Last week, on July 24th, I had the honor of witnessing a moment of rare unity in the oftentimes dividedandchaotic Congress when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered remarks to a joint meeting of Congress in Washington, DC.
Inhisspeech,thePrimeMinister transcended the typical partisan divides by reminding us of the shared values and commitments that bind the United States and Israel together, as well as brought with him innocent families – both American and Israeli - torn apart by the barbaric attacks on October 7th. His remarks served as a necessary reminder that an attack on Israel is not just an assault on our ally, but also an attack on the United States, our values, and democracy andfreedomallaroundtheworld.In such a time of hyper-partisanship, it was important for us to hear this message as a Chamber, as this is truly an area where both sides of the aisleshouldcometogetherandunify in the fight against Iranian-backed terrorism.
Now, as we move forward, we must lead through strength and continue to show the rest of the world that we will not waver in our ironclad support for our great ally. We must continue to stand like a rock with Israel to ensure that the Israelis have the essential resources to defend itself and eradicate the cruel terrorist organization Hamas from this earth for good. We, the United States of America, cannot allow the Axis of Evil to win and PrimeMinisterNetanyahu’sspeech served as a critical reminder of this.
Tom Cole is currently serving in his eleventh term in the U.S. House of Representatives.