Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) slammed President Joe Biden for his foreign policy “weakness,” blasted Democratic tensions over supporting the Palestinians, and called for justice in the aftermath of the escalating violence between Israel and Hamas, a terrorist group.
Scott’s comments come after the surprise Hamas attacks against Israel on Saturday, which led to widespread international denunciation. Between the Israel Defense Forces’s retaliatory airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and the Hamas attacks, more than 1,830 people have died, including 14 Americans. Hamas has also kidnapped between 100 and 150 people, according to Ambassador Gilad Erdan, and has threatened to execute one hostage in response to every Israeli attack without warning.
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“The atrocities that we’ve seen are just inhuman. Unbelievable. The hearts and minds of the American people have been filled with heartbreak and frankly, righteous anger for our friends and our allies, the people of Israel,” Scott said during a Tuesday afternoon speech at the Hudson Institute in Washington, D.C. “The terrorist attacks on innocent children, women, and men are disgusting.
“These despicable acts deserve nothing less than the full measure of justice,” Scott continued. “The people behind them need to feel the wrath of God. And they need to meet some Israeli or American military hardware to help them get there soon.”
In more stark language, Scott called for the rescue of American hostages taken by Hamas. “We need to bring those Americans home this very instant. We should use, if necessary, our special operation forces if that’s what it takes,” he said. “We need a commander in chief who will put the world on notice with a policy that is very, very simple. If you take an American life, it will cost you yours, and we will make sure of it.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unequivocally declared his nation was “at war, not in an operation or in rounds, but at war” after the Hamas attacks. This is the first time Israel has been at war since the Yom Kippur War, also called the Fourth Arab-Israeli War. The U.S. is poised to support Israel in its battle with Hamas. The Department of Defense has been directed to communicate with its Israeli counterpart to share intelligence and expertise.
Scott slammed President Joe Biden‘s prisoner exchange swap with Iran in which $6 billion in assets were unfrozen in exchange for five American hostages. He claimed that the funds helped Iran to back Hamas’s terrorist attack.
“He rewarded Iran for taking American hostages by unlocking $6 billion for the mullahs,” Scott said. “The administration swears the money can only be spent for humanitarian needs. But how naive can you be? Money is fungible. We just gave a terrorist-supporting regime billions of dollars and room in their budget.”
Scott also claimed that Biden was partly responsible for the Hamas attacks. “The president of the United States has a moral duty to lead with strength and clarity,” he said. “So while Hamas carried out these attacks, Joe Biden has blood on his hands. His weakness invited the attack. His cash giveaways to Iran helped fund terrorism, and after the attack, his administration suggested that Israel just stand down. It’s a disgrace.”
Scott later touted legislation he crafted that extends Iran sanctions that he claimed he would sign into law if elected president before also calling out another member of Biden’s cabinet. “Earlier today, I called upon Secretary Janet Yellen to testify on the $6 billion slush fund. They need to explain to us and to the country what in the world could they possibly be thinking?” Scott said. “We also need to shut off the funding that Joe Biden restarted to the U.N.’s irredeemably-flawed Palestinian aid programs. The best investment we can make in peace and stability is 100% support for Israel.”
The South Carolina senator slammed members of the “Squad,” a group of liberal Democratic House members, for their support of Palestine, their boycott of Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s joint address to Congress in July, and their support of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement. Scott directly referenced Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) along with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
“This past weekend, congresswoman Cori Bush put out a statement suggesting that Palestinians are equal victims and calling Israel a military occupation and apartheid,” he said. “Her colleague Omar has a history of anti-Israel statements that have been so offensive and so anti-semitic that even House Democrats and Nancy Pelosi had to rebuke her.”
Omar was removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee earlier this year when Republicans retook the House. Before that, the House speaker emerita rebuked Omar in 2021 over her comments on Israel, Afghanistan, and Hamas. “Drawing false equivalencies between democracies like the U.S. and Israel and groups that engage in terrorism like Hamas and the Taliban foments prejudice and undermines progress toward a future of peace and security for all,” Pelosi said in a statement with her leadership team at the time.
Scott continued calling out the “Squad” during his address for their criticisms of Israel. “Their fellow Squad member AOC has said supporting Israel means taking the side of occupation. The friend, congresswoman Jayapal, has copy-pasted Hamas propaganda to call Israel racist. And this past week, congresswoman Tlaib went full-on victim blaming. She said Israel is apartheid and responsible for the cycle of violence.”
Ocasio-Cortez, however, did denounce the antisemitism displayed Sunday during a New York City rally that celebrated Hamas attacks. “It should not be hard to shut down hatred and antisemitism where we see it. That is a core tenet of solidarity,” Ocasio-Cortez told Politico in a statement Tuesday.
But Scott didn’t just slam Democrats. He also called out his fellow Republican 2024 rivals. “I will always condemn antisemitism, appeasement, and weakness on the radical Left. But I will also call out weakness or confusion among conservatives as well,” he said.
“Vivek Ramaswamy has said that the definition of success is reducing America support for Israel. And he’s proposed that we surrender Taiwan to the Chinese Communist Party as long as we’ve relocated some factories,” Scott added. “Governor DeSantis once dismissed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It’s just a territorial dispute. The last thing we need is a Joe Biden Republican Party wing on foreign policy.”
Ramaswamy’s foreign policy stances have led to vicious attacks from his rivals at both of the first two GOP primary debates, while DeSantis faced heavy backlash for his Ukraine comments before he walked back his comments.
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Scott claimed that the nation needs his leadership to “restore” American strength due to Biden’s weak leadership.
“We aren’t in decline. We are in a Biden retreat. Good news: All we need is a new leader to turn it around,” Scott said. ” I’m running for president to restore peace through strength to double down on American power.”
