’s withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan so disastrous.
In his address to a joint meeting of Congress this week, Prime Minister Netanyahu demonstrated why Israel is our closest ally in the Middle East and displayed the conviction required to confront the regional instability Israel continually faces.
Expressing Israel’s resolve to defend its people and hope for a more peaceful future, Netanyahu affirmed, “defeating our brutal enemies requires both courage and clarity.” He noted the role of the historic Abraham Accords, negotiated by the Trump Administration, in thwarting Iran’s all-out missile barrage against Israel on April 13 of this year. Thanks to a coalition of regional partners, which would not have been possible to assemble prior to the Abraham Accords, Iran’s assault was largely intercepted and caused virtually no casualties.
Iran’s malign influence goes beyond funding regional rogue actions by Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthi forces in Yemen. Current U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines recently confirmed Iran has intensified its efforts to undermine order and integrity in the United States, including using social media to stoke division and providing financial support to individuals protesting in support of Hamas. Chillingly, it was also recently reported the Secret Service obtained intelligence on an Iranian plot to assassinate President Trump.
I stand firmly with Israel and continue to support efforts to ensure it has the resources necessary to respond to the provocations of its enemies. I have also been active in the Committee on Ways and Means to help hold tax-exempt American universities accountable for addressing antisemitic violence and discrimination on their campuses.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to Congress was an important moment for our critical alliance. His government is rightfully seeking the complete and unconditional surrender of Hamas and the freedom of all remaining hostages. We must also ensure the government of Iran understands its aggression and sponsorship of terrorism by proxy have been mistakes. Blunders by the Biden-Harris Administration, such as releasing $6 billion to Iran less than a month prior to the October 7th attacks, are unacceptable and cannot be repeated. In the spirit of the Prime Minister’s resounding words, “Never again must never be an empty promise.”