[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 3 (Thursday, January 8, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Page S188]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, a few days ago, we all counted down the 
final seconds of 2008. In Israel they had something else to count all 
through last year. From January until December of 2008, a terrorist 
group launched more than 3,262 rockets and mortar shells into Israeli 
cities. These were deliberate acts of violence, provocation, and 
murder. The group responsible was Hamas. Hamas is a terrorist 
organization founded on one principal goal: destroying the state of 
Israel. Its charter says there is no value to international 
conferences, political initiatives, or dialogue. It says there is only 
one approach to the political situation in the Middle East, and that is 
jihad.
  So it was no surprise when the terrorist group Hamas staged an 
illegal coup against the forces of President Mahmoud Abbas, the 
legitimate President of the Palestinian people. It was no surprise that 
Hamas rejected Egyptian and Arabian calls for an extension of the 
cease-fire Egypt had negotiated.
  It was no surprise that when Israel voluntarily and unilaterally 
dismantled settlements and withdrew from Gaza in 2005 that Hamas saw 
this not as an opportunity to build peace but to instigate war, to 
continue to terrorize and kill Israelis in their places of worship, 
their schools, and their homes.
  Since that year, Hamas terrorists have used Gaza to fire more than 
6,300 mortars and rockets into Israel, reaching major cities, and 
pushing ever closer to the capital.
  No country would be expected to sit on its hands and simply allow its 
citizens to endure these kinds of vicious attacks without taking action 
to stop the responsible party. If I am sitting in New Jersey, and 
rockets are landing around my house, near my children, and near our 
schools, my No. 1 goal, my immediate goal, is to stop the rockets. So 
in December of 2008, Israel sent its military to Gaza to achieve a 
direct goal: stop the rockets.
  And now we all hope strongly that this goal can be achieved as 
quickly as possible. But we recognize it must be pursued if Israel is 
to have the sovereign right to protect itself and its citizens. 
Israel's acts to stop the Hamas rocket attacks are a response to the 
daily risk of death faced by the 900,000 Israeli citizens who live 
within rocket range. These innocent civilians have been forced to live 
constantly under the threat of mass casualties. No nation--no nation--
should have to wait for the death toll to rise enough before it can 
act. No nation needs to wait until enough schoolchildren have fallen 
victim to a rocket attack before it stops rockets from falling on its 
cities. The launching of rockets and mortar fire is an invasion of 
Israel's sovereign territory. It is no different from dropping bombs 
out of airplanes. It is no different from any other act of war. There 
is no question that Israel has a right and an obligation to defend its 
people.
  We mourn the loss of all innocent life, and the death of Palestinian 
civilians as a result of this conflict is tragic. There are a great 
many Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank who completely reject the 
Hamas ideology. They want to live in peace and build the Palestinian 
state for themselves and for their children. They are, however, Hamas 
hostages. Hamas has hijacked Gaza, not to build a state in which you 
can live in peace and prosperity but to use it as a base to launch 
attacks against innocent civilians in Israel.
  Let us remember it was Hamas that chose to end the cease-fire, Hamas 
that chose to fire a continuous barrage of rockets. To date, it is 
Hamas that deliberately uses civilians as human shields and launches 
its attacks from heavily populated civilian areas, putting them at 
risk. It is Hamas that has spent its money on rockets rather than on 
food for the hungry. It is Hamas that would rather focus on the 
rhetoric that calls for the destruction of the State of Israel than on 
relief for its own people.
  Israel and the United States have proven their commitment to helping 
innocent civilians in Gaza. In stark contrast to the terrorist group of 
Hamas, Israel has taken significant steps to prevent civilian 
casualties. They give warnings of impending attacks, they drop 
leaflets, and make phone calls to targeted areas to warn the citizens 
they are in danger, even if that means losing the element of surprise 
and putting the lives of their own soldiers at risk.
  Israel and the United States have actively provided humanitarian 
assistance to Gaza. Since December 26, 10,000 tons of humanitarian aid 
have been delivered to Gaza in coordination with Israel, the 
Palestinian Authority, international organizations, and various other 
donors.
  The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for 
International Development, is continuing to deliver humanitarian 
supplies to the people of Gaza. The United States has provided medical 
and food supplies to health care facilities. We support the UN, the 
International Committee of the Red Cross, and other nongovernmental 
organizations as they continue their relief efforts.
  We all want peace in Gaza and hope it can come very soon. But peace 
cannot be achieved so long as Hamas continues its missile attacks. If a 
just and lasting cease-fire is to occur, it is incumbent upon Hamas to 
immediately and permanently halt all attacks against the Israeli 
people.
  I rise today to express unwavering commitment to the welfare, 
security, and survival of the state of Israel as a Jewish and 
democratic state. That is what the resolution before us affirms. As the 
resolution states, the ultimate goal of the United States is a 
``sustainable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, that will 
allow for a viable and independent Palestinian state, living side by 
side in peace and security with the State of Israel.'' This will not be 
possible as long as Israeli civilians are under threat from rockets. As 
this resolution correctly lays out, Hamas must end the rocket and 
mortar attacks against Israel, recognize Israel's right to exist, 
renounce violence, and agree to accept previous agreements between 
Israel and the Palestinians.
  Today, the Senate must stand in support of the state of Israel, stand 
in support of its right to defend itself against terrorists, stand in 
support of its right to exist. Having said all of this, of course, we 
urge Israel as it defends its sovereignty and its people to use every 
option it can to limit the loss of innocent lives. So let us vote for a 
resolution that demonstrates our commitment to one of the strongest 
allies the United States of America has in the world, and let us do all 
we can to make it a peaceful 2009.
  I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Tester.) The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for 
the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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