See below for reactions by Virginia’s Congressional Democrats to the announcement today of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas. I agree strongly with Sen. Mark Warner – as well as Reps. Don Beyer (D-VA08), Gerry Connoly (D-VA11) and Bobby Scott (D-VA03) in “applaud [ing] the President and his administration, who worked tirelessly to reach this agreement”. I also am with Sen. Warner in being “both heartened to see an end in sight for a painful war that has torn apart families and leveled entire communities, and solemn in remembrance of the lives taken on October 7 and all those who have been killed since.” Of course, this deal won’t 100% end the war, nor will it apparently release all the hostages (not in Phase 1, anyway – hopefully in later Phases), nor will it guarantee a long-term solution to this nightmare – or to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict more broadly. Still, it’s a step forward after a horrible 15 months, and we should definitely thank the Biden admininstration for keeping at it in an almost impossible situation, despite getting basically zero political credit (to the contrary!) for doing so…
STATEMENT OF U.S. SEN. MARK R. WARNER
~ On the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas ~
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA), Vice Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, released the statement below following the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
“This ceasefire announcement will reunite families with their loves ones by securing the release of innocent Israelis, Americans, and other individuals who were abducted by Hamas in their brutal October 7 terror attacks and have continued to be held for more than 460 days. It will also bring sorely needed respite to civilians in Gaza who have been suffering for too long in the face of extreme hunger, death, and widespread destruction. I applaud the President and his administration, who worked tirelessly to reach this agreement, and officials from Qatar and Egypt for bringing this to fruition. Like so many people around the world, I am both heartened to see an end in sight for a painful war that has torn apart families and leveled entire communities, and solemn in remembrance of the lives taken on October 7 and all those who have been killed since. I remain committed to working with the incoming administration to ensure that the terms of this agreement are met on both sides and that humanitarian assistance can make its way to the Palestinian people as outlined in the deal.”
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