US Lawmakers Meet With Netanyahu, Condemn ‘Savage’ Attacks on Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem on Sept. 27, 2023. (Abir Sultan/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)

By Jackson Richman

Jackson Richman

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Jackson Richman is a Washington correspondent for The Epoch Times. In addition to Washington politics, he covers the intersection of politics and sports/sports and culture. He previously was a writer at Mediaite and Washington correspondent at Jewish News Syndicate. His writing has also appeared in The Washington Examiner. He is an alum of George Washington University.

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October 11, 2023Updated: October 11, 2023

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A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Oct. 10 amid the attacks by the Iran-backed Hamas terrorist group on Israel.

The congressional delegation, or CODEL, was led by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who was accompanied by Reps. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), and Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.).

“Over the last week, I’ve led a bipartisan, bicameral CODEL to the Middle East. I was in #Israel earlier today to show my unwavering commitment to our allies and friends—including PM @netanyahu—and to hear directly from American citizens on the ground,” Ms. Ernst posted on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“We stand shoulder to shoulder. We stand shoulder to shoulder so that we can go toe to toe with any terrorist going forward, especially those who committed, perpetrated these barbaric, these savage acts.”

During a press conference, Mr. Panetta said, “It is from that savagery though that we have our solidarity. And it was from our solidarity that we have our strength.

“We are here to let the people of Israel know, to let the world know, that we stand together, to ensure that we go forward in upholding all of our democratic values.”

Ms. Wasserman Schultz posted on X, “As I stood at the border of Jordan and Israel, I shared my experience these past few horrific and painful days. I stand in strong solidarity with the Israeli people. Am Yisrael Chai.”

At least 2,200 people reportedly have been killed—including 22 Americans—according to the Biden administration. Most of the deaths are on the Israeli side. According to the State Department, 17 Americans remain unaccounted for.

On Oct. 7, Hamas launched rockets from Gaza and invaded the Jewish state, killing men, women, and children, raping women, and taking hostages, among them an elderly female Holocaust survivor in a wheelchair who was dragged by the terrorists into Gaza.

That occurred as Jews were celebrating Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday that marks the conclusion of the reading of the Torah and starting to read the Five Books of Moses again.

Dozens of Hamas gunmen also descended on an electronic music festival in Israel being attended by 3,500 young people near its border with Gaza, a geographical strip that’s controlled by Hamas. At least 260 young people were gunned down in that attack, many of them shot in the back as they ran, and some captives were taken to Gaza.

In response, Mr. Netanyahu declared war on the terrorist group.

“All the places that Hamas hides in, operates from, we will turn them into ruins,” he said.

Israel has launched retaliatory strikes in Gaza, which is now reportedly running out of electricity as the area is relying on generators to maintain power.