Opinion: Stand with Israel, bring American hostages home

By Sen. Joni Ernst

Today, eight of our fellow citizens are still being held in Gaza by the ruthless terror regime that wants nothing more than the death and destruction of Israel and the United States.

I’ve met with the families of our American hostages numerous times – on the ground in Israel and in our nation’s capital. They long for the day when they can embrace their loved ones again, and say two simple, yet remarkably comforting words: welcome home.

In the days following October 7th, President Biden vowed that Israel would have the full support of the United States. He pledged that we would “not stand by and do nothing… Not today, not tomorrow, not ever.” In a message to the families of the hostages, he swore that the United States would pursue every option to bring them home.

Has that been the case? Anyone looking at the situation today would say no.

When Prime Minister Netanyahu recently arrived on U.S. soil, not a single Biden-Harris administration official was there. Instead, Israel’s own ambassador shook the prime minister’s hand. Furthermore, the current vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris, who serves as the president of the Senate, refused to preside over Netanyahu’s joint address to Congress, something he was invited to do by her fellow Democrat, Leader Chuck Schumer, and Speaker Mike Johnson.

The risk-averse and indecisive Biden-Harris administration has failed time and time again to stand solidly by our ally, Israel.

They’ve refused to place an emphasis on freeing our American hostages, and most certainly to demonstrate the strong leadership necessary to do everything in their power to bring them home. Instead, the president and vice president have prioritized scoring cheap political points with their left flank over the lives of our fellow Americans and our allies.

Sending a signal to Hamas that America is not serious about securing the release of her people, the Biden-Harris White House has taken more and more options off the table – slow-rolling arms necessary for more precise terror targeting, withholding intelligence from our Israeli counterparts, and refusing to maintain all diplomatic and military options to bring our hostages home. Hamas leaders rightfully fear U.S. strength and leadership when it’s actually wielded.

Let’s not forget who we’re dealing with. Hamas is a brutal regime owned and operated by Tehran, which under this administration has profited greatly, to the tune of $80 billion in oil revenues. They can smell fear a mile away. And right now, the Biden-Harris administration reeks ofit.

While Israel’s military rightly shoulders much of the burden of waging war against Hamas, the U.S. military and intel operators can play a role in our efforts to save the American captives. This is, in fact, already the case—our drones fly over Gaza to collect intelligence on the location of the hostages, and our special forces provide technical support to Israeli hostage rescuers.

As things stand today, Iranian proxies know that even if the worst happens to the American hostages, the Biden-Harris administration is not prepared to hold them accountable for their crimes. But that must change.

With hostage negotiations at a critical phase, the administration must actually put all options (back) on the table to maximize pressure on Hamas. Now is the moment we redouble, not withdraw, our support for Israel and its military.

Families have been ripped apart. Mothers and fathers and sons and daughters are counting the days until their loved ones are freed. But for now, they’re left asking: when is enough, enough? What is the threshold for how long an American must be held hostage for the Biden-Harris White House to act?

Joni Ernst, a native of Red Oak and a combat veteran, represents Iowa in the United States Senate.