Following a prayer service at Temple B’nai Jeshurun in Short Hills on Friday evening, NJ Spotlight News spoke with U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) about his reactions to the latest in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Booker was in Jerusalem when Hamas militants carried out a surprise attack on Israel last Saturday, and he says he plans to return to Israel next week.

“Democracies abide by the rule of law and the rules of war; terrorists target civilians, violate not just the rules of war, but the rules of humanity,” Booker said. “And now you see this terrorist organization, Hamas, using its own, using human lives, using Palestinians as human shields. This is despicable.”

NJ Spotlight News also asked him about the latest federal charges against fellow U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez alleging that he acted as an unregistered agent of the Egyptian government.

“There are proceedings going on now that are criminal and ethical. There is a due process, and I want to make sure that we follow that due process and that due process starts with the presumption of innocence,” Booker said. “I’ve called on Sen. Menendez to make the decision himself to resign, and we’ll see how this plays out. But again, everyone deserves due process.”