Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.) crossed party lines on Tuesday and endorsed U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas.
A member of the Congressional Jewish Caucus, she stated that Hamas started the war by attacking on Oct. 7, which “resulted in unimaginable violence and suffering for innocent Israelis and Palestinians alike.”
“With that said, I welcome the president’s proposal to finally bring this war to an end,” Frankel stated.
Trump proposed an immediate ceasefire, a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from most of Gaza, an exchange of the hostages Hamas holds for Israel freeing some 2,000 convicted Palestinian prisoners, amnesty for Hamas members who lay down their arms and a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” to rule Gaza temporarily.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorsed the proposal during his trip to Washington, putting the onus on Hamas.
Netanyahu said it “achieves our war aims” and “will bring back to Israel all our hostages, dismantle Hamas’s military capabilities, end its political rule and ensure that Gaza never again poses a threat to Israel.”
Frankel said that ending the war now rests on Hamas’s shoulders.
“If Hamas agrees, this brutal war can end, the remaining hostages will be reunited with their families, Gazans will have a chance to have their communities rebuilt, and we will take an important step toward peace in the Middle East,” the congresswoman said.
