The United States should support Israel “to the hilt” in its existential war against the Gaza-based Islamic terror group Hamas, according to Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who accused the Biden administration of showing more concern for “placating the growing antisemitic faction in their party than helping an ally like Israel win this war.”
Speaking to anchor Shannon Bream on Fox News Sunday, Cotton noted that “we’re fewer than six months past the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust” and that the U.S. “should back Israel to the hilt in their existential war against Hamas.”
According to Cotton, that includes “rooting out the Hamas terrorists and leaders who are now hiding in Rafah.”
Despite Biden’s opposition, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted on the necessity of a ground invasion in Rafah to complete the military elimination of Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on March 19, 2023. (Abir Sultan/Pool Photo via AP)
The Arkansas Republican continued by calling out Democrats for their misdirected policies.
“And Joe Biden and Tony Blinken and Chuck Schumer, rather than blaming Benjamin Netanyahu and putting pressure on him, should be helping the Israeli government put pressure on Hamas, not only to win this war, but also help bring back those hostages, some of whom are American hostages,” he said.
Cotton, who is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, also argued that it is “very disappointing” to see Biden and Schumer “apparently more concerned about placating the growing antisemitic faction in their party than helping an ally like Israel win this war.”
When asked about the many civilians currently sheltering in Rafah, he insisted that “if you want to protect those civilians, a simple way would be for Hamas to release those hostages and to unconditionally surrender.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) answers questions from reporters outside the Senate chamber, at the Capitol in Washington on November 28, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The matter comes as Biden faces increasing Republican backlash for “destroying US credibility with our allies” and “turning our back on Israel,” after the president’s decision to have the United States abstain from a vote on the U.N. Security Council’s first ceasefire demand in Gaza, in a move that further increased tensions between the Biden administration and Israel.
In response to that step, Cotton slammed the betrayal of Israel by the Biden administration, who he accused of deserting America’s longtime ally.
“Immediately after 10/7, President Biden defended Israel. But it was just words from a failed politician,” he wrote. “After a few bad polls, he has decided to throw Israel under the bus.”
In a follow-up post, the conservative senator suggested that a Trump presidential win would restore “American strength.”
“Look how quickly Biden turned on Israel after a few bad polls,” he wrote. “What message does that send to our allies? And to our adversaries?”
“The way to restore American strength is to elect President Trump,” he insisted.
Earlier this month, Cotton unveiled a bill to curb pro-Hamas riots in the United States fueled by leftist groups.
The bill, dubbed the Stop Pro-Terrorist Riots Now Act, would increase the maximum punishment for participating in a riot from five years to ten years, and create a mandatory one-year minimum penalty for anyone engaging in or supporting an act of violence as part of a riot.
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“Radical, pro-Hamas mobs committing crimes and perpetrating violence should face the full extent of the law. No one has the right to commit violence in support of terrorism. This bill is necessary to ensure that we reject antisemitism and hold these pro-Hamas criminals accountable,” Cotton told Breitbart News.
Protests in support of Hamas have broken out across the U.S. in the aftermath of the Islamist terrorist organization’s attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, the worst in Israel’s history. The massacre, which stemmed from the terrorist group’s radical beliefs, targeted civilians at a music festival and in Israeli towns. The massacre saw terrorists kill approximately 1,200 people and wound more than 5,300, with at least 242 hostages taken — more than half of whom still remain in Gaza.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.