Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) expressed his strong support Tuesday for Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas and warned against any ceasefire propositions that in any way reward Hamas for its "campaign of terror."
"I support any effort which brings this campaign to an end in a matter that increases Israel's security," McConnell said on the Senate floor. "That means specifically that Hamas cannot be left with large stockpiles of missiles and rockets. [They] cannot be left with infiltration tunnels; they must be destroyed. Hamas cannot be allowed to aggressively rest, refit and build up weapons stockpiles. That weakens Israel and the Palestinian authority. I oppose any efforts by the international community, especially the United Nations, to impose a ceasefire on Israel that does not meet these military objectives and that therefore risks rewarding Hamas, actually rewarding them, for a campaign of terror."
The terror tactics employed by Hamas show contempt for human life, McConnell said, and they also undermine the efforts of other Palestinians to work with Israel in a peaceful manner.
"There's no moral equivalency here, none whatsoever," McConnell said. "These tactics should be loudly and widely condemned, and Israel's right to defend itself should be affirmed."