Mideast War
Statement from Congressman Pallone on the current state of the Mideast war:
Palestinians and Israelis have the right to exist in dignity, safety and peace. All sides in the Israeli and Palestinian conflict including the United States must prioritize diplomacy over war as a means of achieving peace. US military engagement with Iran was a mistake and illegal. It must end immediately. President Trump’s retreat from the US-Iran nuclear agreement was wrong. Preventing a nuclear Iran can only be achieved through diplomatic negotiations.
Hamas’s October 7th attack on Israel must continue to be condemned. Hamas is a terrorist organization that can never be acknowledged as representing the Palestinian people. At the same time Congressman Pallone remains deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Gaza. It is completely unacceptable to suggest that Palestinians should be relocated away from their homeland. The people of Gaza must have humanitarian and reconstruction assistance. Both Palestinians and Israelis deserve the chance to rebuild their communities free from war.
The US should continue to support Israel’s defense needs, but Congressman Pallone strongly believes that the large bombs that caused so much indiscriminate destruction to Gaza’s civilian population should no longer be sold to Israel. The Netanyahu government did not make a sufficient attempt to prevent civilian deaths in the Gaza war as promised.
Congressman Pallone’s future votes in the House of Representatives shall be guided by the principals outlined above. He will continue to champion Congress’ authority to declare war under the Constitution and the War Powers Act to engage in any military action in the Mideast or elsewhere. The framers of the Constitution did not intend for the President to unilaterally decide when the U.S. goes to war.