On October 7, 2023, I was getting ready to board a flight from Saudi Arabia to Israel along with several of my colleagues on a Congressional delegation. Then came the first reports and the continuing confirmations of the brutal and deadly attacks by Hamas that killed more than a thousand Israelis and saw hundreds more dragged into Gaza to be held as hostages. Our hearts sank with the realization that this was Israel’s 9/11. We were redirected back to the United States.

But we weren’t there long. I returned to Israel alongside my friend Sen. Joni Ernst and once there we immediately visited the kibbutzim ravaged by the terrorists who carried out an unprovoked slaughter of civilians. We saw the blood stains and bullet holes on the walls of homes, while others were completely burned to the ground. We saw the ransacked possessions of the residents, and the scattered toys of children. We were shown residences and told “there were no survivors.”

One year later — and with the support of its strongest friends — Israel has rallied and rebuilt, answered anguish with action, and turned the tide against terror. It is a remarkable achievement that may indeed be the hinge of history turning.

Some today call for a cease-fire. But when has Hezbollah ceased fire? Every day, what is left of Hamas continues to fire. Now Iran is launching deadly missile attacks directly at Israel’s most populous cities. The fact is, Israel has no record of attacking its neighbors, but only punching back. 

On October 6 of last year, our Congressional delegation met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and discussed a vision of for normalization with Israel and peace for the region — a signature reason I believe the attacks of the next day occurred. Iran, through its proxies, desperately wants to blunt the momentum generated by the Trump administration’s Abraham Accords that established new and lasting ties between Israel and its neighbors.

That’s why our resolve for Israel is stronger than ever. It has to be. It is so important that Israel isn’t unreasonably restrained from pushing back on Iran’s proxies and receives the strongest support from Congress and our president. I can assure you one thing: Israel will always have my support.

This is the time to not only stand with Israel, but also offer more than the repeated rhetoric of supporting its right to defend itself. We must defend Israel’s very right to exist and to live in peace and security with its neighbors. But it will be – to borrow a phrase from Ronald Reagan – peace through strength.

On this October 7 — just as with the last one — we need to say loud and clear: Israel must win.

Rep. Darrell Issa represents California’s 48th District in Congress.