Senator Mike Lee (Utah) made an emergency trip to Israel in order to view aspects of the war on Gaza. He met with Binyamin Regional Council head Israel Ganz, who gave the Senator an overview of terrorism on another important, but overlooked front - in Judea and in Samaria.
“You have the full right to eradicate terror everywhere,” said Senator Lee.
“The American people understand some of the difficulties you are going through, not everything certainly, but they need to learn more. What we do know is enough to bring out our thoughts, our prayers, and our support, and we hope you feel that. Stand strong, stand strong for life, at the end of the day that's what you do, and we are grateful for that.”
Since the beginning of the war, Ganz has held many meetings with senators, congressmen and US government officials, to promote Israel’s goals in the war, which has been dubbed, "Swords of Iron."
Last Friday, Ganz met with Utah State Senator Mike Lee, who came for a quick visit to show solidarity with the State of Israel. The senator arrived in Israel as part of the "Yes! Israel Project," headed by Ruthie Lieberman and Sarah Paley.
At the beginning of the meeting, Ganz shared with Lee data on the terror attacks in the Binyamin Region. Ganz told Sen. Lee, "Your visit here in person, and the hug you are giving to Binyamin residents strengthens the fact that you stand firmly by our side. We have already paid a heavy price in this war and you give us more strength to continue fighting for Israel’s existence."
Lee thanked Ganz for sharing the data and stories that are not reported in the international media.
"There is no one in Israel who hasn't been affected by this, very negatively so," he said. "There are a lot of these stories that are not getting out there, that are not being reported on accurately or are completely - or even remotely - fair. One of the reasons for this is there are those who want to sugar-coat the kind of hateful violence that is inspiring a lot of these attacks."
"I am using the present verb because these are not things that just happened on one day. These are not things that began and ended on October 7th; as horrific as that day was, it was not the beginning nor has it been the end. They do need to come to an end. But in order for them to come to an end we have to recognize the fact that evil exists, and evil is being perpetrated on the people of Israel - and that is not acceptable."
The Senator intends to raise the issue of the release of terrorists into the territories of Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem, as part of discussions regarding the future of Gaza after the war. The Binyamin Council has prepared a document in English for this work in Congress, delineating the 300 terrorists assigned for potential release in exchange for Israeli hostages. It includes details of their release to Jerusalem or to Judea or Samaria, and of their military organization, including Hamas. Senator Lee and House leadership will share these facts in DC, in order to remove US pressure on Israel and to support Israel’s actions and decisions in this war and its aftermath.
Governor Ganz has ongoing conversations with Sen. Lee and others in Congress, in conference calls about the many dangers in discussing the establishment of a single Palestinian state between Judea and Samaria and Gaza, under the administration of the Palestinian Authority.
"The United States is an ally of the Jewish People and we are grateful, but nevertheless we cannot close our eyes and promote a state ruled by a cruel entity that has not yet condemned the events of October 7th, one that pays lifelong salaries to these very terrorists and their families," he said. "With these actions, the Palestinian Authority proves that it is no different than Hamas, and that it remains an existential threat to the State of Israel."
Senator Lee concluded the visit with an emotional farewell: "Thanks to all of you who are fighting to protect Israel, this is something that the American people feel deeply. We stand with you and thank you for all of us."