“Americans Feel Betrayed As The Hostages Are Left To Languish”

By FrumNews.com

Washington, DC — In a scathing letter, House Speaker Mike Johnson addressed Joe Biden’s insufficient “steps to ensure the release of American hostages” in Gaza. As the hostage situation is deteriorating quickly, “American families feel betrayed by a President who is allowing their loved ones and other hostages to languish.”

The Speaker went further, saying that Biden has spent months trying to “micromanage Israel” rather than “focusing on bringing home the Americans and Israelis held hostage.” He then claimed the Biden administration has “undercut Israel’s efforts to bring U.S. hostages home, weakened the U.S.-Israel relationship, and eroded America’s ability to deter our enemies.”

Johnson urged Biden, “to leverage all American options and influence to support Israel in bringing these hostages home, and restore the use of emergency authorities to ensure Israel has everything it needs immediately to defeat these threats and restore security.”

At the end of the letter, Johnson requested a briefing to “hear the specific ways in which your administration plans to address this increasingly dire situation,” together with Congressional leadership and relevant committees before July 10th.

Full Letter:

“The failure to resolutely support Israel in its military objectives to eliminate Hamas has made it harder to help facilitate the release of those being detained, including American hostages that Hamas brutally kidnapped on October 7, 2023. Instead of focusing on bringing home the Americans and Israelis held hostage, your administration has spent months pressuring and attempting to micromanage Israel. The United States must do everything in our power to support Israel’s right to self-defense and work toward the immediate release of hostages, including the remaining American citizens.

“I write today to express grave concern that your administration is not taking sufficient steps to ensure the release of American hostages who are detained by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. It has been 8 months since Iranian-backed terrorists invaded Israel and murdered over 1,200 Israelis, took 235 people—including American citizens—hostage and committed acts and other horrific atrocities that are clear violations of international law and human rights.

“The failure to resolutely support Israel in its military objectives to eliminate Hamas has made it harder to help facilitate the release of those being detained, including American hostages that Hamas brutally kidnapped on October 7, 2023. Instead of focusing on bringing home the Americans and Israelis held hostage, your administration has spent months pressuring and attempting to micromanage Israel. The United States must do everything in our power to support Israel’s right to self-defense and work toward the immediate release of hostages, including the remaining American citizens.

“Since the massacre on October 7th, multiple decisions by your administration have undercut Israel’s efforts to bring U.S. hostages home, weakened the U.S.-Israel relationship, and eroded America’s ability to deter our enemies.

“Today, the hostage situation is deteriorating quickly, and American families feel betrayed by a President who is allowing their loved ones and other hostages to languish. The undermining of Israel, especially as it is fighting a war for its survival from Iranian-backed groups on multiple fronts, is unconscionable, unacceptable, and contradicts your claim to have an “ironclad” commitment to Israel’s security. It is long past time your administration instead put maximum pressure on Hamas and its enablers.

“On behalf of the families of these hostages, I urge you to leverage all American options and influence to support Israel in bringing these hostages home, and restore the use of emergency authorities to ensure Israel has everything it needs immediately to defeat these threats and restore security.

“As a follow-up to this letter, I request a briefing with me, Congressional leadership and relevant committees before July 10th to hear the specific ways in which your administration plans to address this increasingly dire situation and to provide Israel with America’s full backing to defeat Hamas in Gaza and as it acts to defend against Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed terrorist threats. Thank you for your consideration on these very serious matters.”