[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 11, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H343-H345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
COMMENDING ISRAEL ON THEIR ELECTIONS
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree
to the resolution (H. Res. 61) commending the people of Israel for
conducting free and fair elections, reaffirming the friendship between
the Governments and peoples of the United States and Israel, and for
other purposes.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 61
Whereas the United States and Israel are close allies whose
people share a deep and abiding friendship based on a shared
commitment to democratic values;
Whereas since its establishment in 1948, Israel has
fulfilled the dreams of its founders who envisioned a
vigorous, open, and stable democracy;
Whereas an essential feature of Israeli democracy is its
system of competitive, free, and open elections;
Whereas on January 28, 2003, the people of Israel elected
Israel's 16th Knesset, or Parliament, which in turn will
choose the Prime Minister of Israel; and
Whereas the election on January 28, 2003, is the most
recent example of the commitment of Israel to the democratic
ideals of freedom and pluralism, ideals that Israel shares
with the United States
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) commends the people of Israel for reaffirming their
dedication to democratic ideals as expressed in the election
on January 28, 2003;
(2) expresses both its respect for the freely expressed
will of the people of Israel, and its intention to engage in
constructive relations with the new Government of Israel, and
urges the international community to do so as well;
(3) reaffirms the close bonds of friendship that have bound
the people of the United States and the people of Israel
together through turbulent times for more than half a
century;
(4) urges the Palestinian leadership to abide by its
commitments made to the United States and to Israel and urges
the Palestinian people to act on President Bush's call of
June 24, 2002, to dismantle the terrorist infrastructure, end
incitement to violence in official media, elect new leaders
not compromised by terror, and embrace democracy; and
(5) restates the commitment of the United States to a
secure peace for Israel.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from California (Mr.
Lantos) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen).
General Leave
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
I would like to thank my colleague, the gentleman from Virginia (Mr.
Cantor), for introducing this important resolution commending the
people of Israel for conducting free and fair elections and reaffirming
the close friendship between our two nations.
Virtually since its creation in 1948, the state of Israel has been
the only democratic ally of the United States in the region. Today, it
is the only country in the Middle East with truly free elections, a
vibrant free press, an active civil society and other elements which
constitute a free society, making it indeed the only country in the
Middle East classified as free by Freedom House in its report on
democracy and human rights in the region.
Its declaration of independence, its system based on separation of
powers, particularly its emphasis on an independent judiciary, its
guarantee of equal access for women and minorities, and its guarantee
of freedom of religion to the entire population are but some of the
parallels that we share, which further strengthen the bonds between our
countries. However, our nations share more than just democratic
principles.
Regrettably, we have both been victimized by terrorism, the common
enemy of the civilized world. The continuing terrorist attacks against
Israel clearly follow the pattern of attacking democratic countries
which support and implement the rule of law, mistaking the openness and
tolerance of such societies as a sign of weakness. Israel is targeted
in part because it is our friend and in part because it is an oasis of
liberal, democratic values in a vast expanse of authoritarian regimes,
fanaticism and bigotry.
As a liberal democracy under repeated attack by murderers who target
innocent men, women and children, Israel deserves our steadfast
support. This support is essential to Israel's continued survival as a
free and democratic nation, for only the United States has the power
and political will to provide meaningful assistance to the only
parliamentary democracy in the region.
While we may have shared interests with Arab states in the Middle
East, it is with Israel that we share core values. As it was in
Afghanistan, U.S. foreign policy should be about more than geostrategic
concerns. It should also reflect who we are as a nation and as a
people.
There is an expression in Spanish which says, loosely translated,
``Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are.'' Let
then the U.S. be judged by its friendship and by its partnership with
Israel, the region's truly free, democratic society.
I strongly urge my colleagues to support the gentleman from
Virginia's resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
First I would like to pay tribute to my good friend, the gentleman from
Virginia (Mr. Cantor), for introducing this legislation. I rise in
strong support of this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, friendship with Israel and support for its security are
unshakable elements of U.S. foreign policy. The primary reason for
these close relationships is not just our strategic interests, but our
shared values. Democracy and freedom form the core values of both the
United States and of Israel.
Mr. Speaker, that is why the occasion of Israelis going to the polls
as
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they did just recently is the appropriate time to mark and to reaffirm
this very special relationship. Israel is one of the world's most
vibrant democracies.
Some may wonder why we choose to honor this small country for holding
an election. After all, Israel has held 17 elections in its 55-year
history, five in the past decade alone. Yet another Israeli trip to the
polls seems hardly remarkable. But, Mr. Speaker, that is exactly what
earns Israeli democracy its special place in our friendship and respect
and its special status among the world's democracies. We take its
democratic nature for granted. Yet Israeli democracy endures under
extraordinary circumstances, of difficulties, tragedies, and suicide
bombings found nowhere else on the face of this planet.
The object of hatred from most of the regimes in its region, not one
of which is a democracy, Israel would have every excuse in the world to
lapse into the lamentable political mores of its region. But it refuses
to do so. Instead, it brings democratic light to a region dominated by
dictators.
Mr. Speaker, I congratulate the people of Israel who have again shown
their unswerving devotion to democracy with little sense that they are
doing something extraordinary.
Let me also take this opportunity to congratulate Prime Minister
Sharon on his impressive plurality and wish him good luck in forming a
new government. In passing this resolution, we assure the new Israeli
Government that it can look forward to the closest possible
relationship with the American people and with the Congress of the
United States.
I urge all my colleagues to support this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor), the author of this
resolution, who is our new chief deputy whip and a person with whom I
had the pleasure of going to Israel with last year.
I look forward to my next visit to Israel just this Friday. I wish
that he would be going with us.
Mr. CANTOR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to support H. Res. 61, and I thank
the gentlewoman from Florida and the gentleman from California for
their work in bringing this resolution to the floor.
On January 28, citizens in Israel exercised their right to vote in a
free, transparent and democratic election. In Israel, like the United
States, the right of citizens to vote is not denied or abridged on
account of race, color, creed, sex or religion. Unfortunately,
commitment to democracy and equal rights is a rarity in the Middle
East. Israel's neighbors, like Syria, Iran, Iraq and others, do not
share our respect for freedom. Behaviors that we consider basic rights,
like free speech, fair trials, freedom of the press and freedom of
religion are nonexistent. The concepts of life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness are often demonized in some countries as sinful products
of the Great Satan culture of the West.
That is, Mr. Speaker, why I stand here today and congratulate our
only democratic ally in the Middle East, Israel, a country that stands
with the United States on the key principles of human rights, freedom,
peace and democracy, a country like no other in its region.
Mr. Speaker, like the United States, Israel is currently fighting a
war on terrorism against people dedicated to hate and destruction,
people dedicated to ending freedom and democracy, and dedicated to
suppressing the basic rights of life and liberty.
{time} 1530
It is incomprehensible, but these armies of evil believe that they
can destroy, maim, and kill innocent people in the name of God. For the
past 22\1/2\ years, Israel has faced an unrelenting campaign of
violence and terror against her citizens, a war that began just months
after the region stood at the doorstep of peace waiting to enter and
then the door was abruptly shut. Throughout all of this unrest, it is
amazing that on January 28 just a few weeks ago, the Israeli people
engaged in the most basic and important feature of democracy. They held
free, open, and competitive elections, an act in stark contrast to
their dictatorial enemies.
Mr. Speaker, we in the United States consider Israel a real friend, a
true ally. We must maintain our commitment to Israel's security. We
must stand steadfast with President Bush and hold the Palestinian
Authority to the strict guidelines laid out during the President's June
24 Rose Garden speech. We know from past experience that imposing an
artificial deadline will not result in peace in the Middle East. Peace
will only come with security, not in spite of it. Israel has always
made a sincere commitment to peace in the region. Many times her
commitment to peace has come at the expense of innocent life. We need
to make sure we stand with and support our only democratic ally in the
region.
I join my colleagues today in congratulating Israel on free and
democratic elections, and I welcome a continued dialogue on how to best
stop the violence and bring about peace and stability in this vitally
important region.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to
the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Bell), one of our new colleagues who has
already demonstrated qualities of great leadership in this body.
Mr. BELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues to join me
in commending the Nation of Israel and to support passage of this very
important resolution. A great philosopher once wrote that ``freedom
cannot be bought for nothing. If you hold her precious, you must hold
all else of little worth.''
Those words were written thousands of years ago, but I cannot think
of any contemporary statement that provides such a clear window into
the times in which we now live, into the struggle in which we are now
locked.
As we have once again learned here in America this past year, the
struggle for freedom is a constant one. It is a battle never completely
won but one that must be perpetually fought. The battle for freedom is
one that exacts an enormous price, and few people on this Earth have
paid as heavy a price for their freedom as the people of Israel.
And as we see on our evening news on too many nights, the sons and
daughters of Israel continue to pay that price just as they have for
thousands of years. I think it is only fitting that in the wake of
their 17th consecutive election as a free nation that the United States
Congress would honor the Nation of Israel. We should honor them for
their unwaivering commitment to find and hold freedom, and we should
honor them for the sacrifice millions of Jewish people have made in
pursuit of their dream, in pursuit of their right to hold free
elections as a free people.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend from Texas for his
eloquent and powerful statement, and I urge all of my colleagues to
support this resolution.
Mr. STARK. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my grave concerns with the
content of the resolution congratulating Israel on their recent
elections.
What could--and should--have been a nice innocuous resolution
congratulating a key ally for running their recent election more fairly
than we can, was instead hijacked by anti-Palestinian groups in
Congress and turned into another diatribe against the Palestinians.
Rather than simply congratulating Israel, the resolution includes
language accusing Palestinian leaders of supporting terrorism in Israel
and the occupied territories. It further suggest that leaders of the
Palestinian Authority, chosen by the Palestinian people, should be
thrown out of office. If our role as a nation is to play peace broker
in the Middle East, we must stop choosing sides in this ongoing
conflict in which neither side is fully in the right.
I do commend Israel for conducting a free and fair election and I
wish I could say the same for our most recent Presidential election.
But, the commendation should have ended there.
Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I reluctantly must oppose this resolution.
Though I am sure this resolution commending Israel for holding free
elections was introduced with the best intentions, this legislation
unfortunately goes further than a simple commendation. The legislation
as written will only once again inject the United States into the
decades-old and intractable conflict in the Middle East. By commending
Israel while at the same time demanding that the Palestinians take
specific actions, this legislation places the United States squarely in
the middle of a conflict that has absolutely nothing to do with
American interests. Also, the resolution states that the United States
is committed
[[Page H345]]
to secure peace for Israel. We cannot afford nor are we
constitutionally permitted to play referee in the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, and securing peace for any country but the United States is
not the role of this body.
We must resist the temptation to meddle in the affairs of far-away
nations no matter how good our intentions may be. If we are to keep our
Constitutional republic we must uphold the wise counsel of those who
crafted our founding set of laws.
Thomas Jefferson summed up the foreign policy position we must uphold
in his 1801 inaugural address: ``People, commerce, and honest
friendship with all nations--entangling alliances with none.'' How many
champion Jefferson and the Constitution, but conveniently ignore both
when it comes to American foreign policy? Washington similarly urged
that the U.S. must ``Act for ourselves and not for others,'' by forming
an ``American character wholly free of foreign attachments.'' Do so
many on Capitol Hill now believe Washington was wrong?
Mr. Speaker, how many more times must we place ourselves and our
country at risk by taking one side or other in battles, wars, and
conflicts that have nothing to do with the United States, and where
anger toward the United States will inevitably result? I urge my
colleagues to uphold the Constitution and vote against this
unfortunately-worded resolution.
Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, today we are debating a resolution
congratulating Israel for conducting free and fair elections. I, too,
rise to offer my congratulations to the people of Israel for their
recent free and open elections.
That being said, I have concerns with the wording of the resolution.
I find it curious that a resolution of congratulations to the Israeli
people also contains condemnations of the actions--or inactions--of the
Palestinian people.
Mr. Speaker, the resolution refers to President Bush's statement of
June 24, 2002. But what is the vision of this Administration? Secretary
Colin Powell said it is to build, ``a region where Israelis and Arabs
can live together in peace, security, and dignity.'' The resolution
before us mentions peace and security for Israel, but it says nothing
of peace and security for the Palestinian people in the Occupied
Territories. Where is the balance?
Unfortunately, we again have a resolution before the House that is
perceived to be one-sided in nature, and which does not present the
United States as an honest broker to both sides in this conflict.
I will support this resolution, but I wish to make it know that the
Congress of the United States should strive to support the goal of
peace in the region for all peoples. The United States must act as an
even-handed honest broker to all parties in the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict if there is ever to be peace in the region.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time,
and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Otter). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 61.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.
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