[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 113 (Monday, July 16, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1526]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1526]]
                       FREE THE ISRAELI SOLDIERS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. STENY H. HOYER

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 12, 2007

  Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call for the immediate and 
unconditional release of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, Israeli 
soldiers who, as of today, have now been held captive by Hezbollah 
terrorists for a full year.
  On July 12, 2006, a month-long military conflict between Israel and 
Hezbollah was instigated when the armored humvee Ehud and Eldad were 
riding in was bombarded by Hezbollah rockets.
  Ehud and Eldad were captured during the course of this unprovoked 
attack and have been held hostage ever since.
  In February of this year, I had the pleasure of welcoming Ehud 
Goldwasser's energetic wife, Karnit, to the U.S. Capitol. She told me 
how trying it has been to live without the ``the love of her life'' and 
how her once bright hopes of raising a family with Ehud are now in 
peril due to the cowardly and illegal acts of a terrorist organization 
whose only goal is the destruction of her homeland. It is my hope that 
when I meet with Karnit again in August, Ehud will once again be by her 
side.
  Terrorist acts like the kidnapping of Ehud and Eldad are not military 
actions between warring nations. They are despicable crimes that tear 
families apart and shroud entire communities in grief and suffering. As 
the leader of the free and democratic world, the United States has a 
responsibility to condemn such attacks whenever and wherever they 
occur, and to help advance peaceful solutions to ongoing crises 
whenever they can be reached.
  To that end, I stand by Karnit Goldwasser, I stand by Israel, and I 
stand by like-minded activists throughout the world in calling for the 
immediate and unconditional release of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad 
Regev--courageous individuals who answered Israel's call to serve and 
who have sacrificed greatly in fighting for the democratic principles 
for which our two countries stand.

                          ____________________