Exclusive – Sen. Blackburn Slams Biden for ‘Betraying’ Israel, ‘Bending’ to Terrorists with Gaza Ceasefire

Israeli Merkava tanks drive near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip as they retu
THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images
Joshua Klein

Any form of ceasefire in Gaza “is a win for Hamas,” according to Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), who slammed President Joe Biden for “aggressively” pursuing a suspension of Israel’s operations to dismantle the Hamas terror group’s remaining strongholds in Gaza, claiming such a truce would be “betraying” the Jewish state and “bending” to the terrorists’ demands. 

In an exclusive statement to Breitbart News on Wednesday, Blackburn challenged Biden’s previous claims that his support for Israel is “rock solid” and “unwavering,” as his administration drafts a United Nations resolution essentially preventing Israel from a victory in Gaza.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Business meeting on November 30, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“If that’s true, then why is his administration aggressively calling for a temporary ceasefire that would betray our commitment to Israel and bend to violent terrorists?” she asked.

According to her, the Hamas terrorist group has “made clear their intention of destroying Israel and obliterating its people, and a pause in fighting would give them time to reset.” 

“Any ceasefire in Gaza is a win for Hamas,” she concluded.

The matter comes as President Joe Biden plans to introduce a resolution at the United Nations Security Council calling for a temporary “ceasefire” and demanding Israel refrain from conducting an attack on the last Hamas battalions in Gaza that are the key to winning the war.

Israel has been adamant that it must attack Hamas in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza on the Egyptian border, to win the war. Rafah is the last stronghold of the Palestinian terror organization, and also the key to smuggling routes into and out of Gaza.

In response, Blackburn blasted the Biden administration for having “drafted a resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza.”

“We can never bend to terrorists,” she declared. “NO ceasefire.”

Earlier Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted that despite the “considerable pressure on Israel at home and abroad to stop the war before we achieve all of its goals, including a deal at any price to free the hostages,” the Jewish state is “committed to continuing the war until we achieve all of its goals: Eliminating Hamas, releasing all of the hostages and ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel.” 

“There is no pressure, none, that can change this,” he added.

Earlier this month, Blackburn announced that, along with Sens. Roger Marshall (R-KS) and Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), she filed an amicus brief in support of former President Donald Trump as his case was heard before the Supreme Court on Thursday regarding Colorado’s attempt to kick him off the 2024 ballot, which she described as Democrats trying to “scoop up power for themselves.”

In December, Blackburn criticized Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s (D-WA) effort to equate the Israeli response to the October 7 massacre to the massacre itself along with other reported atrocities committed by Hamas.

According to the Tennessee Republican lawmaker, the acts she deemed “barbaric” and “sexual atrocities” were war crimes:

It is disgusting. And the fact that you have Congresswoman Jayapal, who will try to draw a moral equivalence when asked about the sexual atrocities that have been committed against Israeli women. She should be listening to members of the party like Senator Gillibrand, who will understand this is a crime. These are war crimes. What is happening to these women is a crime. What Hamas is doing is barbaric. It is indecent.

On Wednesday, Israel released an initial report into sexual violence committed by Hamas during the unprecedented October 7 massacre — the deadliest attack against Jewish people since the Nazi Holocaust. 

The multi-pronged October attack saw some 3,000 terrorists burst into Israel by land, sea, and air and gun down hundreds of participants at an outdoor music festival while others went door to door hunting for Jewish men, women, and children in local towns who were then subject to torture, rape, execution, immolation, and kidnapping.

The massacre, which drew parallels to scenes from the Nazi-era Holocaust, resulted in around 1,200 dead inside the Jewish state, over 5,300 more wounded, and at least 241 hostages of all ages taken — of which nearly 130 remain in Gaza. The vast majority of the victims are civilians and include dozens of American citizens.

WATCH — Hostage Rescue: Footage Shows Rescue of Israeli Hostages by IDF:

Israel Police via Storyful

The report, compiled by the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel (ARCCI), was carefully compiled from eyewitness testimonies and the available forensic evidence.

As Breitbart News reported in November, accusations of rape, sexual assault, and other acts of sexual violence were initially difficult to compile because Israeli authorities were focused on stopping the Hamas attack.

However, in the weeks that followed, eyewitnesses began to come forward and describe sexual violence, much of it deeply sadistic, against both women and men, both during the October 7 attack and against Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

The new report describes horrific atrocities, including gang rape; the mutilation of female and male genitals; the physical and psychological torture of rape victims; and evidence that relatives and friends of victims were forced to watch these sexual assaults.

Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.

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