Sen. Cruz Issues Statement About Israeli Ground Offensive

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement today on announcement of the Israeli ground offensive:

“The Israeli government has the right and indeed the obligation to ensure the security of its citizens. For decades, our Israeli allies have sought to counter Hamas's terrorism while the international community—including, and far too often, the United States—urged engagement and appeasement. Those approaches inevitably strengthened and emboldened Hamas, forcing Israel to deploy military force, which quickly and inevitably led to international pressure on Israel to accept inconclusive outcomes. Hamas's atrocities should put an end to any debates over the viability of such tactics and strategies.

“The success of Israel’s operation is vital to the national security of the United States. The weekend of October 7, Hamas also killed over two dozen Americans and took an unknown number hostage—itself one of the most significant terrorist attacks on American civilians in history. A terrorist attack on Americans anywhere in the world poses a threat to Americans everywhere in the world, unless deterrence is restored by holding those terrorists accountable.

“There is now only one acceptable policy for the United States: We must ensure that our Israeli allies have all the weapons and all the time they need to utterly eradicate Hamas, for as long as it takes.”

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