From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Lone Republican to support call for Israel-Gaza ceasefire walks back move
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
The only Republican lawmaker to publicly back a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza has walked back the position.
A spokesperson for Indiana Republican Todd Young tells Jewish Insider that the congressman “shares his colleagues’ concerns about a premature ceasefire or one that occurs on Hamas’ terms.”
“Hamas’ infrastructure and tunnel network in Gaza is far deeper and more sophisticated than many previously understood… As such, it is clear that Israel needs more time to deal with the threat it is facing. The only way to create an enduring ceasefire is to deal with the threat they are facing and reestablish deterrence by taking out Hamas’ terror infrastructure,” the spokesperson added.
Just three days ago, Young and Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy issued the first and only bipartisan statement backing a quick ceasefire.
“Israel has the right to defend itself from Hamas’s rocket attacks, in a manner proportionate with the threat its citizens are facing. As a result of Hamas’s rocket attacks and Israel’s response, both sides must recognize that too many lives have been lost and must not escalate the conflict further. We are encouraged by reports that the parties are exploring a ceasefire. We hope that this ceasefire can be reached quickly and that additional steps can be taken to preserve a two-state future,” the senators said.
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