WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-05) released the following statement today reiterating America's support for Israel and our commitment to recovering the over 200 hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas terrorists. Hamas's objective is the slaughter of Jews and the complete destruction of Israel – and to argue otherwise is not only dishonest, it is dangerous and it fuels antisemitism. See below for a video of his statement and a transcript of his remarks:
Click here for a video of his full statement.
“Like all who cherish our common humanity, I was relieved to see the release of four innocent Israeli hostages, including two American citizens in Gaza this week. I join President Biden and my colleagues in Congress in calling for the immediate release of the more than 200 innocent Israelis and at least ten Americans who remain in captivity. “I've met some of their families. Their grief is deep, but so too is the fortitude and the courage that they and their loved ones in captivity display every day. I pray for them. We will not yield until every last [hostage] has been returned safely, and we will not yield until every last Hamas terrorist responsible for these crimes has been brought to justice. “Hamas has slaughtered over 1,400 innocent Israelis and 33 Americans, wounded countless civilians and left destruction, torture, and rape in their wake. I have been deeply disturbed by recent efforts to rationalize Hamas's heinous crimes. Every day, Hamas churns out misinformation. They inflate casualty numbers and make false accusations to smear Israel's reputation. We must treat their claims with the same skepticism we would those made by al Qaeda or ISIS. “We ought to put those myths about Hamas to rest. They are not protectors of Palestinian people. Hamas has subjected Gaza to brutal totalitarian rule for years. They forced this war upon the people they claim to represent with no concern for the people of Gaza, the families of Gaza, the children of Gaza. They cower behind innocent Palestinian civilians, using them as human shields. Hamas hoards fuel, water, and food, while civilians in Gaza suffer. They use the agony they knew this war would create to their advantage. The blood of all those killed in this war, both Palestinians and Israelis, is on Hamas's hands. “Hamas does not want peace. Hamas wants the death of Jews and the death of the democratic state of Israel. They are fundamentally opposed to a two-state solution, which I believe is the only way to bring peace to this region. “Crucially, Hamas is not a righteous liberation movement as they claim. It is a terrorist organization. We only need to look at Hamas's founding covenant to understand its aim. It claims, and I quote, ‘There is no solution for the Palestinian problem except by jihad.’ It states that Hamas's objective is to, and I quote, ‘fight Jews and kill them.’ That genocidal mission is no different than the one outlined in the pages of Mein Kampf. “To argue that Hamas's objective is anything other than the slaughter of Jews and the complete destruction of Israel is not only dishonest, but is dangerous. It fuels the antisemitism the Jews around the world have faced for millennia, especially these past few weeks. “The Anti-Defamation League reported that the rate of antisemitic incidents in America has increased by 388% since the war began. In our nation's capital, a student group projected messages calling for the destruction of Israel on the walls of their university. Shame. Shame. “In New York, the New York P.D. has to escort Jewish students to safety after they were trapped in a library by pro-Palestinian protesters. In America, people couldn't go from place to place without being protected. In North Carolina, a synagogue received an email from someone threatening to carry out a public execution. Not far from the site of the Warsaw Ghetto in Poland, protesters waved signs calling for the extermination of Jews. This is wrong. This is dangerous. This must be rejected by all civilized persons in the world. The list of these stories grows longer every day. “We must ensure Jews' safety everywhere or everyone's safety will ultimately be at risk. Whether it's online or on college campuses, in their homes, or out in public, we must confront racism, hate, prejudice, bigotry, and violence. America needs to reassure Jewish citizens that we value their lives. We must support Israel as it does everything necessary under international law to end Hamas and protect civilian life.” “Together, we will rescue our hostages. Together, we must secure a better future for both Israelis and Palestinians. And together, we will defend the shared values that have united America and Israel for 75 years.”
