Tuesday on CNN, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said ending the threat Hamas poses to Israel will require an exhaustive approach that he likened to what was used to end World War II.
According to the South Carolina Republican, the tactics used to end World War II with the Germans and Japanese would have to be used in this current flare-up.
“This was a coordinated land-sea-air attack that had months into making,” he said. “There’s no way in the world that this happened without Iran knowing. If you know the relationship between Iran and Hamas, that’s impossible to believe. I think The Wall Street Journal’s reporting will prove to be correct over time. But try to put this in context. You had a lot of people on the show that broke your heart. Here’s where Israel finds itself. It’s almost like World War II.”
“Gaza has been radicalized over generations,” Graham continued. “I think we can do business with the Palestinian Authority. We can’t do business with Hamas. So, Israel is going to have to go in and dismantle Hamas, like we took down the Germans and the Japanese. They’re going to have to reoccupy the Gaza Strip and build up a new generation that will be better for the Palestinian people in Gaza and better for Israel. It’s going to take a destruction of Hamas like we destroyed the Third Reich and a reoccupation to get a new generation of people who really do buy into peace. And as long as Iran goes unchecked, nothing changes.”
Graham also reiterated his call for a strike on Iranian oil infrastructure if the situation escalated.
“Yes, so, if there’s an escalation, Abby, if there’s people’s throats being cut on television as Israel goes into Gaza, and they’re threatening to kill the hostages if Hezbollah is unleashed on Israel in the north, it will be because Iran is supporting that,” he said. “If you don’t get the connection between Iran and this terrorist activity by Hamas and Hezbollah, you’re missing a lot. This is a terrorist state that has American blood on its hands. It is now time to dismantle the financing system of terrorism if this war escalates. Yes, I would do the joint military operation. I would tell the Iranians today if the war escalates, you will pay a price. You will be out of the oil business.”
“I want to be crystal clear on that,” Graham added. “And if we don’t do that, what do you expect to happen in the future? Do you expect Israel to forgive and forget? Biden didn’t mention one word about Iran today. And I want to support the president. I’m supporting the Saudi-Israel peace deal. Israel made peace with several Arab countries through the Abraham Accords. I want to help the Palestinians we can do business with as part of a Saudi-Israel peace deal. But I’m tired of letting Iran — I think they did this to stop the Saudi Arabia peace negotiations, the Iranians. I don’t want to reward them. I want to punish them.”
Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor