US Sen. Jim Risch, the ranking Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on Tuesday at the MEAD conference in Washington that Hamas leaders in Qatar “deserve to meet their end” following their role in the October 7 massacre.
Risch, who was interviewed on stage by former Jerusalem Post editor-in-chief Yaakov Katz, directly addressed Israel’s strike in Doha earlier in the day.
“As a senior Republican on the Intelligence Committee, I saw the videos from October 7. Twelve hundred people were killed and hostages were taken. It was done knowingly, deliberately, maliciously and with a cruel heart by Hamas. Israel had nothing to do with that. It created a completely predictable response. Those Hamas people in Qatar definitely deserve to meet their end. If you are a Hamas leader and had a part in October 7 – this is a very dangerous place to be on planet Earth right now,” he said.
Risch added that the “day after the war cannot include Hamas in any form,” and called for greater Arab involvement in designing a long-term solution. “I have encouraged our allies, our Arab friends, to put some plan on the table,” he said. He also pointed to the potential for broader regional change: “We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity with Syria and Lebanon. They want the West to come in and help. It would be very foolish not to take that opportunity.”
Turning his focus to Iran, Risch said that Tehran is the source of funding and direction for Hamas, Hezbollah and other terror groups. “If Iran was not on the table, these groups wouldn’t exist. My Arab contacts are fed up with Iran. They want to look forward into the 21st century. There is a positive shift in the Middle East,” he said.
Gantz: Israel must maintain control in Gaza perimeter
Former defense minister Benny Gantz, chairman of the Blue and White Party, also addressed the MEAD conference, speaking in a panel moderated by former US ambassador to Israel Tom Nides.
“The challenge in Gaza will last at least a decade,” Gantz said. “No other government that we can live with will be able to take shape there in the near future. That is why Israel must control the perimeter inside Gaza so that citizens in Israel can sleep safely at night, so that children in Sderot and the kibbutzim around Gaza can go to kindergarten and school.”
Gantz criticized the pace of the military campaign, saying, “I pushed to go into Rafah and to fight in Lebanon long before it happened. The war is being conducted too slowly. Over the years we tried many different operations and approaches – and they failed. Now we need to go all the way. We have no alternative.”
He also addressed delays in the supply of US munitions to Israel, warning that any embargo or slowdown would embolden Israel’s enemies. “This is like those in Israel who called for refusal to serve – it is simply not an option. There is no democracy like Israel, which represents American interests in the Middle East. It is in the Americans’ interest to maintain this special relationship,” he said.
On Israel’s long-term security, Gantz emphasized the importance of holding the Jordan Valley. “As part of our security concept, Israel must fully control the Jordan Valley, our longest border. This will guarantee Israel’s security and bring stability to the region,” he said.
The third MEAD Summit convened this week in Washington, bringing together senior leaders from the US, Israel, and moderate Arab states. The exclusive forum fosters dialogue, strengthens alliances and shapes strategic policy on defense, intelligence, technology, energy, finance, and governance.