[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 98 (Thursday, July 18, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              CONDEMNATION OF TERRORIST BOMBINGS IN ISRAEL

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                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 18, 2002

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, The two simultaneous barbarous homicide 
bombing attacks that struck Tel Aviv last night, claiming the lives of 
3 innocent civilians, took place in the immediate aftermath of 
Tuesday's terrorist ambush of an Israeli bus carrying civilians outside 
the Jewish community of Immanuel, claiming the lives of 8 Israelis, 
including an unborn baby. This attack took the lives of three members 
of the same family. The military wing of Yasir Arafat's Fatah movement, 
the Al Aqsa Martyr's Brigade, has taken responsibility for this attack.
  As President Bush stated in his June 24 address on the Middle East, 
as long as Israelis continue to be victimized by terrorists, Israel 
will continue to defend itself. Any hope that the Palestinian Authority 
was serious about rejecting terrorism and undergoing serious reform, 
thereby creating the environment demanded by the President for peace 
talks to be able to proceed, has been dashed.
  Yasir Arafat, and his close associates, who rule tyrannically over 
their own people while trafficking with terrorists targeting Israel, 
constitute the root cause of the Middle East violence, as well as the 
major obstacles to peace. These attacks were designed to coincide with 
a renewed diplomatic process, specifically the meeting of the Middle 
East ``quartet'' in New York, which is composed of the United States, 
the European Union, the United Nations and Russia.
  Mr. Speaker, Israel must and will continue to defend itself and its 
citizens. Israel's military operation in the territories in recent 
weeks have resulted in the arrests of numerous terrorists, and has 
undoubtedly prevented countless acts of terror planned against Israeli 
civilians. Israel's security cannot be entrusted to anyone but Israel. 
Accordingly, we must support Israel's right to defend itself in the 
face of these continuing terrorist threats.
  We must also make it clear to the Palestinian Authority that their 
insincere condemnations will not suffice. Those who cavort with terror, 
those who provide financial support to terrorist groups, and those who 
knowingly and willingly harbor such organizations while taking no 
actions against them, are enemies not just of Israel, but of the United 
States and the rest of the civilized world. They must be treated 
accordingly.

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