[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 35 (Thursday, March 18, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H1278-H1279]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        THE RAVAGES OF TERRORISM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, it is once again the sad 
duty of a Member of the House, myself in this case, to talk about the 
ravages of terrorism and the damage it does. I was struck last week, as 
we all were, by the terrible depth of the tragedy in Spain when 
hundreds were killed by brutal thugs. But I must say I was also struck 
at the relative lack of attention to the deaths of 10 people in Israel 
who were also killed by terrorists.
  Taking into account the very small size of Israel's population, the 
loss of 10 in that country is equivalent to hundreds in many other 
places, thousands in some others. The sad fact is that Israel has so 
frequently been the victim of brutal murderist terrorism, aimed wholly 
at people who are by no stretch of the imagination combatants, that the 
world has become a little numb to it. And that is a very sad fact.
  Obviously victims of terrorism are, in the first instance, those who 
are killed, those who are maimed, those who love and care for them. And 
that is where our focus should be. But there is a second victim of 
terrorism and it makes this a self-perpetuating problem, and that is 
any serious effort to negotiate peace.
  I have been one of those in this House who strongly supported the 
efforts of former President Clinton and former Israel President Barak 
to reach peace. It was a terrible, terrible moment in Israel's history 
when Yitzhak Rabin, a great fighter for peace in the most literal sense 
of the word, was murdered, in this case by right-wing terrorists within 
Israel.
  And I continue to believe that Israel should be seeking peace based 
on the two-state solution because, among other reasons, it is very much 
in Israel's interest. But those of us who hold that position must 
acknowledge that the continued pattern of terrorism, which the 
Palestinian authorities do little or nothing to oppose, makes the 
accomplishment of that goal extremely difficult.
  I have been critical of some aspects of what the Israeli Government 
does. People say you cannot criticize another government. That, of 
course, is not true. People in this body spend most of our time 
criticizing other governments. It is perfectly legitimate to express 
points of view. Indeed, the more closely one feels allied to a nation, 
it seems to me the more your obligation is to speak out, if there are 
some differences, in a constructive and helpful way.
  But those who are urging Israel to do more have to take due account 
of the steady, relentless pattern of terrorism of which it is the 
victim. Look what happened in Spain. Two hundred people were brutally 
murdered and a government fell, because they think it was an 
inappropriate reaction in terms of trying to blame people. But would 
anyone now be pressing the Spanish Government to enter into 
negotiations with al Qaeda which appears to be the author of this?
  When the U.S. was the victim of thousands of murders and, given the 
population, Israel has seen a comparable number, if not more, murdered 
by terrorists, none of us here felt that the answer was to go further 
with negotiations.
  I am not opposed to peace negotiations. I think it is very much in 
Israel's interest. I think the ability to get out of the settlements so 
that Israel can be a Jewish democratic state, setting an example for 
the world of how to achieve democratic values in the Middle East, that 
is very important. So I don't think the peace process ought to be 
abandoned. But I do believe it is important to take due note of what we 
are asking a democratic Nation to do: negotiate peace under difficult 
circumstances with an entity from which murderist terrorists come, and 
an entity which does too little to deal with it.
  There have been some in the Palestinian Authority who want to show 
that they will make peace. But the role of Yassar Arafat has been so 
negative, so absent when it comes to any serious effort to preventing 
the terrorism, that it poisons the atmosphere.
  So, Mr. Speaker, as we mourn the victims of terrorism in Spain, we

[[Page H1279]]

mourn the victims of terrorism everywhere. We should note that the 
victims of terrorism in the Middle East are not simply those who were 
murdered, as terrible as that is, but it is an effort to achieve peace.
  I continue to believe that Israel should make every reasonable effort 
to achieve peace. I don't think we can fairly say to the Israeli 
Government peace must be achieved, because that is not entirely in 
their control. I remain, unfortunately, skeptical that they have a true 
partner for peace on the Palestinian side, although I think they should 
continue to see if they do.
  But no one who understands democracy, no one who has seen the way we 
have reacted, the way Spain has reacted, the way other democracies have 
reacted, should feel that you can put pressure on Israel without taking 
into account the context of repeated murder in which they are asked to 
operate.

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