Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Sunday urged Israel to achieve decisive victory over Hamas, saying the Jewish state should “annihilate” the terrorist group and rebuild Gaza like the United States did in the aftermath of World War II with Germany and Japan.
“I can’t believe we’re having a discussion about how to fight a war against people who want to destroy you as a people, the Israeli people,” Graham told CBS News’ “Meet the Press” when asked who should run the Gaza Strip if Israel gains complete military control there.
“So [Israel] will take Gaza militarily, unless the hostages are released,” he continued.
“Enough already. Destroy Hamas. Do to Hamas what we did to the Germans and the Japanese during World War II. Annihilate them and rebuild the Palestinian society like we did with Germany and Japan. I think we can do that,” the senator said.
After Israel defeats Hamas, the future of Gaza and the Palestinians will be decided by Saudi Arabia, he went on to suggest.
“Eventually the Arabs will take over. The future of Palestine runs through Riyadh. The future of the Mideast runs through Riyadh. I envision after the defeat of Hamas that normalization will be back on the table between Saudi Arabia and Israel, and the Palestinians will benefit from that discussion, as well as the Israelis,” the senator said.
Graham has repeatedly expressed unwavering backing of Israel’s war.
In July, he told NBC News that Israel was about to change its negotiations strategy and pursue total victory via military force against Hamas.
“I think President Trump has come to believe, and I certainly have come to believe, there’s no way you’re going to negotiate an end of this war with Hamas,” Graham said on July 28.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization, chartered to destroy the State of Israel. They’re religious Nazis. They hold Israeli hostages,” he added.
Graham said that Israel has “come to conclude that they can’t achieve a goal of ending the war with Hamas that would be satisfactory to the safety of Israel, and that they’re going to do in Gaza what we did in Tokyo and Berlin—take the place by force, then start over again, presenting a better future for the Palestinians, hopefully having the Arabs take over the West Bank and Gaza.”
