[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 54 (Friday, May 3, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E717-E718]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    EXPRESSING SOLIDARITY WITH ISRAEL IN ITS FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. RANDY ``DUKE'' CUNNINGHAM

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 2, 2002

  Mr. CUNNINGHAM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in 
expressing our solidarity with Israel as they join the United States in 
the war against terrorism and the quest for peace in the Middle East 
region.
  Israel has been a long time ally of the United States and was founded 
on the same democratic principles and freedoms as the

[[Page E718]]

United States. As President Bush leads our Nation in this new war on 
global terrorism, we must stand by Israel in its condemnation of the 
shameful attack executed on its people during Passover of this year. We 
must stay committed to stomping out terrorism all over the world while 
working toward peace between Israel and its neighbors.
  I admire Israel as the lone democracy in a troubled area of the 
world. Since 1993 Israel and the Palestinians have been engaged in 
intensive negotiations over the future of the West Bank and Gaza. The 
United States has been a consistent supporter of Israel, and I firmly 
support the Bush Administration's efforts to promote peace in the 
region and encourage countries throughout the region to condemn and 
prevent terrorism. By standing behind Israel now, we can prevent future 
terrorism and aggressively seek to establish a just, lasting, and 
comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
  A few years ago in my home of San Diego, an Islamic mosque was 
attacked for practicing its Muslim beliefs. This action and those 
against Israel fail to honor the American belief in equality. We are a 
Nation of many cultures, many religions, many ideologies. We are Asian 
and Arab, European and American, a truly proud multi-cultural society. 
We must celebrate the diversity of this world and condemn those radical 
extremists who seek to promote their own beliefs through violence.
  Today we stand in solidarity with all of our allies, European and 
Arab, Judeo-Christian and Muslim, and all those who are committed to 
the preservation of freedom and liberty.

                          ____________________