The Biden administration must do more to pressure Qatar to gain the release of American hostages held by Iranian-backed Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., told Newsmax on Monday.
Lawler, who is on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, appeared on "Wake Up America" on the one-year anniversary of Hamas' massacre of at least 1,200 Israeli civilians in southern Israel. About 250 others were taken hostage, and about 100 remain captive in Gaza, including four Americans, according to the State Department.
Lawler said the Biden administration made crucial mistakes in the region, and by "wanting to renegotiate the Iran nuclear deal, they allowed for the illicit oil trade."
Lawler emphasized the idea "that we have not done more to forcefully get even them [the American hostages] out is shameful."
He insisted that the U.S. must "make it very clear" to Qatar, which provides a base for Hamas leadership as well as financial support, "that our American hostages must be released immediately or there will be consequences."
"I think the fact that they have not done that ... is mind-boggling to me given the climate, the circumstances of everything we have seen over the past year," Lawler said.
He also spoke of the demonstrations in the U.S., especially in New York, supporting Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran to mark the anniversary of the massacre.
"These folks, frankly, are useful idiots," he insisted, saying that "as long as this conflict continues, as long as Israel is under threat," these demonstrations will go on.
He emphasized that "from my standpoint, one year later, the United States needs to stand with Israel shoulder to shoulder," stating that "there are no moral equivalences here" between the Jewish state and the various terrorist entities seeking to destroy it.
Lawler added, "The challenge most Americans need to recognize is the fact that Iran, China and Russia are not our friends, they are not our allies," and they are seeking to undermine Western values and civilization.
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Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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