Sen. Mitt Romney will travel to Israel with Sen. Chuck Schumer as part of bipartisan delegation
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Sen. Mitt Romney will be part of a bipartisan delegation of senators, headed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, traveling to Israel this weekend in the wake of attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians.
Schumer said the purpose of the trip is to show “unwavering support for Israel,” according to a spokesperson for the Democratic senator from New York.
A spokesperson for Romney confirmed he would be part of the delegation, which also reportedly includes fellow Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Democratic Sens. Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Mark Kelly of Arizona.
After news broke that a Utahn, Lotan Abir, was killed in the attack on Israel, Romney released a statement, saying, “The horrific, inhumane, and depraved terrorist acts perpetrated by Hamas against Israelis have touched everyone around the world.”
He added, “I continue to pray for the safe return of hostages, for the Israeli soldiers and first responders in harm’s way, and for the families of the victims of Hamas’ brutality. I condemn these unprovoked atrocities in the strongest possible terms and wholeheartedly stand with Israel, with the Jewish people, and our Jewish community in Utah.”
Who will they meet with? Schumer is the highest-ranking Jewish official in American history. He will head the delegation, who will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, as well as President Isaac Herzog, to discuss ways in which the U.S. can support Israel.
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Gantz, a member of the opposition, is leading a war cabinet which is a part of Jerusalem's new emergency unity government that will oversee the war with Hamas in Gaza.
Why is the delegation going to Israel? The militant group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel over the weekend that killed over 1,300 Israelis, most of them civilians. Death tolls in Gaza totaled nearly 1,800 this week after Israel launched missile attacks and carried out raids.
Schumer said he wants to visit Israel to see what resources the U.S. can provide in their support.
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Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have already visited Israeli and Arab leaders in recent days.
The delegation is visiting as the war appears to be ramping up. Israel warned Palestinians living in northern Gaza they should evacuate and head to southern Gaza on Thursday, likely ahead of a ground invasion. Several countries, including the U.S., have advised against travel to the region, as the U.S. embassy works to evacuate Americans out of the area.
Schumer’s reasons for the trip: In an interview with The Associated Press, Schumer said this trip to Israel was important to him not just because he is the top elected Jewish American elected official, but also because of his family history. He lost his great-grandmother and several of her children in the holocaust.
“This has deep resonance to people,” Schumer told the AP. “Because we have not seen anything as vicious and nasty as this since the Nazis.”
Congress in full gear: Next week, the Senate has to sort through appropriations bills as well as a potential foreign aid package.
Schumer said aid to Israel would likely come as part of a package that would include funding for Ukraine. But with increased Republican resistance for aid to Ukraine, it may be difficult to get the bill passed.
Any legislation also faces an uneasy road in the House, where the Republican conference is still struggling to coalesce behind a speaker nominee. On Friday, Republicans nominated Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, but he was far behind in the number of votes necessary to win the speakership.
Until the House elects a speaker, its ability to pass legislation is limited.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will also hold a hearing in the coming weeks to nominate Jack Lew, an attorney and the former Treasury secretary, for the ambassadorship to Israel.
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