WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Steven Palazzo (MS-4) released the following statement after returning from the Middle East with members of the House Armed Services Committee:
“With the horrible brutality we have seen taking place across the Middle East over these past few months, I felt strongly that I needed to see firsthand the realities of the threat we are facing in the region. In addition to meeting with the great men and women serving in our armed forces, I met with the heads of state of Israel, Jordan, and Egypt, both Muslim countries and non-Muslim countries, and all agreed that the greatest threat to the Middle East are radical Islamist groups like ISIS.”
“We need a strategy from the United States that responds to these threats with force and justice, partnering with our allies in the Middle East to defeat ISIS and establish stability and security in the region. I believe one lesson learned here is that it’s just as dangerous to rush away from war as it is to rush into it.”
Palazzo traveled to Israel, Egypt, Morocco, and Jordan with House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon and several other senior Members of the committee. The group met with several heads of state, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, King of Jordan Abdullah II, and Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. They also met with several defense ministers of these countries.
During the trip the delegation visited troops that are deployed in support of operations across the globe on several U.S. and allied military installations. The purpose of the trip was to see firsthand the ongoing operations of CENTCOM, EUCOM, and AFRICOM, and included a number of briefings from both U.S. personnel and host nation officials.
Pictured: Congressman Palazzo meeting with Israeli Defense Minister, Moshe Yaalon, accompanied by House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon.
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