Press releases

MADISONVILLE, La. – Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) penned this op-ed in the Ouachita Citizen arguing that America must stand firm alongside Israel until every American hostage is home safe. Kennedy noted that Hamas is still holding four American citizens in Gaza and argued that the Biden-Harris administration must do more to hold Hamas and its supporters accountable. 

Key excerpts of the op-ed are below:

“While our hearts go out to the many Israeli families who lost loved ones during Hamas’s attack, we cannot forget that October 7 was an attack on Americans, too.”

. . .

“At least four American hostages are still alive in Gaza, including Edan Alexander, Omer Neutra, Sagui Dekel-Chen, and Keith Siegel. Israeli officials believe three other Americans—Judith Weinstein Haggai, Gadi Haggai, and Itay Chen—died in captivity, but Hamas refuses to turn over the bodies of these Americans so their families can finally lay them to rest.”

. . .

“Both President Biden and Vice President Harris seem to have fallen silent in their support for Israel to appease a handful of leftist institutions that believe Hamas was justified in raping and murdering innocent people.

“The Biden-Harris administration continues to support the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA), for example, despite clear evidence that the global organization is riddled with Hamas supporters. Just last week, Israel killed a Hamas leader in Lebanon who just happened to be an UNRWA employee.”

. . .

“The same is true on college campuses. Last spring, anti-Israel rioters set up encampments on public property, vandalized buildings with antisemitic slogans, and blocked Jewish students from attending classes. One protester at Columbia University even held up a sign stating that Hamas’s ‘next targets’ were the Jewish students on American campuses. As some of the most influential universities in America devolved into campgrounds for antisemites, the Biden-Harris administration sat on its hands.

“These campus protestors—and far too many of my colleagues in Washington—seem to be confused about who the bad guys are in this conflict between Israel and Hamas. People in Louisiana, however, aren’t confused.

“Louisianians understand that the Hamas terrorists who brutally murdered and kidnapped innocent civilians are the bad guys. They know these campus protesters who are rooting for Hamas are like rocks, only dumber. They support the Israelis who are fighting to free the hostages, not the monsters who carried out the October 7 attack.

“As we reflect on the anniversary of the October 7 attacks, I hope President Biden, Vice President Harris, and my colleagues in Washington will remember why we need to stand strong alongside Israel in its fight against evil. We must have Israel’s back until every American is home and Hamas is in ruins.” 

Read Kennedy’s full op-ed here.