winners. ■ do not miss out. they be broadcast on c-span starting april 1. you can catch them online at any time on studentcam.org. join us in celebrating these young lives as they share their opinions on issues that are important td impact our world. house is in recess until tuesday. the senate is in session today, woin on some of president biden's noons. earlier in the day,hu schumer took to the floor, calling for a two state solution. this is about 45 minutes.

i feel very keenly my responsibility as a shomerias, a

guardian of the people of israel. throughout jewish history, there have been many and plenty who are far greater tn nonetheless,n which i find myself now at a time of great difficulty for the state of israel, the jewish people and for non-jewish friends of israel. i feel an immense obligiospeak . i speak as a member of a community of jewish americans that i know very well. ey friends, many of them are my constituents, many are democrats and many are deeply concerned about e justice both in new york and around the globe. from the town would come of the call to repair the world has driven jews around the globe to do what is right. we love israel in our bones.

wh imy generation within living memory of the holocaust is impossible to measure. the flowerin■hg of the j people in the desert, from the ashes of the holocaust and the fulfillment of the dream of a jewish homeland 2000 years of praying and waiting represents one of the most heartfelt causes of my life. ome younger americans, i remember how hard it was to achieve that dream. i remember clutching the transistor radio to my ear and james madison high school in 1967 during the six day war wondering if israel wouldpushed. if the events of the last few months have made anything clear, it is that israel is surrounded by vicious enemiesld who excuse and even support their aims to expel and kill jews living in their hard-won land.

of refuge. i will never underestimate the great threats israel faces and is faced -- and has faced for the entirety of his its existence normally ever understood -- underestimate the oppression the jewish people have endured for a millennium. it is precisely out of this long-standing connection to and concern for the state of israel and its people that i speak today about what i view are the most pressing existential threats to israel's long-term peace and prosperity. after fiveths of suffering on both sides of this conflict, our thinking must turn urgently to how we can achieve lasting peace endure and ensure prosperity and security for both the jewish people and the palestinian people in the middle east. i believe that to achieve that lasting peace which we so long for, israel must make some significant course corrections

which i will outline in this speech. first, let's not forget how we arrived at this critical moments brutal beyond imagination. i have sat with the families of those killed in the assau have d heard the stories of innocence murdered and raped in heartless cruelty and as long as i live, i will never forget these images, this pure and premeditated people. manywere killed by nazis in the holocaust. october 7 and the shameless response to support that terrorist attack by some in america and around the■ have awakened the deepest fears of the jewish people that are dish at our annihilation remains a possibility. today, over 130 hostages remain captive in gaza. i am anguished by the plight of so many hostages still being

trapped deep inside hamas'network of tunnels. i pray for them and for their es who have inspired me with their tenacious advocacy to ensure their loved ones are not forgotten. many of them are americans. jonathanchen, hirsch polin and some my constituents in new york. we tragically learned this week that when men was brutally killed on october 7 while serving near the gaza border. hamas still holds his body. his father gave me this pin. which i am wearing. in remembrance of him. as well as those of americans, judy weinstein and others. i have sat with many of these families, i have wept with them. each day that their loved ones don't come home carries enough anguish andi am working in evern

support the biden administration as negotiations continue to free eri urge every actor at the tab, the israelis, the biden administration, the guitar is in egyptians and anyone else of the table to do everything possible to get a deal. hamas has been given a deal already. they should say yes. my heart also breaks for the loss of so many civilian lives in gaza. i am anguish that the israeli war campaign has killed so many innocent palestinians. i know that my fellow jewish americans feel the same anguish whenhey see the images of dead and starving children and destroyed homes. gaza is experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe. entire families wiped out, whole neighborhoods reduced to rubble, mass displacement, children suffering.

we should not let the complexities of this conflict stop us from stating the plain truth -- deserve to suffer for the sins of hamas and israel has a moral obligation to do better. the itobligation to do better. i believe the united states must provide robust humanitarian aid to gaza and pressure the israelis to let more of it get through to the people who needed. jewish people throughout the centurie.2s have empathized with those who are suffering and who are oppressed because we have known so much of that ourselves. as the whole -- is theaches us,s precious and every innocent life lost whether israeli or palestinian is a tragedy. as the scripture says, itwhat hs especially is our sense that israel is falling short of upholding these distinctly

jewish values that we hold so dear. we must be better than our enemies lest wisrael has a fundt to defend itself but as i have said from the beginning of this war, how would exercise that right matters. israel must prioritize the section of civilian casualties when identifying military authorities. i have repeatedly called upon these really government to do so. it also must be said that israel is by no means the only one responsible for the immense civilian toll. to blame only israel for the deaths of palestinians is , one-sided and often deliberately manipulative. it ignores hamas'role in this conflict. hamas has knowingly invited an immense civilian toll during this war. their goal on october 7 was to provoke to from israel by killing as many jews

as possible in the most vicious manner possible, raping women, executing babiesutalizing whole communities. since then, hamas has purposely hidden behind their fellow palestinians by turning hospitals into command centers and refugee camps into missile launching sites. it is well documented that hamas soldiers used innocent gazans as human shields. the leaders of hamas, many of whom in luxury far away from the poverty and misfortune of gaza do not care one iota about the palestinians for whom they claim to nobly fight. it bothers me deeply that most media outlets covering this war and nysing it had placed the blame for civilian casualties entirely on israel. all too often in the protest, id

that hamas has gone to great lengths to make themselves inseparable from the civilian gaza by using palestinians as human shields. too many news agencies, tesis and newspapers give hamas a pass by hardly ever does -- uncovering their strategy. this has led to an inaccurate perception of the harsh realities of this war. i believe stories justifiably mention the loss of palestinian life should also note how hamas uses civilians as human shields. it almost never happens. i believe the protest that justifiably decry the loss of innocent men, women and children should also denounce hamas for their central role in the bloodshed. can protesters deprive the loss of palestinian life but never condemn the loss of israeli

lives, it confounds and deeply troubles the vast majority of jewish and non-jewish americans alike who support the state of israel. given that hamas launched their attacks on october 7 to provoke israel, given that hamas sought the ensuing civilian toll in gaza, given that hamas wanted both israelis and throats, tenss on both sides have dramatically intensified. and now, as a result of those inflamed tensions in israeli and palestinian communities, people on all sides of this war are turning away from a two statejh solution. including israel's prime minister, benjamin netanyahu who recently said out loud repeatedly with many havlong suspected by outright rejecting the idea of palestinian statehood sovereignty. as the highest ranking jish elected official in our

government and as astana's defender of israel, i rise today to say unequivocally that this is a grave mistake for israel, for palestinians, for the region . the only sustainable solution to this decades-old conflict is a negotiated two state solution, a demilitarized palestinian state living side-by-side with israel in equal measures of peace, security, prosperity, dignity and mutual recognition. both jews and palestinians of long historic claims to this land. contrary unfounded, absurd and offensive claims by some that the jewish people are colonizers in their ancestral homeland, jewish people have lived in the homeland continuously for more than three millennia, 3000 years. fos have made al

i can gonea and settle for centuries at passover. jews at■m■= corner of the globe have prayed next year in jerusalem. a jewish homeland in israel is no 20th-centuryisrael is our hia home for people oppressed for centuries. now the palestinians to have lived on the land for generations and in past centuries, they have formed their own distinct culture, identity, cuisine, literaturthet there is no such thing as palestinians is inaccurate, offensive, unhelpful. the only just solution to this predicament is one in which each people can flourish in their own state side-by-side. but for a two state solution to work over the long term, it has to include rs by both sides.

for example, too many israelis who say they want the two state solution don't how the amount and extent of expanding settlements renders that virtually impossible. too many palestinians who say they want a two state solution don't acknowledge how their insistence on unequivocal right of return is a fatal impediment to both ways of thinking are impeding the peace process. there are others on the left who view a two state solution with skepticism as an ideal that will never happen, a far-off goal that allows for the continuation of this status quote in gaza and the west bank where palestinians face unique obstacles compared to their israeli counterparts. as a result, they reject a two state solution in favor of one state where palestinians and israelis would supposedly live in democratic peace side-by-dei can understand the m

that inspires so many young people in particular to support a one state solution. why can't we all live side-by-side and house by house in peace? i count at least two rsons why this wouldn't work and why it is unacceptable to most jewish people. first,his combined state could take an extreme turn politically , putting jewish israelis in peril. this state would be a majority palestinian and voted to empower groups like hamas which seeks to eradicate the jewish people. it is long-standing erican policy to support democracy overseas but in this hypothetical single state, democracy could cost israeli jews. if extremists were to take control of this new state of affairs to openly achieve their true aim, the violent expulsion of

this is no abstract fear. thousands of years of jewish history show that wh things go badly, the people of the country in which jews live, even in a democracy, all too often turn on them as convenient scapegoats. there is no guarantee this wouldn't happen again in a single israeli/palestinian state. to have palestinian voters be the protector of israeli jews would be a bridge too far to accept. second, and even more important, the jewish people have a right to their own state. it is so troubling to me that many people, especially onhe ft, seemed to acknowledge and even celebrate this right to statehood for every group but the jews. if a national homeland for all peoples of the world has been the driving goal of the anti-colonial movement of the last century, than why are only jews seemingly penalized for this aspiration? choose have a human right to

their own state just as any other people das i have said, to some israelis who oppose even a two state solution with a demilitarized palestinian state because they fear it might tolerate or be a harbor for further terrorism against the jewish state. i understand these fears but the bitter reality is that a single state controlled by israel which they advocate guarantees certain war forever and further isolation of the jewish community in the world to the extent that its future would be jeopardized. let me elaborate -- they say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. if israel were to not only maintain the status quo but go beyond that and tightened its control over gaza and the west bank as some in the current

administration have suggested and that creates a defective single state, and what■ have that hamas and their allies will lay down their arms? it would mean constant war. on top of that, israel moving closer to a single state entirely under its control with further rupture its relationship with the rest of the world including the united states. support for israel has declined worldwide in the last few months. these trends will only get worse if the israelicontinues to follt path. i appreciate that so many israelis cannot contemplate the possibility of two states right now because they remain so traumatized and so angry by what hamas did on october 7. the brutality, the viciousness, the sexual assault, the imprisonment and abuse of hundreds of hostages. i am of course sympathetic to the point of view. i'm upset, i'm angry, too.

we will never forget more, we carry that anguish in our hearts. we have to think ahead to the future, the medium, the long-term, how we can ensure that something like october 7 never happens again. we cannot let anger or trauma determine our actions -- or cloud our judgment. the two state solution may feel daunting especially now but i believe it is the only realistic and sustainable solution on the basis of security, on the basis of prosperity, on the basis of fundamental human rights and dignity. in order to achieve a two state solution, the reality is that things must change. right now, there are four major obstacles standing in the way of the two states and until they are removed fromhe equation, there will never be peace in israel and gaza and the west

bank. the four major obstacles are -- hamas and the palestinians who support and tolerate their evil ways, radical right-wing israelis in government and society, palestinian authority president mahmoud abbas, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. i will explain each in detail. the first major obstacle to peace is hamas and the palestinians who support and tolerate their evil ways. hamas is for the destruction of israel and in past decades, it peace at every turn. it was hamas to begin its vicious campaign of suicide bombings against innocent israelis to derail the nation's peace process in oslo. it was hamas who assassinated more moderate palestinian political representatives and gaza in 2007. it is hamas who has held gaza

and the repressive undemocratic rule for close to decades in its hamas who targeted those brave people who have spoken out against its option -- orween palestinians and israelis. jewish americans and israelis alike have been appalled and hurt to rebrand hamas which is designated by the united states as a terrorist organization is noble resistance or freedom fighters. attempts to excuse their horrific actions against israelis and palestinians are morally repugnant. a permanent cease-fire effective immediately would only allow hamas to regroup and launch further attacks on israeli civilians. there can never be a two state %ç hamas has any significant power. however, a temporary cease-fs ps proposed which would allow for the return of hostages and humanitarian relief for

suffering palestinians is quite different. it's something i support. any proposal that leaves hamas with meaningful power is unacceptable to me and most israelis. it goes without saying that hamas can not have any role in the future of gaza if we are to achieve peace. the same goes for the minority of palestinians who support hamas and those who demonstrate other forms of extremism even if they are not card-carrying members. the gazans who ventured into israeli territory on october 7 two blue -- to loot and pillage come the people in the west bank who flooded the street and cheered the cold-blooded killing of children, this is appalling. while it may fall short of terrorism, it has no place in the peaceful future for israel and palestinians. it ought to be denounced by the palestinian public and their leaders whomore sustainable future beyond this cycle of revenge.

the second major obstacle to peace is radical right-wing israthe worst example is radica, our finance minister and ministry of national security. the ministers have called for the subjugation and forced displacement of all palestinians in the west bank. in the current crisis, he has used inflammatory rhetoric and called for punitive restrictions on palestinian farmers in the west bank during the l of harvest. he has prevented the transfer of funds to the palestinian authority and he has opposed the provision of any humanitarian assistance to gaza, going so far as to stop a flour. minister ben-gavir is no betterd from military service for his acumen to be used any intended

to antagonize the muslim population and visited the temple mount with his supporters is a brazen show of force toward palestinians. during this current conflict, he has facilitated the mass distribution of guns to far right settlers exacerbating instability and fueling violence. that is a nastiness to what these ministers beevand how thes of authority and influence and eagerness to inflame and provoke that is profoundly and self-destructive. in my conversations with israeli leaders, i've urged them to do more, to clamp down on the unacceptable vigilant -- vigilante settler violence in the westupported the biden administration's efforts to impose consequences for extremist settler violence. the unfortunate reality is that this violence is openly supported by ministersmotric an d ben-gavir.

as long as they hold their positions of power, no true progress will be made. while not equivalent, extremist palestinians and extremist israelis seek the same goal. from the jordan river to the mediterranean sea, they aim to push the other from the land. ministers may not say they want to kill all palestinians outright but they are clear in their desire to displace them from their homes and repla them with israeli settlers. this is also appalling. as long as the to hold their positions of power, peace will be achieve. the third major obstacle to peace is the president of the palestinian#/% authority, mahmod abbas, who is beholden to his narrow political interests to the detriment of both the west

bank and gaza. over the years, president abbas has abated the -- evaded the democratic process, declined to ho empower future leadership. despite his long tenure leading the palestinian authority coming he has achieved few of his self-proclaimedls. palestinian authority remains corrupt and continues to incite instability through the martyr payment syste palestinians are no more prosperous or safer or freer than they were when he first took power. as a result of -- lost the truse palestinian people. furthermore, he is a terrible role model and spiritual leader. in the past, he has participated in outright holocaust denial, attempting to justify nazi actions. this embrace of anti-semitism extended to his refusal for weeks to condemn the loss of israeli civilian life on october 7.

the palestinian people can have no assurance that a palestinian state would be able to ensure their safety or prosperity. nor can they have any believe that the government would be free from corruption. for there to be any hope of peace in the future, abbas must step down ■band be replaced by a new generation of palestinian leaders who will work toward attaining peace with the jewish state. otherwise, the west bank will continue to suffer and hamas or some similarly extreme organization will continue to maintain a foothold in gaza. ° authority under new leadership must undertake a reform process and emerge as a revitalized unit that can serve as the basis for a palestinian state with the trust of the palestinian people. the foth major obstacle to peace is israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu who has all too frequently bowed to the exte

ministerssmotric and n-gavir and the settlers in the west bank. i have known him for a long time and why we have vehemently disagreed on many occasions, i will always respect is a straight and re-bravery for israel on the battlefield is younger man. i believe in his heart he has his highest priority is the security ofhowever, i also belie minister netanyahu has lost his survival to take the precedence over the best interests of israel. he has put himself in coalition with far right treatments like ministerssmotric and ben-gavir and has been too willing to tolerate the civilian toll in gaza which is pushing lows.

israel cannot survive if it becomes a pariah. prime minister netanyahu is also weakened israel's political and moral fabric through his attempts to co-opt the judiciary and he has shown zero interest in doing the courageous and visionary work required to pave the way for peace, even before this present conflict. as a lifelong supporter of ■kisrael, it has become clear to me that netanyahu coalition no longer fits the needs of israel after october 7. changed radically since then and the israeli people are being stifled right now by a governing vision that is stuck in the past. nobody expects prime minister netanyahu to do the things that must be violence, to preserve israel's credibility on the world stage and to work toward a

two state solution. if he were to disavow his ministers and kick them out of his government be a real meaninp forward but regrettably, there is no reason to believe prime minister netanyahu would do that. he won't disavow these ministers and their calls for israelis to drive palestinians out of gaza and the west bank. you won't commit to a militaatie protecting human life, he won't engage responsibly in discussions about a day after plan for gaza and a long-term -- and a longer-term pathway to peace. hamas and the palestinians who support and tolerate their evil ways, radical right-wing israelis in government and society, president abbas, prime minister netanyahu.

these are the four obstacloif w, then israel and the west bank and gaza will be trashed in the same violence state of affairs they've experienced for the last 75 years. these obstacles are not the same in their culpability for t present state of affairs but arguing over which is the worst stymies our ability to achieve peace. nd gravity of this undertaking, many different groups, many different groups have a responsibility to see it through. the palestinian■a people must reject hamas and the extremism in their midst. they know better than anybody how hamas has use them as pawns, how they have tortured them punished palestinians who seek peace. quite frankly, haven't heard enough palestinian leaders expressed anguias and other extreme elements in palestinian society. i implore them to speak up now. even when it may be hard because

athat is the only true way to honor the lives of all those lost by transcending the enmity and bloodshed and working together in good faith for a better future. once hamas is deprived of power, the palestinians will be much freer to choose a government they want and deserve with the prospect of a real two state solution on the table and for the first genuine statehood for the palestinian people, i believe they will be far more likely to support mainstream leaders committed to peace. i think the same is true for the israeli people. call me an optimist but i believe that if the israeli public is presented with a path to a two state solution that offers a chance at lasting peace and coexistence, mostere moderar views and support it. part of that moderation must include rejecting right-wing zealots like their ministers and

the extremist israeli settlers in the west bank. these people do not represent a majority of the israeli public yet under prime■g minister netanyahu's watch, they have had far too much influence. all sides must reject from river to the sea thinking and i believe theypects for peace ando state solution or real. beyond the israeli and palestinian pe bear a serious responsibility to work toward two state solution. without them, it cannot succeed. middle eastern powers like saudi arabia, the united arab emirates, egypt, jordan and other mainstream arab states can have immense power to influence thes. working with the united states, they must responsibly deploy their clout, money and diplomacy to support a new demilitarized palestinian state that rejects terror and violence. i believe they have the leverage to do thispport of

the majority of the palestinian people who want what any other people want, peace, security, prosperity. i believe there is enough strength in the arab world to get president abbas to step down and to support a g plan for rese palestinian leaders to take its place. hamas has so wrecked society in gaza that it will take outside involvement of eric countries to help rebuild something better and more sustainable. it may take some time to identify such leadersut with the considerable resources of the arab world backing this, i believe these leaders can and will emerge knowing that they have support. the outlines of a deal between saudi arabia and israel that were reported before october 7 still make a great deal of sense and can be the catalyst for the creation of a viability -- a viable palestinian state.

nations should continue to pursue normalization with israel and this should be the foundation of a grand bargain in the middle make meaningful palestinian statehood a reality. for our part, the united states, the world's superpower, must work together with our allies to bring her immense diplomatic and financial power to bear on the situation. we can be a partner to the grand bargain in the middle east by deepening our relationship with the saudi's and other arab nations to induce them to make a deal. but only if they actively guide palestinians to a more peaceful future. on the israeli side, the u.s. government should demand that israel conduct itself with a future two state solution in mind. we should not be forced into a position of unequivocally supporting the actions of an israeli government that include bigots who reject the idea of a painian state.

israel is a democracy. five months into this conflict, it is clear that israelis need to take stock of the situation and ask, must we change course? at this critical juncture, i believe a new election is the only way to allow for aision-mas about the future of israel. at a time when so many israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government. i also believe the majority of the israeli public will recognize the need for change and i believe that upholding a new election once the war starts to wind down would give israelis an vision for the postwar future. of course, the united states cannot dictate the'dr should we.

that is for the israeli public to do -- to decide, public i believe understands better than anybody that israel cannot hope to succeed as a pariah opposed by the rest of the world. democracy, israel has the right to choose its own leaders and we should let the chips fall where they may. but the important thing is that israelis are given a choice. there needs to be a fresh debate about the future of israel after october 7. in my opinion, that is best accomplished by holding an election. now, if prime minister netanyahu's current coalition remains in power after the war down, and continues to pursue dangerous inflammatory policies that test existing u.s. standards for ce, then the united states will have no choice but

to play a more active role in shaping israeli policy but using our leverage to changethe uniteh israel's unbreakable but extremistinfluence israeli polin the administration should use the tools at its disposal to make sure our support for israel is aligned with our broader goal of achieving long-term peace and stability in the region. i believe this would make a lasting two state solution moren both sides who question how we can discuss piece at a moment like this. so many gazans are to play from their homes and struggling to meet their most basic needs. many are still burying and mourning their debt. entire families have been wiped out. in israel, everyone knows someone who has been killed on october 7. so many israelis feel people

around the world have no respect for the grief and rage unleashed by hamas' vicious attack.is th? and a two state solution? in the face of this atrocity, who could blame even the most hopeful among us for hardening their hearts and giving up on the possibility of peace, forgiving into the hate. i seek my inspiration in the example of leaders who have come before us to work for peace in the. face of extreme circumstances some of israel's greatest warriors, security experts and staunch advocates for peace because they understand that isn' anybody, it's essential to israeli security. david ben-gurion, yitzhak rabin, ehud barak, all of them sought peace with the palestinians. on the palestinian side, we don't have to look far back to see a model of responsible leadership s,alaam fayad who was

clear in his condemnation of violence against the isr■úaelis. four the arab leaders of today, may they find inspiration in on where elsa. of egypting hussein of jordan who sought to seek peace with israel. before october 7, things were moving in the right direction. arab emirates and saudi arabia both were on the path to normalization with israel and with conditions that would greatly benefit the lives of the palestinian people. many believe that i ran motivated hamas to disrupt this process and indeed, there have been setbacks since october 7. but recent talks between arab and american leaders subject -- suggest the desire is stronger than ever now to find a path forward. arab leaders cannot moves the -- lose their stomachs for peace now ntinue to pursue the

path to peace with israel and the u.s. should use all of its power to influence and bring them to th table and make them cooperate constructively. if my speaking out today has any effect, it will probably have greater influence on the israeli and jewish side of things. if this conflict is to be resolved, we need comparable palestinian and arab leaders to also speak responsibly to their people about the past -- about the path forward to peace. now is the time for courageous leadership. after israelis and palestinians have experienced so much horror and loss ofg meaningful come ouf this war would be doubly tragic. history look back on what we do here. are we prepared together to have the courage to make an all-out push to bring about peace once and for all? to bring to this conflict what7s dr. martin luther king jr.

called the fierce urgency of now , to end the cycle of tragedy andi have always said that when horrific things happen, some turn inwards and let their grief consume others light a candle and turn their grief into power. they are able to see hope in the darkness. in scripture, you read about how god created the world from an infinite void. voigt i hope and pray that from the brutal slaying of israelis by hamas■b and the harrowing civiln toll in gaza that a two state solution where jews and palestinians can live in peace will prevail. i know i'm not alone in this prayer. there are right now palestinians in gaza, some of whom are still pulling dead family members from thee, who are defying

hamas and their murderous ideology and calling for a path to peace. there are right now some families of the victims of october 7 in israel who have been calling for peace, asking their government to transcend the bloodshed and revenge. if they can find in their hearts the path to peace, then surely we can also. from the ashes may we light the candles that■i lead to a better future for all. >> for short time later, minority leader mitch mcconnell came to the senate floor to respd to the majority leader's criticism of israeli prime minister bennett netanyahu and the call for new israeli government elections. [video clip] >> the jewish state of israel deserves an outline that acts like one. people of home