[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 2 (Wednesday, January 7, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H67]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          IN SUPPORT OF ISRAEL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise this afternoon in support of the 
beleaguered people of the State of Israel. I rise in support of the 
only democracy in the Middle East. I rise in support of the country in 
the Middle East that has the same values that our great country, the 
United States of America, has, principles of democracy and principles 
that are so important to every man, woman and child.
  The people of Israel have for 60 years been vilified by undemocratic 
powers and by powers that would wish to destroy it. For the past 
several years, day in and day out the people of Israel have had to 
endure rocket attacks coming from the terrorist organization that runs 
Gaza called Hamas. Israel is supposed to just accept these attacks on 
its citizens and do little or nothing about it if you would listen to 
the United Nations, if you would listen to the international community, 
if you would listen to these hypocritical demonstrations going on in 
London and all the Arab capitals and everyplace else, and even some in 
the United States.
  Every country, every government's primary responsibility is to 
protect its citizens, and the people of Israel and the Government of 
Israel should not be held to any other standard than that.
  The terrorist organization that runs Gaza called Hamas, bought and 
paid for by Iran, thinking that it can use terrorism as a way of 
somehow getting its state, must understand that in order to gain 
acceptance of nations in the free world, that it needs to renounce 
terror, that it needs to recognize Israel's right to exist, and that it 
needs to abide by all previous resolutions that were signed by the 
Palestinian Authority. It doesn't do it because it's a terrorist state. 
It doesn't do it because its vow is to destroy the Jewish State of 
Israel. It doesn't do it because, like Hezbollah and like Osama bin 
Laden and like al Qaeda, it thinks it can use terrorism to establish 
its aims and goals, but it cannot.
  We stand in a bipartisan fashion with the people of Israel because if 
we in the United States had missiles being fired onto our innocent 
civilians from states across the border, we would move across the 
border and try to stop those terrorists from killing our people. That's 
what Israel is doing.
  Many of us on the Foreign Affairs Committee this morning met with the 
Israeli ambassador and we saw a tape where Israel takes great 
precaution to try to prevent civilian casualties. But what Hamas does 
is it builds its bomb factories and it builds its terror weapons in the 
heart of the densely populated areas of Gaza and uses its own people as 
human shields. And so when the Israelis destroy these missile-making 
and bomb-making terror factories, innocent civilians very unfortunately 
get killed. But it is the Palestinians that support Hamas. It's the 
Hamas organization that is responsible for these killings. Israel has 
an absolute right to defend itself.
  Now, we all want a cease-fire. We all want peace in the region. And 
we all know that ultimately peace will come when there is a two-state 
solution, an Israeli Jewish state and a Palestinian Arab state. The 
problem is most Israelis do accept the fact that there ought to be a 
Palestinian state, but the Palestinians, Hamas, does not accept the 
viability of Israel as a Jewish state.
  And so let's put things in perspective here. If you have people that 
want to destroy you and want to kill you and don't recognize your right 
to exist, how can we have peace in the region?
  We ought to note that Israel pulled out of Gaza several years ago and 
left Gaza to the Palestinians. And what did it get in return? It got 
missiles fired on its citizens in Syrot and other places in return for 
Israel leaving Gaza. The Palestinians used to say, well, it's the 
occupation, that's what drives everything. What occupation is there in 
Gaza? There is none. Israel has left Gaza. And the people of Gaza could 
have built a democratic government living in peace with its neighbors; 
instead, they chose to embrace terrorism and try to kill as many 
Israelis as they can.
  So, in conclusion, Mr. Speaker, let me say that support for Israel in 
this Congress is strong and it is bipartisan and will remain so because 
we understand that the democratic nation of Israel has a right to 
exist, and the government of Israel has a right to protect its 
citizens.

                          ____________________