[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 132 (Wednesday, September 24, 2003)]
[House]
[Page H8494]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING HEARTFELT SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL
(Mrs. MALONEY asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I returned from Israel this summer
inspired by its ability to resist terror. On September 11, Americans
learned what it was like to lose friends and neighbors to fanatics on a
suicide mission. Israel has been living with terror, and during this
trip we got a glimpse of their daily reality.
A day after our visit to the border between Israel and Lebanon, a
missile killed a 16-year-old boy near where we had been. When we toured
Hadassah Hospital, we met with a doctor who had stayed up all night
saving a woman's life. She had been struck by a sniper's bullet. Both
attacks came during the so-called cease-fire, a time no one was
supposed to die.
We have a lot to learn from Israel about improving communication,
coordination and intelligence. After 9/11 we were supposed to have a
governmentwide database on terrorism. Two years later, there are nine
Federal agencies maintaining 12 different lists of terrorist
organizations.
Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East. It deserves our
heartfelt support.
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