“We proudly and unequivocally state that we stand with the State of Israel and we condemn the terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas against Israel and her people. As husbands and fathers, we are sickened by the images of women and children that Hamas murdered and the news reports of women and children being taken hostage by Hamas.
“The internationally accepted rules of lawful warfare do not include purposely killing civilians nor kidnapping civilians for use as human shields and hostages. These attacks prove that Hamas is not a government or political organization. It is a terrorist organization and its leaders and members must be destroyed. We hope that President Biden and Congress will act in a bi-partisan manner to provide Israel with military armament, logistical and intelligence support to assist in the country’s defense and military operations against Hamas.
“Here in New Jersey, the attacks in Israel remind us that we must be vigilant in fighting hate and antisemitism and in protecting our residents from terrorism. We have sponsored state budget funding for public and private schools to install security systems and harden school buildings against intruders. We have also supported legislation to permit retired police officers to work as armed security guards at public and private schools and houses of worship.
“We pledge to continue to work tirelessly to provide for the security needs of the communities we are privileged to represent. We ask all of the residents of the 36th Legislative District to join us in praying for the safe return of the hostages, the safety of all civilians, and for the protection of military personnel engaged in fighting the Hamas terrorists.”