Six weeks ago, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and committed the most heinous pogrom against Jewish people since the Holocaust. Over 1,200 innocent Israelis were slaughtered. Children killed in front of their parents, parents in front of their children, and horrors beyond anyone’s imagination.

While Israel has both the right and responsibility to defend itself and its Jewish, Muslim, and Christian citizens against such terror - the effort to eliminate Hamas in Gaza has resulted in the loss of over 10,000 innocent Palestinian lives. Much of this painful impact has devastated their families, and primarily women and children. The shortage of essential resources, including food, water, and electricity, only adds to the growing humanitarian crisis that will likely result in more violence and make a lasting peace very difficult to achieve.

After seventy-five years of almost non-stop conflict in the Middle East, the status quo is unacceptable and must be disrupted.

The actions, inactions, and failures of individuals in power for decades have failed to bring resolution to the bloodshed in the region. It’s time for a new generation of leadership - from the West Bank to the West Wing - and a fierce commitment to peace to replace yesterday’s reliance on war.

To start the path to peace, I urgently propose the following actions:

All 200+ people being held hostage by Hamas terrorists, including nine American citizens, must be immediately released.
Upon the safe release of hostages, an immediate and mutual ceasefire of large-scale military operations and indiscriminate terror must be initiated and upheld by both parties.
A multinational peacekeeping force must be deployed to Gaza, to include trusted, regional nations best positioned to maintain security and support humanitarian and reconstruction efforts.
Concurrently, a multi-national coalition, including the United States, must unite to eliminate the Hamas militant terror organization and begin immediate investments in a democratic civil society in Gaza and the West Bank to empower a new generation of Palestinian leaders committed to peace, prosperity, and the development of a new Palestinian nation.
And finally, Israelis must call for elections and demand from their government a commitment to a future of mutual security, peace, and prosperity for both peoples.

The failures of the past must be replaced by solutions for the future. We must take courageous steps towards peace with spirited, energized, and peace-loving new leaders. The Israeli and Palestinian people each deserve self-determination, dignity, security, and prosperity. There is no time to waste, and that path to a brighter future must begin now.