[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 157 (Thursday, December 8, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2489]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN SUPPORT OF ISRAEL AND THE POSSIBILITY OF PEACE

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                          HON. EARL BLUMENAUER

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 8, 2005

  Mr. BLUMENAUER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of two 
important resolutions: H. Res. 438, urging member states of the United 
Nations to stop supporting resolutions that unfairly castigate Israel 
and H. Res. 535, honoring the life, legacy and example of Israeli Prime 
Minister Yitzhak Rabin. At a time when the death of Yasser Arafat and 
Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip have created the renewed 
possibility for a safer, more secure, and more peaceful future for 
Israel, these two resolutions highlight both the challenges and the 
hope of the current moment.
  While Israel has been the victim of unfair United Nations resolutions 
for much longer than I have been in Congress, the people of Israel 
should know that the United States will always stand side by side with 
them in the struggle against hatred and anti-Semitism. We join with 
them in the fight against terrorism, such as the recent suicide bombing 
in Netanya which killed 5 Israelis and wounded over 50 others.
  At the same time, the memory of Yitzhak Rabin reminds us all of the 
courage that the Israeli people and their leaders--from David Ben-
Gurion to Ariel Sharon--have shown when peace appears possible. I 
commend the House for making these two important statements and join my 
colleagues in the hope that Israel will one day live out Prime Minister 
Rabin's dream, ``No more blood--no more tears.''

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