Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Israel’s Security Cabinet Voting To Approve The Ceasefire Agreement
Washington, D.C. – Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) today spoke on the Senate floor on Israel’s Security Cabinet voting to approve the ceasefire deal, which will free the hostages, reduce harm to civilians, and reduce violence in Gaza. Below are Senator Schumer’s remarks, which can also be viewed here:
This week has been a long time coming for the families of the Israeli hostages, for civilians in Gaza, and for countless people across the world.
A little over an hour ago, Israel’s Security Cabinet voted to approve the ceasefire that negotiators announced earlier this week. It will soon go to the full Cabinet for approval.
Fifteen months after Hamas’ heinous attack on October 7th, it is welcome news that we’re now at the brink of a ceasefire agreement that will reduce violence in Gaza, reduce harm to innocent civilians, and free many of the hostages.
This ceasefire marks a hopeful turning point for Israel, for the Palestinian people, and particularly for the families of the hostages who have waited so long in agony. We will not rest until every hostage comes home.
This agreement would not have been possible without months of steadfast diplomacy by the United States and our allies in the region, and could not have happened – and would not have happened – until the threats of Hamas and other Iranian proxies like Hezbollah were radically reduced, which thankfully they have been.
I want to thank President Biden and everyone in his Administration who persistently negotiated for a year to make this agreement possible.
I thank and honor all the families of the hostages, especially those who live in New York, for their courage and perseverance and boundless grace amidst so much grief.
Among the hostages are many New Yorkers. Omer, Edan, Sagui, Itay, Keith, Gad, and Judi.
Getting to know the families of the hostages, hearing them share stories about their loved ones in captivity, about their hopes and their fears and frustrations and their perseverance, will be something I will remember forever.
Today, I promise them this: we will keep working to make sure every hostage comes home.
Now the task is to ensure that this temporary agreement paves the way to a lasting peace. This first phase is critical for bringing home all the hostages and preserving Israel’s right to defend itself. We must make sure that the terrorists of Hamas can never again pose a threat to Israel or to the region.
We must also do everything we can to deliver immediate and life-saving relief to civilians in Gaza. For fifteen months they have suffered unimaginable destruction.
It will take all parties working together to make sure the Palestinian people can rebuild their lives with dignity, with security, and outside the terrible shadow that Hamas has cast over the Gaza Strip, including using so many innocent civilians as human shields.
I urge the Biden Administration and incoming Trump Administration to work together with all parties at the negotiating table, to ensure the deal is implemented, and followed through in its entirety.
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