[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 11, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E358]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 CONDEMNING THE ONGOING PALESTINIAN ROCKET ATTACKS ON ISRAELI CIVILIANS

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                               speech of

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 5, 2008

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, I am unequivocal in my support for the 
security of Israel and its citizens. I am committed to the right of all 
people in the Middle East, and the world, to live peacefully. However, 
because of H. Res. 951's overt lack of balance and its unreconciliatory 
approach, I oppose this bill.
  The resolution appropriately ``expresses condolences to the families 
of the innocent victims on both sides of the conflict.'' However, H. 
Res. 951 fails to take a balanced approach to the ongoing violence in 
Gaza by acknowledging only the rocket and mortar attacks fired on 
Israel while making no mention of Israel's use of force in the region 
other than to acknowledge ``the sovereign right of the Government of 
Israel to defend its territory against attacks.''
  The resolution states that the ``rocket and mortar attacks have 
murdered over a dozen Israelis, inflicted hundreds of casualties, 
produced thousands of cases of shock and post-traumatic stress, 
especially among children, and caused severe disruption of daily 
life.'' The resolution fails to take into account the 117 Palestinians 
killed in Gaza over the last week or to mention that half of these 
victims were civilians and at least 22 were children.
  Furthermore, the resolution makes no mention of the ongoing Israeli-
imposed blockade on Gaza that has cut off Palestinians from fuel 
supplies and prevented the delivery of food and medical supplies to the 
Gaza Strip. According to a recent report by Oxfam and other 
humanitarian organizations, ``the blockade has effectively dismantled 
the economy and impoverished the population of Gaza. Israel's policy 
affects the civilian population of Gaza indiscriminately and 
constitutes a collective punishment against ordinary men, women and 
children. The measures taken are illegal under international 
humanitarian law.''
  How can the U.S. be an honest broker for peace if we fail to 
acknowledge the suffering, as well as the rights, of the people on all 
sides of this ongoing conflict? To broker a viable peace, we must 
address the long-standing and structural issues that exacerbate the 
conflict rather than sweep over them in our condemnation of its 
symptomatic violence.
  The United States must seek to prevent violence and human casualty by 
setting the stage for productive exchanges which can lead to mutual 
understanding, security and peace. To achieve this peace it is 
necessary to integrate an open dialogue with diplomatic negotiations 
aimed at ending all violence and human suffering. Our involvement in 
the Middle East should aim to coalesce alienated forces rather than 
drive them farther apart from one another and from a viable solution. 
Israelis and Palestinians share a mutual future. Therefore, we should 
set the stage for productive exchanges which can lead to mutual 
understanding, security and peace.

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