JUST IN: House Dems Hold Meeting With Israeli-American Families Effected By The Oct 7th Hamas Attack
On Wednesday, House Democrats held a meeting with Israeli families effected by the Oct. 7th Hamas attack ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Well done, by the way.
00:21Let me thank all of you for being here today.
00:23We still have a few seats over here for those whose knees are like mine.
00:35I hope all the members who are here got a chance to record your names so that we may have proper follow-up if we need to.
00:46I want to begin by thanking all of you for being here.
00:57See how honored we are.
01:00Barbara, come on down. There's a seat here.
01:05I know about your knee.
01:16For the families who have graciously joined us here today to share with us their personal experiences through this fragmented internet that we find ourselves in.
01:33Those of us who have been following this issue on the news, you know how inspiring they have been.
01:43And they've continued to give us all a source of pride and hope.
01:50Your voices have been very powerful.
01:52The stories you've shared continue to encourage all of us to remain engaged in this issue.
02:02Your support and dedication to my colleagues here, hearing these stories, and to be a part of continuing the empathetic.
02:17Please, if you're coming in, thank you.
02:25By listening to these experiences, hopefully it will be helpful to all of us to use as we interact with our colleagues and try to find an appropriate and timely resolution to this issue.
02:44Now, I don't know if Senator Durbin has arrived.
02:49He is to be here today.
02:51I don't see him, so what I'm going to do now is go to my fellow colleagues to each make a short introductory remark.
03:02All of us on the panel are members of the House, and so we're well-schooled in one-minute speeches.
03:11And so I'm going to start with Rosa DeLauro, who never learned how to follow that experience.
03:20Thank you, Rosa.
03:24And then I'm going to go over to Jim and work back this way.
03:27And I'm going to save Jamie Raskin for last because he's got more work to do.
03:32Thank you, Rosa.
03:33Thank you very much to you, Congressman Clyburn.
03:36And I just want to just say to our family members today, we are so honored to be here with you today.
03:44And none of us can imagine what it is that you are going through.
03:50We are in awe of your courage.
03:52And I will just say to you, you are not alone in this effort.
03:57Please understand that.
03:59We wanted a direct dialogue with Israeli citizens.
04:03We want to hear what your needs are.
04:06We want to let the families and we want to let Israel know that we are with you and we are with Israel.
04:12And we want to know that we support your efforts.
04:15For me, I support an immediate ceasefire that enables the release of all hostages by Hamas,
04:21that we have dramatic increases in humanitarian aid to Gaza, that we end settler violence,
04:27and that a serious path towards a two-state solution we have to have.
04:31It is my hope that the Prime Minister will listen to you, will listen to the families,
04:38and to the countless Americans who love and who support Israel
04:43and want to see a negotiated end to the fighting that makes an enduring peace possible.
04:50Thank you. God bless you.
04:53Thank you very, very much. You're doing much better.
04:56Thank you. I want to associate myself with what Rosa DeLauro just said.
05:05But to our guests, thank you for being here.
05:08We are here to express our solidarity, our support, our love, our prayers.
05:13I know how difficult this is, but it is really important that you are here.
05:17And to all my colleagues, I am so grateful that so many are here today.
05:22Someone said it takes a village. I think it takes a bigger room.
05:25But in any event, I look forward to hearing you. Thank you. I yield back.
05:33Thank you, Mr. Clyburn.
05:36Thank you so much for spearheading and leading my colleagues, for hosting,
05:41and to the family members, so moved by your courage and being here.
05:48And I associate myself with Rosa DeLauro's comments.
05:53I'm not going to say any more because I want to hear from you.
05:56Thank you so much. I'm now going to yield to Jamie Raskin.
05:59But in yielding to Jamie, I do so for two reasons.
06:02I grew up in the pastures, as many of you know.
06:05My father was a fundamentalist minister, was my pastor for more than 40 years,
06:10or the pastor of the church I grew up in.
06:14He preached as often from the Old Testament as he did from the New.
06:20I really grew up in a church that had strong feelings about the history
06:28and the experiences of the Jewish people.
06:33And I still hold on to that very wholeheartedly.
06:40One of the things I never learned, though, is how to pronounce a lot of the names
06:46that I found in the Old Testament.
06:49Because I never could do it very well, I'm now going to yield to Jamie Raskin
06:54to make a word of comment he wants to make
06:56and to introduce our family members who are here today in their native names.
07:02Well, the pressure is on at this point.
07:05And you only have a minute.
07:06I know.
07:10Well, first of all, I want to thank all of our colleagues.
07:13I want to thank Jim Clyburn, who first suggested this to us on the floor,
07:18and it was a brilliant idea.
07:21And I want to thank, I think we have over 100 colleagues from the House side
07:26and the Senate side who have come together to meet with the hostage families.
07:31They are Israelis who have come here not to interfere in American presidential politics
07:37or to go visit Mar-a-Lago or anything like that.
07:40They are here to get the hostages home, and that's why we're all here.
07:50And I just want to say that the horrific terrorist atrocities of October 7th,
07:58the kidnapping and hostage taking of Israelis by Hamas,
08:05and the subsequent devastating war and demoralization of the civilian population of Gaza
08:16have been a colossal human tragedy and a catastrophe for the whole world.
08:22And these hostage families have been the radiant light for humanity,
08:31demanding that we pay attention to the people who are being hurt and killed,
08:36wounded, displaced in this nightmare.
08:40So I want to thank Maya Roman and Efrat Machikawa and Zahiro Shahar-Moor
08:48for coming to represent dozens of hostage families
08:52who have been living this trauma and ordeal for getting close to a year now.
09:00And they will tell you what they have been working on,
09:02but I just want to say they have been a source of great inspiration, courage,
09:08and hope to people seeking a ceasefire and peace
09:13and an end to the brutal cycles of terror and war all over the world.
09:17So thank you, and please welcome Maya, Efrat, and Zahiro.
10:03How can one thank a state?
10:10How can citizens show gratitude to a foreign government?
10:17On Saturday, October 7th,
10:20our families went through an unthought of raid of hell
10:26when Hamas terrorists invaded their homes,
10:30slaughtered, raped, murdered, and kidnapped babies,
10:36children, women, men, and desecrated dead bodies.
10:42President Biden gracefully stood and called upon the world
10:49to stand by Israel in this global fight
10:52for eradicating such funded, horrific atrocities
10:58and for the immediate release of all hostages.
11:02The President's speech on October 10th, 2023
11:08echoes in the hearts of thankful Israelis till this day,
11:15day 292.
11:26We, the families of the kidnapped,
11:31are here to voice this gratitude to you.
11:37Thank you all.
11:40Big ideas such as international solidarity and alliance
11:46barely affect and resolve into individuals' daily lives.
11:52They stay far and untouched.
11:56But, as Israel experienced one of the worst attacks
12:01against humanity in the history of the modern era,
12:05we all know how much such supreme values matter.
12:12Solidarity and alliances are our tangible reality.
12:19Thank you, America,
12:22for not only being the leaders of the free world
12:27but also for guarding and practicing what you preach for.
12:35Yet, nine months passed.
12:39Instead of giving birth to life,
12:43we continue to witness death
12:46and our beloved ones are still held kidnapped
12:49and being tortured in Gaza.
12:52One of four people in my family's Neo-Oz community
12:58has been either slaughtered, burnt alive or kidnapped.
13:04One of four.
13:07That equals to at least one member
13:11of an American average family.
13:15One of four.
13:20As time passed by and as the world fails
13:24into pressing Hamas to return all the kidnapped home,
13:28more lives are fading.
13:32According to polls,
13:34more than 70% of Israelis desire the end of the war,
13:38which will, with international assurances,
13:41not only secure the return of all hostages home
13:45but also lead to seed a better future
13:50for the entire Middle East and such for the entire world.
13:57Solidarity and alliances are invaluable.
14:02I would like to convey this message
14:05to all honored congressmen present here today.
14:09Please know Israelis strive for life,
14:18not for death.
14:21We demand our family members come back immediately through a deal.
14:27This is the will of the people.
14:30There is a clear gap we wish to stress.
14:34Continuous fighting, risk and kill.
14:38We need our beloved ones back,
14:40the living for redemption,
14:42the murdered for a respectful burial.
14:45The ongoing sabotage and delay in sealing the deal
14:49is not reflecting the will of our mourning nation.
14:56We know there is a long way to recovery ahead of us,
15:00but as quoted on Kibbutz Nir Oz community flag,
15:06never wearied by the road, forever paving the way.
15:15We citizens of the free world who share values of freedom,
15:19democracy, solidarity,
15:21must stand together against evil forces
15:24to ensure the return of the hostages
15:27so a healing process for the entire region of the Middle East
15:32will be able to sprout and hopefully grow.
15:38My uncle, Gadi Moses, age 80,
15:43a great father, grandfather,
15:47and a world renowned agronomist
15:51who was for decades helping struggling communities
15:55around the world to learn about wastewater and crops,
16:00who is a peace activist,
16:03is among the 120 hostages
16:10an 80 years old peace activist.
16:16And he is not the only one.
16:20So where most of the people
16:23who the terrorists decided to raid upon,
16:27peace and human rights activists
16:29who were involved in trying to make the neighborhood better.
16:36What a tragedy.
16:38I myself, if I may,
16:41dedicated my entire life prior to October 7th
16:45to diplomacy, academic leadership,
16:49and business development for the promotion of cross-cultural,
16:53interfaith, and international collaboration.
16:58Promotion, advancement.
17:02Imagine joining all the goodwill,
17:05the professionalism and the leadership of all Israeli citizens
17:10and others from around the U.S. and the rest of the world.
17:14We can fix rather than destroy.
17:19We can bring the hostages back
17:22rather than unfairly play with their and our faith.
17:29Believe me, October 7th turned our lives upside down
17:34and we are living now in a moral hell.
17:38Talking about future is extremely difficult,
17:41yet once the hostages are all back,
17:45we seek life rather than revenge.
17:49We seek life rather than revenge.
17:54I trust we shall see how their spirit of the hostages
17:59and their will shall redeem.
18:02For the sake of such future,
18:04for our families, communities,
18:06for the sake of our beloved ones
18:08and our only democratic state in the region,
18:12for the sake of the Middle East and the free world's stability,
18:18they must come back.
18:21Our presence here today is not something to be proud of.
18:27Citizens should not have to actively engage
18:32in being the voice of their beloved ones
18:35who are held in underground tunnels.
18:40This should have been the first priority of our representatives
18:44in the Israeli government and our Prime Minister.
18:48The fact we are here today
18:51means something is terribly wrong.
18:57Prime Minister Netanyahu is unfortunately
19:00failing to represent us.
19:04He declared he wants to be remembered as a saviour of Israel,
19:09but what is he doing to our state?
19:17His dark legacy of the abandonment of October 7th's hostages
19:24sadly will become our history.
19:29He has a chance to change the last chapter.
19:38There is still a chance.
19:49As much as we hear from respected high officials
19:59representing security forces, analysts, politicians
20:03and professional representatives of other leading fields,
20:07we are sadly learning that our own Prime Minister's
20:11limited public appearances are orchestrated
20:16not according to reality.
20:20This is terrifying.
20:22The issue of releasing the hostages should not be a political one.
20:29It is beyond politics.
20:32This is a humanitarian crisis.
20:36The right thing to do is not questionable.
20:40It is an obvious matter of actions.
20:45We are at the point of the most critical moment in reaching a deal,
20:51not only a deal for the lives of our beloved ones,
20:55but for the global alliance of the three world nations
21:00for the sake of a stable international security and economy to all.
21:09The responsibility at stake is enormous.
21:13We need courageous leadership.
21:17We need strategic leadership.
21:21We need honest leadership.
21:26It is within today that we must guarantee Hamas will stand for its part of the deal.
21:34It is within today that we must make sure our Prime Minister will seal the deal.
21:42Fighting for a better world in our region is not easy.
21:47The power of extremism is dangerously scary,
21:56though we shall never give up.
21:59Remember the quote?
22:01Never wearied by the road, forever paving the way.
22:09Please join us in doing so.
22:13Please help in finding the light in the end of the Gazan tunnel
22:20for the sake of both Israelis and Gazans as well.
22:25In a place there is no hope.
22:28It is our mission to be that hope.
22:34We shall be that hope.
22:38Everyone here today, please know we are the hope.
22:44Please, please, please continue to be vocal of your support to Israel
22:51and the people of Israel.
22:54We are the people of Israel.
22:58Gadi, we're waiting for you.
23:06Please hold on.
23:10We are courageous.
23:13We are strategic.
23:16We are honest.
23:18We are the leaders of sanity and hope.
23:25Life shall overcome hell.
37:05Thank you all for being here today.
37:08I have it written down that I'm very excited to be here, but I'm really very excited to
37:14be here and very moved to see a lot of people that we've met over the last few months.
37:21I want to thank the representatives for having us here, Senator Markey, who's been amazing
37:28helping us in his advice and behind the scene, and Congresswoman Presley, who was one of the
37:34people most concerned with the trauma, not just of what happened to us, but of sharing
37:38it, and that really stayed with me.
37:45Despite speaking about what has happened so many times, doing it in this setting is very
37:52different, especially next to people such as the flat and Zahiro, who we've been fighting
37:57together for a really long time now.
38:03When I came to write down what I wanted to say today, I got distracted.
38:10The political situation has become so complex and convoluted, it's very hard to remain focused.
38:17And I remember something that one of my feminist colleagues always reminds me of, that you
38:23have to remain grounded in your political work.
38:26You have to remember, you have to always go back to the question of, why am I here?
38:31I am here for my cousin, Yarden Roman.
38:36On October 7th, Yarden was staying at her in-law's house in Kibbutz Be'eri, along with
38:43her husband, Alon, and their three-year-old daughter, Geffen.
38:48They all came to celebrate the holiday on October 6th, and they stayed the night along
38:52with Alon's sister, Carmel.
38:57The following morning, as the entire country woke up to missile alarms, we all started
39:02plaguing Yarden's phone with texts and calls.
39:06And around 10.30 a.m., she stopped responding.
39:10We later learned that at that time, several armed gunmen entered Alon's parents' home.
39:18Alon's father was able to hide in the bathroom.
39:21He was shot at through the door, but miraculously was unharmed.
39:26Through the small bathroom window, he was able to peek and see his entire family being
39:32taken away.
39:34First his wife, Kineret, then his daughter, Carmel, and lastly, Alon, Yarden, and Geffen.
39:43Kineret was murdered not far from her home.
39:48We learned this through a video posted on social media.
39:52This is how her sons learned of her death.
39:55Carmel, her daughter, saw her body as she was being taken to Gaza.
40:02Alon, Yarden, and Geffen were taken separately and driven towards the Gaza border.
40:08Not far from the border, Alon and Yarden seized the opportunity and decided to run.
40:14They jumped out both sides of the moving vehicle and started running, Yarden carrying
40:19Geffen in her arms.
40:22The terrorists quickly noticed them and started shooting at them.
40:26At this point, Yarden made what she calls the easiest decision of her life and gave
40:30her daughter over to her husband so he could run faster and get her to safety.
40:36She stayed behind and was captured again while Alon ran and hid in a ditch.
40:42He placed Geffen down and placed himself on top of her, covered himself with leaves,
40:47and he stayed that way for eight hours until it was dark.
40:51He was able to make his way back to the kibbutz to call us and tell us that he is okay and
40:56Geffen is okay, but they don't know what happened to Yarden.
41:02Ever since then, my family and I have been advocating all over the world.
41:06We realized that the only way to get the hostages back was through a deal.
41:10This requires both sides to come to the table, which means pressuring both our government
41:15and Prime Minister Netanyahu and Hamas.
41:19The hostage families have been doing all we can, protesting against our government back
41:24home, asking foreign governments to help us pressure Hamas, trying to keep the issue alive
41:31on the news despite all the noise going around.
41:35After 54 days in captivity, Yarden was released during the first humanitarian deal.
41:44I remember when we learned she was getting released, it was about 2 a.m.
41:50We woke Geffen up in the middle of the night to tell her we found mommy and we were going
41:56to see her.
41:59During the time that Yarden was held hostage, Geffen became slightly obsessed with the TV
42:04show Paw Patrol.
42:07It's a show about a group of dogs who rescue people.
42:13Yarden's brother mentioned this during one of his speeches at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv,
42:18and so Geffen quickly received a mountain of Paw Patrol merchandise, including the cutest
42:25costume of Chase, the lead dog, which she of course insisted to wear to the hospital
42:31so she could show her mom now that her mom was back.
42:34At the hospital, I stayed behind while Yarden was reunited with Geffen and Alon.
42:40And then as I was waiting in the corridor, all of a sudden I see Geffen barreling down
42:45at me, screaming, you have to come, you have to come see, we found mom.
42:51The image of her smiling in her Chase costume running down the hospital is one of my most
42:57prized memories and would never leave me.
43:00And it's what gives me the hope I need to keep advocating, despite the fact that since
43:04then it has been over five months and Yarden's sister-in-law, Geffen's aunt, Carmel, is still
43:11not with us.
43:13Carmel was also supposed to be released during that first humanitarian deal.
43:18It was for all the women and children, and we were sure she was going to be home with
43:22us the following day.
43:24However, the deal blew up the day after Yarden came back and Carmel was left behind.
43:31When we learned the news, that was the first time I saw Yarden cry.
43:35We know that Carmel is alive.
43:37We heard from hostages who were held with her, two teenagers, that she helped them deal
43:42with the hardship of captivity, that she practiced yoga and meditation with them.
43:48We also know that since their release, she has been left alone.
43:52For over five months, we have no idea what her condition is, where she is held, or how
43:58she is doing.
44:00What do we do now, nearing the 300-day mark?
44:04Back home we are protesting against Netanyahu, trying to get him to stop delaying and seal
44:10the deal.
44:11A deal that brings the hostages home, ensures Israel's security, leads to a day after in
44:17Gaza without Hamas, and establishes a direction that can help us all end this conflict.
44:23All relevant military and security personnel in Israel have already publicly stated that
44:28this current deal, presented by President Biden, is the best way forward.
44:33I know a deal is the best way forward because that is how I got my cousin back, and that
44:38is how Geffen got her mom.
44:41So many hostage families came here to D.C. to make sure that everyone remembers what
44:45we are here for, to save lives.
44:49The hostage family forum back home urged Netanyahu not to come here and give this speech now,
44:55at a time when a deal is so close.
44:58Because by coming here, he risks making himself the issue, turning the humanitarian issue
45:04of the hostages into a political one, and shifting the conversation.
45:09We are here to ask you not to let him.
45:12I am asking you to focus on the people on the ground.
45:15Our families and the Palestinian people suffering in Gaza.
45:19We know that a deal is very close.
45:22It actually pains me to say this because we've been in this situation many times before,
45:28feeling hopeful so many times.
45:31I have been forcing myself not to get my hopes up, but I have to let myself believe so I
45:36can communicate to you the urgency of the situation.
45:40Once again, Carmel is within our reach.
45:44She is so close to being home with us, where she belongs.
45:48After all the death and destruction, after so many lives lost on both sides, after almost
45:53300 days, a deal is within our grasp, and any delay might make things shift again and
46:00cost more lives on both sides.
46:03A deal requires both sides to be willing to sign it, the Israeli government and the heads
46:08of Hamas.
46:09It requires that both actors feel pressured.
46:12I am asking you, people that I believe share my values, to help us as you have been doing
46:17so far.
46:19This means centering the issue of the hostages.
46:23We need to make sure that we seal the deal now.
46:26There are many crucial issues to solve in our area, but any long-term solution has to
46:34start with a deal that will bring back our hostages and end the war.
46:39These issues are inextricably linked.
46:42While Netanyahu might have forgotten that fact, I implore you not to.
46:46The only way forward, the only way to end the war, is through this deal.
46:51And that is why I pray we are able to push it through, not only as a member of the hostage
46:56families, but as an advocate for peace, and as someone who wants to see a change for better
47:01in her country.
47:03Your administration has been instrumental in bringing about this deal, and we need you
47:08all to help us get it to the finish line.
47:10I am asking you to help focus the conversation, during Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech,
47:16in the media, and in general, on the hostage deal.
47:21While you advocate for a ceasefire, advocate for a ceasefire and a hostage release deal.
47:27A deal saved Yalden, a deal can save Carmel.
47:31We need Bibi to seal the deal now.
47:35Like many of the hostages, Carmel is a peace activist, and is one of the first people who
47:40would fight for a better future for our region once she is back.
47:44Despite all she has and is going through, I am certain that she would still strive for
47:49a peaceful solution to the war and the ongoing conflict, as she did for many years before.
47:55To reach this future, we need her here with us.
47:58We need everyone here with us.
48:01As always, the fates of everyone living in our region are intertwined.
48:06We can still make things better for all of us, and the only way to advance in that direction
48:11is to seal the deal.
48:13Thank you all very, very much.