Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-10), released the following statement while in Israel:

“During this difficult time in the Israel, I am honored to have the opportunity to experience the current situation firsthand. With so much loss of life, I was grateful to be here when the cease-fire came into effect and I hope that the parties are able to find a long-term solution to this conflict. Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in peace and have the right to self-determination, which will ultimately be achieved through two states for two peoples, living side by side in peace and security. Any innocent civilian who dies — whether he or she is killed in Israel or in Gaza – is a tremendous tragedy, not only for their family and friends, but also for the cause of peace. We all mourn this horrific loss.

“As I stand in Israel, I continue to stand with Israel and its right to defend itself from those who seek its destruction. No other county would be asked to tolerate thousands of rockets being fired at its population. As a terrorist organization that seeks to destroy all of Israel and that launched its rockets while hiding behind the Palestinian civilian population of Gaza, Hamas is an enemy of the two-state solution. Throughout this conflict, Hamas has sought to target civilians and — deplorably — to maximize the human cost of its actions. Hamas’s terror tunnels fueled the conflict, armed Hamas terrorists with rockets, and compelled Israel to take decisive action to dismantle them and the threat that they posed. Their destruction should help to prevent future acts of terrorism.

“I hope and pray that Israeli and Palestinian children will be able to live in a future when they are not forced to live in fear. We must do all that we can to help bring about the day when, through direct negotiations between the parties, the Palestinians and Israelis are able to agree to a two-state solution and bring an end to this deadly conflict.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)