Statement from ALEC CEO Lisa B. Nelson on the Ceasefire in Gaza and the Return of the Israeli Hostages

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) celebrates the release of 20 Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity. We applaud President Donald J. Trump for his work to secure their safe return and wish them strength and resolve in their recovery.

ALEC mourns the hostages who will never return, the 1,200 massacred by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, and the soldiers who fell defending Israel. This ceasefire offers hope for a lasting peace as we look forward to a brighter future in the region. As the President said at the Knesset, “The skies are calm, the guns are silent, the sirens are still and the sun rises on a Holy Land that is finally at peace. … A long nightmare for both Israelis and Palestinians is over.”

In the days following Hamas’ 2023 attack, ALEC adopted the Resolution to Affirm Support for Israel and to Condemn Hamas. Since then, we have stood behind Israel’s right to self-defense and have exposed UNRWA’s role in the October 7 atrocities. ALEC continues to speak out against the surge of antisemitism in the United States and worldwide that followed the attacks. The issue was addressed at conference plenary sessions and task force meetings, where ALEC adopted the Act to Prohibit Anti-Semitism in State K–20 Educational Institutions and the Act to Adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Anti-Semitism.

The first phase of this agreement is only the beginning. The next phase will be more difficult and require more strength and determination from the White House, Israel, and Gaza to demilitarize Hamas, destroy the tunnels beneath Gaza, rebuild infrastructure, and establish a government that serves its people rather than terrorists.

But today, we celebrate those who were freed and remember those who were lost. Am Yisrael Chai.