Washington, D.C. — Congressman Seth Moulton issued the following statement on the current situation in Israel and Gaza. To read Congressman Moulton’s previous statements, letters, and commentary on the conflict, visit this page.
“Since the barbaric terrorist attacks of October 7th, I have been firm on the guiding principles that I believe should be shared on all sides of this horrific conflict:
- Israel has both a right to exist and an obligation to defend itself.
- Neither Israelis or Palestinians will ever be safe if both are not free and secure, which is why a two-state solution is imperative.
- Israel needs to have a clearly defined plan for the day after that both sides can support.
- Hatred at home, including the vicious 400% rise in antisemitism, only gets us farther from peace.
Prime Minister Netanyahu has repeatedly violated those principles. He has repeatedly rejected a two-state solution and restricted humanitarian aid. These actions run counter to Israel’s strategic interests, not to mention basic human decency.
While I continue to strongly support Israel’s mission to defeat Hamas, I strongly oppose Prime Minister Netanyahu’s brutalist approach to trying to do so—an approach I know from my experience in Iraq will ultimately be self-defeating and has already resulted in a humanitarian crisis of epic scale.
If Netanyahu rejects the consensus of the international community—not to mention numerous Israeli military and intelligence leaders alongside military and humanitarian professionals worldwide—by starting an offensive into Rafah, where kids are dying of famine and over a million innocents have no place to go, he will make matters immeasurably worse.
Likewise, if Hamas continues to reject the reasonable terms of the current ceasefire-for-hostage deal on the table, the horrific violence will continue.
Hamas must agree to join Israel in an immediate bilateral ceasefire and take steps towards long-term de-escalation. Let’s never forget that this war would end immediately if the terrorist organization Hamas would surrender.
That ceasefire deal is our best hope to avoid more death, and it is long past time for the violence to stop.”
