Congresswoman McCollum Statement on Prime Minister Netanyahu Speech to Congress

Congresswoman Betty McCollum (MN04) released the following statement on Prime Minister Netanyahu's Speech to Congress tomorrow.

I plan to listen to the Israeli Prime Minister's speech from my office. The Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, were a heinous act that cannot ever be excused. Israel has the right to self-defense. However, this speech is not about the survival of Israel, it's about Prime Minister Netanyahu's domestic political survival. The level of death and destruction that Netanyahu has inflicted on Gaza is shocking, has made Israelis less safe, and must end immediately. That is why I have called for a regional ceasefire since October of last year.

As a democracy, Israel, just like the United States, has a responsibility to its people and to the world to ensure the protection of civilian lives by defending itself in a proportionate manner. Unfortunately, the last nine months have shown that Prime Minister Netanyahu's government has pursued a grossly disproportionate use of force in Gaza as a response to the Hamas terrorist attacks.

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