Senators Kaine and Warner call for Israel-Hamas ceasefire

In Washington, D.C., Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit is the talk of the town for politicians and protesters.

Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, who represent Virginia, are among the growing number of politicians calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

“The promise made to Palestinians that they would have a state just as Israel would be a state,” Senator Kaine said. “It’s a promise that needs to be kept.”

Senators Kaine and Warner said a permanent ceasefire and release of hostages must happen immediately.

“It’s going to take both parties,” Warner said, “both the Israeli government and Hamas leadership, to make those compromises, to get those hostages [released], that will also result in the ceasefire.”

As Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Warner has made his support of a ceasefire clear for months. However, that goal has been out of reach since the war ramped up nine months ago.

“We have seen this hope for a ceasefire, and those hostages released, dashed time and time again,” Warner said.

Senator Kaine said he hopes for a two-state solution, but first, a deal to return the remaining hostages to Israel and permanently end the war.

“We got to get a hostage deal,” Kaine said. “This is the best thing for Israel and suffering Palestinians...the best thing for tension in the region.”