[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 22 (Thursday, February 26, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H637]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORT FOR ISRAELI SECURITY FENCE
(Ms. BERKLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, this past weekend a Palestinian terrorist
invaded Israel and detonated a suicide bomb on a bus in downtown
Jerusalem. Eight innocent civilians lost their lives, and 50 more were
wounded in the latest act of senseless violence perpetrated by the
Palestinian terrorists against Israel.
Since September 2000, there have been over 20,000 terrorist attacks
against Israel. Because of the unwillingness of the Palestinian
leadership to prevent the violence, Israel has become a nation under
siege.
In order to protect itself and its innocent citizens, Israel is
constructing a security fence. Rather than stopping the violence so
that there would be no need for a security fence, the Palestinians have
chosen to go to the United Nations and ask the International Court of
Justice to intervene.
Mr. Speaker, I am introducing a resolution today with my colleague
the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Pence) asking that this process be
stopped and that the Palestinians start negotiating in good faith with
the Israelis so that there would be no need for a security fence in
that region.
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