Calling on Hamas to immediately release hostages taken during October 2023 attack on Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 793) calling on Hamas to immediately release hostages taken during October 2023 attack on Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, on October 7, Israel suffered one of the worst days in its history as it came under attack by the Hamas terror group. These terrorists stormed across the border at Gaza and murdered 1,200 people and took 240 innocent people hostage, dragging them against their will into Gaza.

From elderly Holocaust survivors to young babies, Hamas did not discriminate in its cruelty.

Mr. Speaker, American citizens are still among the hostages. Many of us in this House have met with these hostage families. The pain and suffering that these families are enduring is beyond what any human should have to go through.

Young children forced to be witness to their parents' murder right in front of them, babies ripped from their mothers arms, teenagers at a music festival gunned down.

The atrocities that were committed that day and the glee with which the terrorists acted is unimaginable, Mr. Speaker, and it is the height of human depravity.

Hamas filmed and broadcast these atrocities. This savage, sick terrorist group wanted to brag to the world about the massacre at their hands.

These terrorists, Mr. Speaker, are monsters, and we have not seen this type of violence and cruelty since ISIS was running rampant in the Levant. The Jewish people have not witnessed this much diabolical death in one day since the Holocaust.

After holding these hostages for 7 long weeks, Hamas has agreed to release some of these innocent women and children in an exchange for Israel temporarily pausing its military campaign and releasing Palestinians in jail.

All of us on this House floor are grateful for those hostage releases, and we are grateful for the leadership of the United States, Qatar, and the Government of Israel to achieve that modicum of peace and help for those families.

However, listen to the deal, Mr. Speaker. It was three jailed criminals for each innocent person captured and drug across the Gaza fence line on October 7. Despite the good news that we have witnessed in the last few days, Hamas is still holding over 150 innocent people.

Hamas must release all the remaining hostages. The United States continues to stand alongside our ally Israel in their fight to secure that safe release of all the hostages unconditionally and safely.

It was an honor and privilege working together with Congresswoman Haley Stevens, and I am so proud to be on the House floor tonight alongside Congresswoman Haley Stevens to introduce this resolution.

With this resolution, the House of Representatives strongly condemns Hamas' attack. It calls on Hamas to immediately and unconditionally release all the hostages taken on October 7.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has marked up this legislation earlier in the month, and it received unanimous support. I expect it will receive that today on this House floor.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to stand with the hostages, with their families, and support this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler), a very passionate supporter of our ally Israel and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from New York.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Michigan for her passionate words and her outstanding work in crafting this H. Res. 793, which calls on Hamas to release everyone unconditionally to return to their families.

Ms. Stevens has done a great thing. Between us, we come to this House

floor with some 236 cosponsors for this resolution, Mr. Speaker.

I would certainly hope that on both sides of this aisle that we have a unanimous vote on this important statement of the American people, representing the American people, calling out against the atrocities that have been committed against the innocent people in Israel.

I thank my friend from Michigan, too, for our work together and partnership and co-chairing the Congressional Task Force on American Hostages and Americans Wrongly Detained Abroad.

This is important work. It has been truly tested in these past 7 weeks. Our congressional family is grieving with our Israeli families and other nationalities who have someone as a murder victim of these terrorists or someone who remains a hostage of these terrorists.

It is our goal to be a resource to our fellow Members through that task force to try to help them work with our State Department and make sure those families understand what information they can have and how they can be helped through this challenge. We want to bring all these Americans home.

Before I conclude, Mr. Speaker, I just would say we were all on the front steps of the Capitol together, Democrats and Republicans, and we stood as Americans that night with our new Speaker, Mike Johnson; our minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries; Ms. Stevens, myself, our colleagues; our committee chairs, Mr. Meeks of New York as our ranking member of Foreign Affairs; and our committee chairman, Mr. McCaul of Texas, in solidarity against the atrocities in Gaza and in Israel.

That night, I had the opportunity to have the most wonderful visit with the most hopeful mother, Adi Marciano--a beautiful woman.

We hugged and talked, and we had in the candlelight of that moment on the House steps a moment of hope, but just a few hours later, she learned that her daughter, Noa, 19 years old, Mr. Speaker, a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces, was among the murdered, not among the hostages.

We don't want to forget those who have been killed in this process as we pray for the release of the hostages, and we call politically on this House floor for the release of the hostages.

We lift up these families, and we lift up all those who are grieving over the loss and tragedy on both sides of the fence in Gaza.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support H. Res. 793. I reserve the balance of my time, and I have no additional speakers.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from North Carolina for leading the discussion on our House floor today on the gentlewoman from Michigan's excellent resolution, H. Res. 793.

I am proud to be a cosponsor, proud to stand with 236 Members on both sides of the aisle to demand an unconditional release of those still held hostage by the terrorists in Gaza and their coconspirators.

I urge a ``yes'' vote, Mr. Speaker, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 7217) making emergency supplemental appropriations to respond to the attacks in Israel for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the measure under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to offer H. Res. 7217, the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024. This bill provides $17.6 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations, which will provide needed military assistance to America's great ally, Israel, and support U.S. military forces operating in the region.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas carried out a brutal, unprovoked terrorist attack on the people of Israel. The horrific acts committed on this day resulted in 1,200 deaths, thousands injured, and 240 hostages, 136 of whom remain in captivity, and over 30 are believed to be dead.

The Israeli people are still reeling from the horrors of October 7, but they have bravely pushed their sorrow aside to root out and fight Hamas and ensure that their people are never threatened again.

Last November, the House passed a $14.3 billion supplemental to shore up our ally. The bill included:

$5.2 billion in missile defense systems such as Iron Dome, David's Sling, and Iron Beam;

$4.4 billion to backfill U.S. stocks;

$1 billion for U.S. munitions production, such as 155 rounds and small diameter bombs;

$3.5 billion for foreign military financing of U.S. systems and munitions; and

$200 million for the protection of U.S. personnel and emergency evacuations of American citizens in the region as a result of this conflict.

These requirements remain unchanged and are aligned with the Biden administration's supplemental request. They are included, again, in the bill we are considering today.

Unfortunately, the situation in the Middle East has continued to deteriorate since November. The Houthis have launched dozens of missile, drone, and boat attacks on military and civil ships in the Red Sea.

On January 28, three U.S. soldiers were killed and 40 were injured by a drone attack at a military base in Jordan caused by an Iranian-backed militia. Just this morning, the Houthis fired missiles at two civilian ships in Yemen, one British and one American. We are putting our military in an untenable situation, and attacks continue to escalate.

Now, we must act to shore up our ally, Israel, and provide our military with the resources they need to protect our troops in the region.

The new funding in this bill addresses that changing reality by providing $3.3 billion for U.S. military operations in the region funded through December 2024. This includes $1 billion for low-cost defensive capabilities to thwart future attacks on U.S. forces in the region.

In many instances, we have been intercepting low-cost Iranian-backed drones with multimillion-dollar missiles. This funding will protect our forces and put us on the right side of the cost curve.

This funding bill resupplies Israel's defensive capabilities, restores America's defense industry to replenish our stocks, funds necessary operations for our forces in the region, and sends a strong signal that the United States will not back down.

I am grateful for the support of Chairwoman Granger, Chairman Diaz- Balart, Republican leadership, and the dozens of Members who have cosponsored this bill. I am also grateful for the support expressed by many of my friends across the aisle. We have an opportunity today to come together and send a strong message that the United States stands with Israel.

I want to address the position of the Democratic leadership, including President Biden's veto threat. Assertions that this bill plays politics are patently false. Last November, Democrats said they wanted a clean bill. That is exactly what this is. This bill simply provides necessary resources to our closest ally in the region and our own military. I introduced this bill because it is the right thing to do. The only people making it political are those who oppose it.

Tomorrow is the 4-month anniversary of the horrific October 7 terrorist attack, which is an act of war. Israel knows that we stand with them, and today we can send a clear message that we support their efforts to eradicate Hamas, the only way to truly bring peace to the region.

Likewise, our American military men and women should know their government stands fully behind them as they respond to these numerous attacks. Terrorists and those supporting them should have no question of American resolve.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage all Members to support the Israel Security Supplemental Appropriations Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this is a bipartisan effort. This is a bipartisan bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Granger), who is the chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, the bill before us today is regarding Israel. We have time to debate Ukraine at a later date, but today, this is regarding aid to Israel, which we need to do immediately.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Womack), a member of the Appropriations Committee's Defense Subcommittee and chairman of the Appropriations Committee's Financial Services and General Government Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Murphy).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler).

Mr. Speaker, the House was excluded from all negotiations regarding the Senate supplemental, and today we are talking about assistance to Israel that is needed immediately.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Rouzer).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Van Orden).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the folks that believe in genocide is Hamas.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart), the Chairman of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining on both sides.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

The gentlewoman is correct. This bill is not about Ukraine or INDOPACOM or some other things that I would love to have some discussions about in the future. This is about Israel.

I think my friends on the other side of the aisle know I am not a cynical person. I have been in favor of moving an Israel bill for some time, and now is the time. I think it is just simply the right thing to do.

Let's pass this bill. Let's support Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, 122 days ago, Hamas terrorists murdered over 1,000 Israelis and at least 30 Americans in cold blood. They took hundreds hostage in the worst attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust.

President Biden's supplemental funding request for Israel, Ukraine, the Indo-Pacific, and for our border has gone all but completely unanswered by this historic do-nothing majority. For months our colleagues in the majority insisted that any foreign assistance bill must include border policy changes. So spoke Speaker Johnson at the White House several months ago, and he said that we needed a bipartisan border security agreement that would open and unlock the door for funds for foreign assistance.

Yet, Republicans have rejected a bipartisan bill that would accomplish exactly what they have asked for.

While declaring that bill dead on arrival in the House, the majority has opted to consider a bill that we know the President will veto. This is a political stunt that makes it less likely that Israel gets its funds while endangering U.S. national security. This accomplishes nothing and delays aid getting out to our allies and providing humanitarian relief.

Our allies cannot wait, our border communities cannot wait, and our cities cannot wait.

I wholeheartedly support funding for Israel. I have written aid to Israel supplemental appropriations over the last several years. However, I cannot support this bill which falls dangerously short of what this moment calls for. Our allies are facing existential threats, and our friends and foes around the globe are watching and waiting to see how America will respond.

Putin is watching, Xi is watching, and the Ayatollah Khamenei is watching. Russia, China, and Iran are watching, and our allies are watching.

This bill does not provide a penny in humanitarian assistance. We cannot abandon the innocent civilians caught in the crossfire of these conflicts, particularly in Gaza. The costs of Hamas' rule over Gaza and the war against Israel are borne by innocent Palestinians. Israel's harsh response has raised these costs further. Families and children are facing unthinkable circumstances. Millions are facing starvation because of this conflict. No one with clear eyes would say otherwise.

Furthermore, if this bill were to become law, there is no path to support Ukraine. We are witnessing the first land war in Europe in a generation, and through inaction, this Congress is handing a sovereign nation over to a ruthless autocrat jeopardizing U.S. national security. Vladimir Putin wants Ukraine. If he overtakes Ukraine and moves against a NATO ally, then we will see U.S. troops in a ground war.

If we do not provide Ukraine with what they need, then the ultimate legacy of the 118th Congress will be the appeasement of a dictator and the destruction of a free nation.

Our allies and our enemies in Europe and around the globe will know that the United States is no longer a trusted partner in the security of the free world. Yet, we know that a supermajority of this body supports Ukraine.

There are unquestionably more than 218 votes in the House for a supplemental appropriations bill that includes Israel, humanitarian assistance, Ukraine, and Indo-Pacific assistance. Yet, House Republicans are refusing to take that path. The Senate bill acts now to address the border that is in crisis. The status quo is unacceptable, but Republicans say no to moving forward.

We should reject this unserious effort, this political ploy, and insist on a bipartisan product that supports our allies and protects the integrity of our border.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Minnesota (Ms. McCollum), who is the ranking member of the Defense Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), the ranking member of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel), a member of the Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Himes), the ranking member of the Intelligence Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Ocasio-Cortez).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Tlaib).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), the distinguished ranking member of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee.

Mr. Speaker, a short while ago, my colleague from Arkansas said it is our solemn duty to protect our allies. Indeed, it is our solemn duty to protect our allies. Our ally in this case is Israel, yes, and we support Israel. Our ally is Ukraine, and we need to continue to support Ukraine. Our ally is Taiwan, and we need to support Taiwan.

We have a solemn duty, yes, to provide humanitarian assistance to innocent civilians. We have a solemn duty to protect our border. These are not the issues that are part of this bill. This bill does not meet those solemn obligations.

My Republican colleagues do not want to help Ukraine or the Indo- Pacific and Taiwan. They do not want to address border security. They talked about border security as being the key to opening up the door to foreign assistance. They said it in the White House--the Speaker did that--and now they have walked away from it. It is really a political sham. They do not

want to promote humanitarian assistance and leave millions of innocent civilians without food, shelter, and clothing.

When I asked about Gaza in a conversation with the Director of the World Food Programme, Cynthia McCain, she said to me: Rosa, these people are starving. It is a famine. I believe that in this process of providing assistance to just Israel and not our other allies, they do hurt Israel and isolate Israel. It is time for my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to put our country and our national security ahead of partisan politics. What we should do is to vote this bill down.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 888 introduced by my friends, Representatives Mike Lawler and Jared Moskowitz.

Mr. Speaker, on many occasions this House of Representatives has reaffirmed Israel's right to exist, and it is important that we do so again today. It is incomprehensible to me that after Hamas' horrific terrorist attack on October 7, the largest attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust, we are seeing a growing wave of anti-Semitism rear its ugly head at home and around the world.

Since Israel's independence in 1948 and its admission into the United Nations the following year, international law has mandated Israel's right to exist. Yet, as of this year, 28 of the 193 United Nation member states still do not recognize Israeli sovereignty.

The terrorist organization, Hamas, has declared that Israel has no right to exist and for decades has targeted Israel for destruction with suicide bombs, with missiles and rockets, and most recently, with gruesome and savage terror attacks targeting civilians.

The destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews is Hamas' sole focus. They have murdered babies, raped women, executed parents in front of their children, and massacred 260 young people at a music festival. They have taken 250 innocent civilians, including American citizens, hostage.

They are not working to help the Palestinian people who elected them. Indeed, the Palestinian people are shamelessly used and abused by Hamas as human shields.

As a proud, lifelong supporter of a two-state solution, I know that with Hamas in control of 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, real progress on a two-state solution cannot being achieved. Hamas has always only ever played spoiler. The same is true of Iran's other regional proxies, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and others, who also exist only to destabilize and destroy Israel, not to strive for a two-state solution.

There cannot be peace when a party to a conflict doesn't recognize the other parties' right to exist. With recognition comes peace and mutual prosperity, security, and innovation. That is why efforts to facilitate and expand the Abraham Accords are so historic and important. The Abraham Accords countries, along with Egypt and Jordan, all recognize this fact and are advancing their nations in the spirit of regional cooperation and peace.

Here at home, whether it is on public streets, on college campuses, or online, we have seen a deeply disturbing and aggressive increase and despicable call for Israel to cease existing as a Jewish State.

The phrase, ``from the river to the sea,'' a sickening call for the destruction of the State of Israel and the genocide of the Jewish people, has become a rallying cry for those hoping for Israel's destruction. Calling for total Palestinian control of all Israeli territory from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea is a call to eliminate the Jewish State of Israel.

This resolution states that denying Israel's right to exist is a form of anti-Semitism. I wholeheartedly agree with this statement. To be clear, it is not necessarily anti-Semitic to criticize the State of Israel or its leaders for particular policies. That is free speech, and no country is above criticism for its policies, including our own. It is absolutely anti-Semitic to treat Israel as a pariah based on the claim that Jews alone should be denied the right to define themselves as a people and to exercise any form of national self-determination.

This is the crucial difference. It is anti-Semitism, and we must totally reject it.

In 2015, former President Barack Obama stated the following in an interview: I think it would be a moral failing for me as President of the United

States, a moral failing for America, and a moral failing for the world if we did not protect Israel and stand up for its right to exist, because that would negate not just the history of the 20th century, it would negate the history of the past millennium.

Mr. Speaker, I totally agree with that statement. For thousands of years, Jews have suffered persecution and lack the safety and stability of a homeland. Today, the modern Jewish State of Israel thrives in the ancient Jewish Holy Land where it is a robust democracy and productive and treasured member of the international community of nations.

Israel has signed peace treaties with two of its most important neighbors and has come to the table for many rounds of peace negotiations with the Palestinians. Israel is a country that wants peace, whereas Hamas and its Iranian patron do not.

Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people and will always remain a place of refuge where Jews can be truly safe and control their own destiny. Israel is certainly worthy of the support of this House and the United States of America.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Moskowitz).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Rhode Island (Mr. Amo), the newest member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, the Jewish people have connections to the State of Israel that go back thousands of years. Indeed, the Jewish people are indigenous to that land.

Yes, Israel has a right to exist. This multicultural, multiethnic, multireligious nation, a nation of laws, a nation with free speech and free press, a nation of innovation, and a vibrant, thriving democracy, an incredible country, has much to teach the world and will continue to do so. This country, our only democratic ally in the Middle East, is here to stay.

This resolution puts the House of Representatives on record as affirming the State of Israel's right to exist. It recognizes that denying Israel's right to exist is a form of anti-Semitism. It rejects calls for Israel's destruction and the elimination of the only Jewish state and condemns the October 7 Hamas-led terrorist attack on the State of Israel and its people.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this resolution, and I urge all my colleagues to do the same. I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 888) reaffirming the State of Israel's right to exist.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members

may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise to urge the House to agree to my resolution that reaffirms Israel's fundamental right to exist.

This is a pretty simple and straightforward resolution. Israel has a right to exist. You either believe that or you don't. The American people should see very clearly whether or not the Members of Congress affirm Israel's right to exist.

President Harry Truman recognized Israel 11 minutes after its founding. America was the first country to recognize the State of Israel, and for good reason.

Over the last 75 years, Israel has become the greatest ally of the United States--our shared values, shared heritage. The relationship between our two Nations is unbreakable.

I fundamentally believe that the terrorist attacks of October 7 perpetrated by Hamas are about one thing: Hamas does not believe Israel has the right to exist. Hamas wants to eradicate the Jewish people from the face of the Earth. They say so.

Other bad actors like Hezbollah share that perspective. Iran, the greatest state sponsor of terrorism in the world, the backer and funder of Hamas, has been calling for the eradication of the State of Israel for millennia. They don't believe they have the right to exist.

This resolution seeks to reaffirm the commitment made by President Truman upon Israel's founding. We not only recognize Israel, we reaffirm Israel's fundamental right to exist.

In the wake of the horrific October 7 attacks on Israel, we saw Members of this body and other opponents of Israel call for the elimination of Israel. When they chant: ``From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free,'' they mean that Israel will not exist.

I want Palestinians to be free. I want them to be free from their oppressors: Hamas and the Palestinian authority.

Hamas has used Palestinians as human shields even until today. As Israel prosecutes this war against this terrorist organization, Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields, camping out in hospitals and schools, launching missiles, shooting innocent civilians.

I watched in horror the 21-minute unedited, raw footage of the October 7 terrorist attack. Every Member of Congress was offered the opportunity to watch a 45-minute viewing of that attack.

Nearly half of Congress chose not to come, including some of the Members who have made it clear that they don't support Israel's right to exist.

On college campuses and city streets, we see people calling for an intifada, actively promoting the destruction of the Jewish state. Everyone has a right to say what they want about a foreign government, to say what they want about war, but they don't have the right to delegitimize the very existence of the Jewish state to justify terror.

The State of Israel was created 75 years ago to reestablish the native homeland of the Jewish people. For centuries, Jews were discriminated against and persecuted wherever they went. This culminated in the attempted genocide of European Jews during the Holocaust; 6 million Jews slaughtered.

This most recent genocide provides new urgency to reestablish the Jewish homeland where the Jewish people were displaced, and we wanted to create a homeland where they weren't a vulnerable minority, where they could freely practice their faith, and where something like the Holocaust could never happen again.

Yet, on October 7, we saw the largest slaughtering of Jews since the Holocaust. Yet, still today, many Jews view Israel as the safest place for them to live, even as rockets and missiles come from all sides.

Denying Israel's right to exist is denying the Jewish people the right to self-determination. It is denying the Jewish people's historic ties to the land. It is justifying war crimes against babies, and let's call it what it is, it is anti-Semitic.

I urge all of my colleagues to support this commonsense resolution that makes one thing fundamentally clear: Israel has a right to exist. Congress must never stop pushing back against Israel's opponents, and we must reject biased attempts to destroy our greatest ally.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for closing.

It should be clear by now to each and every Member of this body on both sides of the aisle and every American that Israel has a right to exist. This sentiment is unequivocal and is a critical point to unequivocally voice now in our ally's time of need.

Harry Truman recognized the State of Israel 11 minutes after its founding. For 75 years, the United States and Israel have had a special bond. Israel is the only multiracial, multiethnic, multireligious democracy in the Middle East. It is a beacon of hope, of freedom, and of opportunity.

If anyone in this body believes that they do not have the right to exist, please explain to us and the American people what nation does.

This is a simple vote, and every Member should be on record in support of Israel's right to exist. If they cannot muster the courage to support Israel's right to exist at this moment, they don't belong in Congress, period.

This is a simple vote, and I encourage all of my colleagues to stand with Israel, to defend and reaffirm their very right to exist, and to defend the right of the Jewish people to practice their faith.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.