Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker has said he is “shaken and angered” while describing his experience in Israel after Hamas, a Palestinian extremist group, launched a deadly attack near the Gaza border over the weekend.
Spokespeople for Booker and Rep. Dan Goldman, both Democrats, had earlier confirmed that the lawmakers were in Israel as the attack unfolded. Both left the country safely shortly after the attacks began, their offices said.
Booker was scheduled to speak at a summit on the Abraham Accords on Tuesday and arrived in Israel on Friday before the event.
On Sunday, Booker posted a video describing his experience to X, formerly known as Twitter, saying that while he and his team are now safe, “like many we are shaken, angered, and heartbroken by the hundreds killed, the thousands injured, those taken hostage, and all who are directly affected by these sickening terrorist attacks.”
Israeli can’t have closed all the borders, they have an international border with Egypt. And the Gaza deal was orchestrated by Israel’s leftwing political coalition to prove that a deal based around the 1967 borders and political autonomy for Palestinians could lead to lasting peace. Since the Second Infintada, Israel has had a painful reminder that no amount of concessions can secure peace.