[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 19 (Thursday, February 28, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E241]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               500 DAYS IN CAPTIVITY--AND STILL COUNTING

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                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 28, 2002

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to mark the 500th day of 
captivity of Elchanan Tannenbaumu--one of nine Israelis now held 
captive by terrorist groups and regimes that sponsor terrorism. A 
husband and the father of two, Elchanan is the only Israeli civilian to 
be counted among Israel's missing. He is being held in Lebanon and is 
presumed to be alive.
  As we all know, Mr. Speaker, terror has many faces and takes many 
forms. Sometimes terror targets large numbers of people in spectacular 
acts of destruction as we saw on September 11th. At other times it 
seeks to achieve its goals by targeting a single individual. Mr. 
Tannenbaum was such a target, as was the American journalist Daniel 
Pearl, whose brutal murder has sickened and saddened us all. Mr. 
Tannenbaum's Hisballah captors have proudly announced their crime, with 
their usual flair for the contemptuous. Although Mr. Tannenbaum has a 
medical condition that requires daily attention, Hisballah has denied 
the Red Cross permission to visit him.
  The Tannenbaum kidnaping is further proof--as if it were needed--that 
Hizbullah is a terrorist organization with global reach. If we ignore 
this case of abduction, we are granting the terrorists a cheap and 
formidable weapon. As long as groups like Hizbullah believe that they 
can commit such actions with impunity, they will be encouraged to 
continue to target the citizens of the world's democracies. To ignore 
the plight of Elchanan Tannenbaum and Israel's other missing men, would 
not only constitute an abandonment of our closest ally in the Middle 
East, but would weaken our own efforts to secure a safe future for 
Americans and others who have been seized by terrorists.
  Mr. Speaker, I must point out that not only is it in America's 
interest to help in this matter, but in fact it is our obligation to do 
so. In 1991 Israel played a critical role in securing the release of 
Terry Anderson and other American hostages being held in Lebanon by 
releasing hundreds of terrorists from Israeli jails. At that time 
Israel was promised that international efforts would continue on behalf 
of Israeli captives left behind in Lebanon. It is now more than ten 
years since that promise was made, and the number of captive Israelis 
has only grown. It is time for us to repay out debt.
  What can we do, Mr. Speaker? I believe the U.S. is well-positioned to 
make demands of the Syrian government, which is effectively the ruling 
power in Lebanon and is ultimately responsible for the fate of all 
Israelis captured or held there. Syria is a sovereign state and 
currently serves as a member of the UN Security Council. Syria, like 
Lebanon, can and must be made accountable for the behavior of the 
terrorist groups it harbors and supports. Greater U.S. resolve in 
dealing with the Syrians can be critical in bringing Elchanan 
Tannenbaum home alive.
  Mr. Speaker, for too many years, Americans presumed that the 
terrorist actions from which our Israeli allies suffered would not be 
exported to our shores. September 11th has permanently shattered that 
notion. We should now pay closer attention to the Israeli experience 
with terrorism. The murder of Daniel Pearl is a warning that the ugly 
specter of kidnaping that has plagued Israel for so many years is now 
targeting Americans as well. Let us fight back. Calling attention to 
Elchanan Tannenbaum's plight, and working to secure his release, would 
be an important first step toward stopping this scourge.

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