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Floor Speech

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Ms. ROSEN. Mr. President, since October 7, when Hamas launched the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel's history, Israel has continued to face a barrage of threats from Iran and its terrorist proxies in the region. Attacks on Israel, they didn't just happen on October 7. That is when it started.

The resolutions we are debating today will hurt Israel's ability to defend itself against these attacks. These resolutions would block weapons that are critical to restocking Israel's defenses and deterring Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and others.

Just this weekend, the Houthis launched a ballistic missile attack on Israel.

If passed, these resolutions would embolden more attacks like these from Iran and, again, its terrorist proxies. It would send a disastrous statement to the world, emboldening terrorism and potentially prolonging wars in the region.

Now, I know some on my side of the aisle are considering supporting these resolutions because they may disagree with the current Israeli Government. But let's be clear. Support for the U.S.-Israel relationship is not an endorsement of all the actions of any one Israeli Government, in the same way that other nations' support for America does not equal an endorsement of all the actions, well, by the Trump administration.

So I urge my colleagues to stand with and stand for our historic and mutually beneficial relationship with Israel and the Israeli people.

As the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel has been our strongest ally in the region, and the passage of these resolutions, well, it would damage our bond for years to come.

Government leaders, politicians, well, they come and go, but our commitment to Israel's security must be ironclad.

Restricting much needed arms to Israel because you don't agree with everything the current government is doing will leave our ally vulnerable, not only to current threats of terrorism but to future threats of terrorism.

While Israel has an absolute right to defend itself and the aid provided to Israel is critical to its defense, I do share the concerns of many of my colleagues about the need to limit civilian casualties during these conflicts. That is an important reason why I oppose these resolutions.

The joint direct attack munitions, or JDAMs--the very same guidance kits that would be restricted by one of these resolutions--would actually help convert unguided, dumb bombs into more accurate ones. These save civilian lives by enabling the Israeli Air Force to hit military targets more precisely than they would without JDAMs.

By providing Israel with JDAMs, which make weapons more precise and more accurate, we are helping Israel to defend itself, while also working to minimize civilian casualties.

The munitions these resolutions would block are also critical because Israel continues to face threats from both above and below the ground. For this reason, it is essential that Israel be able to reach all their military targets, including reinforced concrete structures like terror tunnels, weapons depots, factories, and rocket missile sites.

These resolutions would undermine these capabilities.

I know many of you here are torn. You want to do what is right for Israel, the United States, and the region. And I believe that we all share a goal of ending the war between Hamas and Israel, and we all look forward to a future without hostilities where the hostages taken by Hamas are finally all freed.

Right now, 59 hostages--only about half of whom are still believed to be alive, including a living American hostage--still are in Hamas captivity. They are still in Hamas captivity. And I think we can all agree that freeing all of these hostages is a fundamental piece to ending the war.

Passing these resolutions could threaten that goal. We have seen Hamas harden their stances on negotiations when they perceive gaps between the United States and Israel. After almost 550 days--550 days-- the hostages cannot afford to have Hamas delay one day longer.

So to best ensure the safety and security of Israel and the Palestinian people, to end civilian casualties on both sides, and to ensure we never ever have another October 7 again, Hamas cannot be allowed to remain in power in Gaza in any capacity.

I still hold hope for a future where two states live side by side in peace--a future that is free from Hamas, which has devastated countless lives in the region, of both Israelis and Palestinians.

And the key component of making this a reality is to make sure that Israel maintains its qualitative military edge to push Hamas out of Gaza for good.

Passing these resolutions would do the opposite. It would allow Hamas to entrench even further in Gaza, believing Israel's stockpiles are decimated, allowing them to expand their foothold, emboldening their current and future assault of Israelis and oppression of the Palestinians.

Blocking these arms sales will hurt Israel. It will send the wrong message to Hamas, to Iran, and to all of its terrorist proxies that America is abandoning our ally.

So I want to be clear. I want to repeat this: The message to terrorists, if these bills are passed--the message to terrorists--will be that they can continue without impunity.

If we are serious about preventing another atrocity like October 7, if we are serious about limiting civilian casualties, if we are serious about ensuring that Israel can defend itself, if we are serious about sending a message to terrorists around the globe, if we are serious about a stable path forward, and if we are serious about stability in the region and a safe and secure State of Israel, someday living alongside a peaceful, independent Palestinian State, I urge all of my colleagues to vote no on these resolutions.

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