[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 37 (Tuesday, April 9, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E444]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SOLIDARITY WITH ISRAEL

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CAROLYN McCARTHY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, April 9, 2002

  Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my strong 
solidarity with Israel during this time of crisis.
  Built on the backs of international Jewry, consisting largely of 
pogrom and Holocaust survivors, modern Israel has weathered many 
battles against her existence. Our sole democratic ally in the Middle 
East, Israel is no larger than the state of New Jersey, and is situated 
amid enemy nations. These countries and their leaders have objected to 
Israel's existence since her declaration of Independence in 1948. It 
wasn't until 1979 that Israel entered into a peace treaty with Egypt, 
and 1994 with Jordan. Nevertheless, the Israeli people defied all odds; 
the army won countless wars and small battles, and the western society 
flourished.
  After the Intifada of the late 1980s, Israel took a monumental step 
by joining Yasser Arafat, chairman of the PLO, in signing the Oslo 
Accords. This agreement laid out specific steps to be taken by both 
parties to ensure a lasting peace in the region. The PLO renounced 
terrorism, and Israel recognized it as the representative of the 
Palestinian people. At the same time, guidelines were given for the 
election and creation of a Palestinian government in the West Bank and 
Gaza Strip, and the redeployment of Israeli troops from those regions.
  The period since 1993 can be characterized as a struggle between 
those who were committed to peace and the necessary steps to maintain 
the peace, and those who weren't. Yasser Arafat's renunciation of 
terrorism was never realized; suicide bombings and terrorist attacks 
peppered the peaceful landscape in Israel. Obviously, there are two 
sides to every situation. Although Israel took steps to withdraw from 
the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Jewish settlements were continually built 
and populated. This undoubtedly contributed to the sense of unrest.
  In 2000, the situation combusted. We called it the second Intifada, 
but wasn't it just a continuation of the first? The use of terror as a 
political tool never ended; the current crisis is merely a culmination 
of the inevitable. The situation reached a detrimental turning point 
with the reprehensible act of terror we now call the Passover Massacre. 
This was followed with a string of suicide bombings perpetrated against 
different populations in Israel.
  Today, Israel finds herself in an unbearable situation. Despite 
Israeli trust, Yasser Arafat allowed terrorism to invade Israeli 
society. He failed to keep his promise, and as the elected leader of 
the Palestinian people, he must take responsibility for his inaction. 
Israel has every right to enter Palestinian cities and refugee camps to 
root out terror. What other choice does Israel have? Is Israel supposed 
to wave suicide bombers through the checkpoints, allow wanted 
terrorists to go without arrest? Are we to expect Israel to sit by and 
watch her country crumble, and her people be murdered in groups of 20 
while they sip coffee at cafes?
  The answer is an unequivocal no. And as a Member of Congress, I will 
support Israel's decision regarding security and self-defense in any 
way possible.

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