Welcome. It is verdict with Senator Ted Cruz Ben Ferguson with you and Senator shocking what happened on the floor of the Senate yesterday with Chuck Schumer basically going after Israel instead of Hamas your reaction.
To this story yesterday was truly a shocking day. Was an historic day, never in our country's history as something happened like what Chuck Schumer did yesterday. He stood on the Senate floor and he blasted the nation of Israel. He stood on the Senate floor and he demanded that Israel's elected Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanya, who stepped down. Mind you, Schumer doesn't do this for enemies of America. He doesn't do this for Russia. He doesn't do this for Iran.
He doesn't do this for Hamas. He reserves this hatred for the elected leader of Israel, and sadly, Schumer is the point of the spear. He represents also Democrats across
the board who were pivoting away from Israel. This very same week, the Biden administration waves sayings to effectively give ten billion dollars to Iran, to the Ayatola who pledges death to Israel and death to America, who is funding Hamas, who was behind the October seventh attack, and Joe Biden is prepared to fund those zelots, while Chuck Schumer has decided that the target of his ire should be the elected leader of Israel. It's truly stunning, and it's dangerous.
It is dangerous, and we're going to obviously have a lot of that audio from the fore of the Senate. I also, so many vertical listeners have asked, what can we do to help those in Israel. I want to tell you about the International Fellowship of Christian and Jews.
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dot org. Right now, that's support IFCJ dot org. Senator, let's talk about the backdrop for what Schumer said and why this timing is so significant. I think it has a lot to do with the state of the Union. I really want your opinion on that. It was pretty clear that the President was kind of changing a little bit his perspective and his words on Israel. He was also caught on a hot mic that we talked about
here on Verdict as well. And as I watched Chuck Schumer say these words on the floor of the Senate yesterday, there was honestly a part of me that I'm like, I'm not even sure Chuck Schumer believes this, and I want your take on that. Maybe he really does, but it was almost like it was a decision made within the Democratic Party. Okay, we got to get people younger and a lot of the radicals of the Democratic Party, the Socialists and the Marxists and the Communists, they hate Israel.
They support Hamas and the Palestinians. They believe that Israel is evil. So let's placate to them. I'll go give this speech that I would have never given before, and maybe that'll get them back in an excitement to vote for us. Is there a possibility that could have been part of what this is about just straight up selling out or do you believe he actually believes what he's saying about getting rid of neat Yahu.
Well, I think there's several things that are going on. Yes, I believe what I believe he believes what he's saying. The Democrats have hated net Yahu from the beginning. They despise him, they view him Democrats view Netanyahu as the Israeli equivalent of Donald Trump, and they hate him with
a comparable fury. And much of that stems back to when Barack Obama was president, and Obama pushed forward the catastrophic Iran nuclear deal, and they tried to muscle all of our allies into accepting it, and the Obama white House tried to muscle Congressional Democrats into accepting it. Virtually every single Congressional Democrat meekly knuckled under to the Obama
white House's pressure. And Benjamin Netanyah, who heroically stood up and said, this is an existential threat to Israel, that when the Ayatola says death to Israel, a nuclear Iran poses a very real threat of a mushroom cloud over Tehran or Jerusalem. And it is the one threat on the face of the planet capable of once again murdering six million Jews if never again is to mean anything. Netnyah, who argued, rightly, we cannot allow Iran to have a
nuclear weapon. And I'll tell you Democrats have never forgiven him for daring to stand up to the Obama White House. And I remember at the time there was a Republican House representative that invited Benjamin Netanya who to speak, to address a joint session of Congress. I was there. I
heard that speech. It was an historic speech. It was a speech that I described then and I still consider to be Churchillian in terms of its clarity, in terms of its strength, in terms of its unwillingness to knuckle under. And yet even back then, multiple Democrats boycotted the speech, refused even to listen to the elected Prime Minister of Israel. Well, that hatred is real. That's one thing that's going on.
But then a second thing that's going on that is in many ways even more concerning, is the Democrat party, day by day by day, is turning against Israel. If you look at polling numbers now among Democrats, if you ask Democrats whom do you support, Israel or the Palestinians, the numbers are growing every single day of Democrats who say, we're with the Palestinians. And here's the dirty little sea. Some people are saying, well, it's just the squad, it's
just the radical anti Semites. On the far left of the Democrat Party. They're the ones doing it, and the crazies on college campuses. I'll tell you, Bennett's a lot more concerning than that. It is the Biden Whitehouse. It is Chuck Schumer, the self declared guardian of Israel, who is the median of the Democratic Party, is steadily turning against Israel. Here just play Schumer's comments on the floor yesterday.
Israeli side the US government should demand that Israel conduct itself with a future two state solution in mind. We should not be forced into a position of unequivocally supporting the actions of an Israeli government that include biggots who reject the idea of the Palestinian state. Israel is a democracy. Five months into this conflict, it is clear that Israeli's need to take stock of the situation and ask must
we change course at this critical juncture. I believe a new election is the only way to allow for a healthy and open decision making process about the future of Israel at a time when so many Israelis have lost their confidence in the vision and direction of their government. I also believe a majority of the Israeli public will recognize the need for change, and I believe that holding a new election once the war starts to wind down would give Israelis an opportunity to express their vision for
the post war future. Of course, the United States cannot dictate the outcome of an election, nor should we try. That is for the Israeli public to decide. A public that I believe understands better than anybody that Israel cannot hope to succeed as a pariah opposed by the rest of the world. As a democracy. Israel has the right to choose its own leaders, and we should let the chips fall where they may. But the important thing is
that Israelis are given a choice. There needs to be a fresh debate about the future of Israel after October seventh. In my opinion, that is best accomplished by holding an election.
If President Prime Minister Netanyahu's current coalition remains in power after the war begins to wind down and continues to pursue dangerous and inflammatory policies that test existing US standards for assistance, then the United States will have no choice but to play a more active role in shaping Israeli policy by using our leverage to change the present course the United States bond with Israel is unbreakable, but if
extreme miscontinue to unduly influence Israeli policy, then the Administration should use the tools at its disposal to make sure our support for Israel is aligned with our broader goal of achieving long term peace and stability in the region. I believe this would make a lasting two two state solution more likely.
Senator, you hear that. I mean, he's basically giving the talking points for the Palestinian in hamas well.
He's giving the talking points for the left wing of the Democrat Party. And let's stop for a second once one line that Schumer says there. He says Israel is a democracy, and that's true, and he says they need to have an election. Well, they did have an election. They had an election, and Benjamin Netanyahu was elected. He's the elected leader. How would Schumer feel if net Yahoo gave a speech and said America is a democracy and they should call an election today to determine if Joe
Biden should still be president. That's what Schumer just said, that he doesn't give a damn who the people of Israel elected. Net Yaho is elected in a far and square election. Nobody disputes that. It's just Chuck Schumer and the rest of the Democrat Party doesn't like the choice that the people of Israel made, and there is an
arrogance to if you listen to what he says. He says there should be an immediate election, and then he says if they elect net Yahoo again after we the Democrats have told them not to, well then we should use us power to force them to change their policy. The absolute arrogance of that is stunning. And by the way, you know, some people pretend, well Democrats, they just dislike net and Yahoo. This is not directed at Israel. Well. Benny Gantz from the opposing party in Israel, he put
out a statement yesterday. Here was Benny Gantz's statement quote. The United States and Israel share common values and interests, and the citizens of Israel profoundly cherish the clear stance of the United States and support of Israel throughout these trying times. The Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is a friend of Israel, and, though he aired in his remarks, plays an important role in assisting the State of Israel,
including during these difficult times. Israel is a robust democracy and only its citizens will decide its future and leadership. Any external interference on the matter is counterproductive and unacceptable. Well what do you think Schumer was doing right there? That's counterproductive and unacceptable. And so I mean that demonstrates Look across the leadership in Israel, there is consensus that Israel must defeat Hamas. You know, where there isn't consensus
in the Democrat Party. In the Democrat Party, and I got to say, look, I serve with these guys. I'm on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. When we have a hearing, almost every Democrat all they go on and on about is Gaza. We've got to save Gaza. We've got to give relief to Gaza. It's as if October seventh didn't happen. Understand where these Democrats are. October seventh was a grotesque act of terrorism where Hamas terrorists murdered over twelve hundred people.
They raped and murdered children, They took over two hundred hostages. It was the single worst mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust. And the reaction of the American Democrat Party is to pivot hard against Israel and want to reward Hamas and their sponsor that nation of Iran for committing that grotesque act of terror.
You know that, Mitch McConnell. And look, you've been critical of McConnell. I've been critical of McConnell many times in my life. He's stepping down from leadership. But I also think you got to give credit when credit's due, and Mitch McConnell ripped Chuck Schumer on the four of the Senate.
I think it's important we play this because this is honestly one of I think the best moments of Mitch McConnell's time in the Senate, unequivocally saying we stand with Israel, but also calling out the radical left who is dictating now the Democratic Party, masquerading his Democrats that are extremists and radicals that are young, forcing them to the most extreme viewpoints. Here is Mitch McConnell, in his own words.
Of Israel deserves an ally but actually like one. People of Israel at home and in captivity deserve America's support, and Israel's unity government and security cabinet deserve the difference
befitting a sovereign, democratic country. The primary obstacles the peace in Israel's region or genocidal terrorists by Kamas and Palestinian Islamic jihad who slaughter innocent people, and corrupt leaders of the Palestinian authority who have repeatedly, repeatedly rejected peace deals from multiple Israeli governments, and foreign observers who cannot keep
these clear distinctions ought to refrain from weighing in. It is grotesque and hypocritical for Americans, who hyperventilate about foreign interference in our own democracy to call for the removal of the democratically elected leader of Israel. This is unprecedented. We should not treat fellow democracies this way at all. Things that upset left wing activists are not of Prime Minister's policies. There is Israel's policies. Make no mistake. The
Democratic Party doesn't have an anti BV problem. It has an anti Israel problem. Israel is not a colony of America whose leaders serve at the pleasure of the party in power in Washington. Only Israel's citizens should have a say and who runs their government. This is the very definition of democracy and sovereignty.
I mean Senaer you hear him there, He's spot on, but he also reminds the history of like you think it's easy. You think Israel just shows up and says to the Palestinians who are back by Hamas, who are back by Iran, Hey, let's have this, you know, kumbaya moment of ceasefire here? Do we need to not remind you of what just happened five months ago?
Well, and let me commend Mitch McConnell for those remarks, because he didn't know Chuck Schumer was going to give this speech. He was sitting there and just heard it, and then he got up and that was his impromptu response. And that was eloquent, it was powerful, it was effective. And notice what Mitch said there, which is exactly what you and I said at the beginning of this podcast. The Democrats don't have an anti Beb policy. They have an anti Israel problem. And it's not just the squad,
it is supposedly mainstream Democrats. And look, this troubles me. I have been I was elected to the Senate twelve years ago. When I first arrived at the Senate, I resolved on day one to be the leading defender of Israel in the Senate. I've worked hard to do that every day since then. It is important for the US Israel relationship to have bipartisan cooperation. It's important that Israel not be just a partisan issue like so many other
issues are. I have to say, it is deeply saddening and it is really dangerous that the Democrat Party today does not resemble in any way, shape or form the Democrat Party twelve years ago when I arrived in the Senate, because the party as a whole is turning day by day steadily more and more hostile to Israel. And I got to say, and I don't mean this as hyperbole, if you are a voter who cares about Israel, who
loves Israel. At this point, I genuinely do not know how a voter who cares about and loves Israel could cast a ballot for the Democrats. That that is fundamentally inconsistent with where this Democrat Party is. And I'll tell you likewise, there are fifty one Democrats in the Senate, counting two who call themselves independent. Every one of them should be asked, do you support Chuck Schumer attacking the nation of Israel and demanding that the elected leader of
Israel step down? And in my view, every Democrat in the Senate is responsible for it now. No one in the press will ask them that question and they'll all dodge it. But every Senate Democrat who is running for reelection in November should be forced to decide. And the sad thing is, I believe every one of them, all of them will stand Schumer on this, that this is where the party is, and that's really it is a terrible development for Israel and it's a terrible development for America.
Well, let's give a little bit of a history lesson here for people that may not remember all of the and it's not that distant pass, but it's important, and it was referenced there by Schumer. There have been quite a few times where there were these quotes, these fires and let's get along moments. Not once is an Israel that's been the aggressor afterwards, every single time it's been
the terrorists that have gone after Israel. People forget what it's like to live in Israel under the constant mirage of rockets. They forget that every time they do a deal that within weeks or months it's somebody on the on the Palestinian side is trying to blow that deal up figuratively literally, And they forget forget that Israel has tried to live in peace in a defensive manner, not offensive manner.
That's exactly right. You know. Many years ago, Goldameyer, who was the former Prime Minister of Israel, said quote peace will come to the Middle East when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us. And Goldimeyer also said the following quote, If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence. If the Jews put down their weapons today, there would be no more Israel. That is the simple reality that this
has been a war of aggression. It was not Israel that launched this attack on October seventh, It was Hamas it was directed at innocent civilians. I'll tell you I have sat with the families of victims of murder on October seventh, and of kidnapping victims. I have seen photographs, horrible photographs. I sat recently and went through photograph after photograph of women brutalized, violently raped, and sexually disfigured. Where
I mean, the brutality of it is horrific. And I also watched nearly an hour of video footage of what happened on October seventh. That footage I saw over one hundred people murdered. Watch the footage of it. I've never seen that before in my life. It is horrific and stomach turning. And Israel is defending itself. And yet the Democrat position today, they look at this battle and they cannot bring themselves to say, Israel is on the side of truth and righteousness and Hamas is on the side
of evil. This is civilization versus barbarism. And in the Democrat Party, you are a priah for saying that, for acknowledging that you look at you know, Joe Biden certainly didn't say that during the State of the Union. Instead, he said that his priority is to build an emergency pier into Gaza. And by the way, Chuck Schumer says, well, gosh, we won't stand with the bigots who don't want a Palestinian state. Well, you know, it's interesting. There is a
Palestinian state. It's called Gaza. Gaza is governed by the Palestinians. Israel does not have sovereignty over Gaza. Israel left Gaza, they handed it over to the Palestinians said here, it's all yours. The Palestinians had an election, you know, who won the election in Gaza Hamas. It's curious why didn't Chuck Schumer give a speech saying, the people, the Palestinians, if you want peace, throw out Hamas. He didn't say that. Instead, today's Democrat Party they direct their ire at the elected
leader of Israel. And it is grotesque.
You mentioned you watching that video. I last week was asked to go to the Israeli Console and have a meeting and an update on what's happening right now, specifically with the number of people that are still being held hostage as we speak. And there was a book that we were able to look at and see the faces of the people that are still being held hostage, that you hope are alive, that you know are being kept in unimaginable conditions, and we know that they have tortured
and raped and killed many of the hostages. But when you look at these pictures center, and you and I have talked about what that video looked like that you saw, you look at these people and it is sad to me that the media has not done a better job of humanizing There were people in their upper eighties, yes, who couldn't defend themselves against being abducted on that day.
There were somethings. There were infants and toddlers murdered and raped.
Yeah, and there was the elderly that couldn't defend themselves or even get out of their wheelchair. I mean they were at the mercy of the attackers. And you look at the people that they took hostage. They wanted nobody in Israel to ever feel safe again. That's part of the terrorism of that day. They wanted everyone to feel like they could be next and that they were coming for them as well. Like you said, whether it's toddlers in their cribs or a nine year old great great grandmother.
They this was psychological warfare on the most grotesque and horrific level. And it was pre planned and orchestrated. It wasn't one madman. This was a terrorist organization that used countless warriors to do this.
Well, and under stand, that's not one isolated event. Chuck Schumer's disgraceful speech is not one isolated event. This is comprehensive throughout the Biden administration and throughout Congressional Democrats. Just in the last twenty four hours, Joe Biden and Biden administrations, they gave a ran a ten billion dollar sanctions waiver also in the last twenty.
Four I mean that, by the way, because it sounds complicated, but I really think it's important that we explain this what does that mean? Because we've already given them billions in actual cash.
So I will, but I want to underscore just what's happened in the last twenty four hours. In the last twenty four hours, they gave a ran a ten billion dollar sanctions waiver. They also the Biden administration directly sanctioned Israeli Jews. They also said Israel's top priority should be aiding gozzins, and the majority leader of the Senate demanded the overthrow of Israel's Democrat elected government in the middle of a war. All of that happened within twenty four hours.
Now you ask what happened with the sanctions, Well, the Biden administration on Wednesday reapproved a sanctions waiver that unlocks ten billion dollars in frozen funds for the Iranian government. And this was according to a notice submitted to Congress late Wednesday. The sanctions waiver allows Iraq to transfer electricity
payments to Iran via third party countries. The sanctions waiver was last approved by the Biden administration in November, and it was set to expire this month, but they just reissued that waiver. So get this. Iran funded Hamas ninety percent of Hamas is funded by Iran. Iran funds Hesbela, ninety percent of Hesbela is funded by Iran. Iran is actively attackings, Iran is funding the whu thies. Iran is
attacking American soldiers. And what does Joe Biden do? He gives Iran ten billion dollars And that is this week after October seventh, after Americans have been targeted over and over and over again. Let me ask you this, seriously, Ben, how does one even mount an argument that giving ten billion dollars to an iatola who repeatedly chants death to America is in any way, shape or form in the interest of the United States of America.
Yeah, it's not. And yet that's exactly what they're doing.
And understand also that the antipathy to Israel and to net Yahoo it's not new. Look. When net Yahoo was elected, Biden refused to call him. It took enormous public pressure for him to call him. Biden, has I will not welcome Netanyahu to the White House. He said, net Yaho is not welcome in the Biden White House. Mind you, this was long before October seventh. This was long before his alleged concerns about Gaza and contrasts that to how Biden treats Lula. Lula is an anti American, pro Iran thug,
the leader of Brazil. When Lula was elected, Biden called him immediately, He congratulated me, invited Lula to the White House. Enemies of America. Here's what Biden tweeted when Lula was at the White House. It was great sitting down with my friend and partner in democracy. It is bizarre if you're an enemy of America, Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer they like you, and if you are a friend of America, especially if you are Israel, they actively undermine you at every step.
Final question on this for you, I believe this is not just should be one of the top issues of this election cycle coming up. I actually believe this is one of the top issues of our lifetime. How do conservative candidates explain this and do a better job of explaining the history of Israel, especially because if you look at the polling. It's so concerning to me how many people thirty five and under are standing now with terrorists over Israel. We've got to change the conversation to let
them understand this. How did we lose so easily, so quickly, an entire generation to stand with Israel instead of standing with a terrorists? And what candidates need to do and how do they need to talk about this?
So how did we lose? We lost the universities, we lost K through twelve, We lost the media, we lost entertainment, we lost social media. Young people are barraged with propaga and the propaganda is is telling them lies. Look. I was just just a couple of days ago in the airport. I was standing in Chicago getting on a plane to fly back to DC, and this young leftist began berating me and filming And it's interesting he hadn't put it online. I really actually hope he puts it online. But berating
me saying, why do you stand for genocide? Well, why do you stand for Israel committing genocide? And I and I happily engaged him, and I said, I stand on equivocally with Israel and understand you are on the side of murderers and terrorists, and who torture and rape little children, and who rape women. You are standing on the side of evil, and Israel is right to utterly defeat Hamas because they are evil. And he just kept going on and on and on and about no, no, no, and
he said all of that has been debunked. This is a guy I don't know. He's about twenty five years old. He was a young leftist who said it's been debunked. October seventh, that that that Hamas committed those murders and raped he claimed has been debunked. And I said, you know, I'm really sorry that you're a young man who's just been lied to and deluded. I said, I've seen the videos, I saw what happened that day, but but he happily
believes it. And I couldn't help. But but turn to him and say, you know, I have to I have to assume if this were World War two, you'd be rooting for the Nazis. And he got offended at that, and he said, I'm actually Jewish American. And I just shook my head and walked away. But but there are people, there are young people who've just been lied to they're ignorant and they have been buffeted with propaganda. Look, it's one of the reasons for this podcast is we're trying
to give people the truth it is. Yeah, the lines here that this is not gray, it is black and white between genocidal mass murderers and people defending innocent civilians. You shouldn't be on the fence with which one you stand. You shouldn't be be seeking some moral relativity of well, they're both.
In the wrong.
No, No, there is nothing good. There is nothing redeemable about people who murder little children, who kidnap little children, who rape women, who do it in a degrading, animalistic way. That is who Hamas is. And Israel has every right to defend itself. And I got to say it, really, it worries me. To the best of my knowledge, I have not seen a single Democrat senator denounce what Chuck Schumer did yesterday. Maybe it's happened and I haven't seen it.
Yeah, which is not one?
Not one? And so and listen, I know a lot of people who are voters that still want to vote Democrat, and they have other issues they care about and they think about and they try to rationalize no, it's just AOC, it's just o mar just the squad. This was the Democratic leader in the United States Senate. And by the way, it was Joe Biden. So Joe Biden who just gave ten billion dollars to Iran. Now after October seven, and
I mentioned a minute ago the sanctions on Israel. Yesterday the Biden administration put even more sanctions, but they only applied it to Jews. They sanctioned for Jews yesterday. And I recently questioned Biden's nominee to be sanctions are and he's been in charge of sanctions, and there was an executive order that is essentially targeting Jews, and he claimed and basically they want to make it illegal to be Jewish and living in Judaea and Samara. And he said, well, no, no, no,
it doesn't target Jews. And so I asked him, I said, well, have you sanctioned any Palestinians who are supporting terrorism in the West Bank? And he said, well, no, they haven't. And then after the hearing you walked out and they sanctioned even more Jews. This is prevalent throughout the administration and it is becoming the position of Congressional Democrats.
Don't forget to share this podcast and help spread the other side of what the media is not sharing with so many young people. Make sure you run us a five story review as well. Don't forget. The Center and I do this show Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and those in between days. I'll keep you updated on my podcast about the latest breaking news. All you got to do is download my podcast, the Ben Ferguson Podcast as well, and The Center and I will also see you back
here on Saturday for our week in review. Make sure you pray for the people of Israel as well, do not forget what they're going through, and we'll see you back here on Saturday.