[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 86 (Wednesday, June 10, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H6520]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        THE UNSHAKABLE BOND BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND 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 today to talk about the unshakable 
bond between the United States and Israel. I believe that support for 
Israel in this Congress is very strong and it is very bipartisan.
  I want to commend President Obama for making that speech in Cairo, 
where he spoke before an Arab audience in what is the most important 
Arab capital and said that the bond between the United States and 
Israel is unbreakable. I think those are very, very important words and 
courageous words coming from the President of the United States in an 
arena where nothing has ever been said like that before from the 
President of the United States in such an arena.
  But I want to also focus on some of the other things that have 
happened, namely the push in some quarters to force Israel to make 
unilateral concessions, mostly about settlements, but unilateral 
concessions, in return for nothing.
  I believe that the Palestinian-Israeli problem must be settled by 
negotiations and a two-state solution. But I believe that forcing 
Israel to make unilateral concessions up front is wrong policy.
  The agreement will be made ultimately by Israelis and Palestinians, 
not by Americans, and if Israel is going to negotiate settlements and 
other things, as Israel will, then simultaneously the Arab States, the 
Palestinians, I should say, should also be negotiating and giving up 
things simultaneously.
  People say, well, the roadmap which Israel and the Palestinians 
signed says as a first step Israel must cease settlement activity. That 
is true. But it also said simultaneously that the Arabs must stop 
incitement and have a cessation of violence.
  So if those two things are done simultaneously and talked about, that 
is fine. But this public confrontation against Israel, public demands 
put upon Israel to halt settlements while the Arabs or the Palestinians 
have to give nothing in return, is absolutely wrong.
  Palestinian President Abbas said the other day, well, he is going to 
just sit back and let the Israelis make all the concessions. He doesn't 
have to do anything. Well, that is wrong, and if we pressure the 
Israelis to make unilateral concessions, we are never going to have 
peace. Concessions have to be made simultaneously.
  I know my good colleague the gentlewoman from Nevada (Ms. Berkley) 
feels as I do, and I would like to yield to her for some of her 
comments on this matter.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Well, Mr. Speaker, I am delighted to be able to share 
this time with my very dear friend and colleague, Eliot Engel from New 
York. I think he made very clear how anxious we are to see peace come 
to the Middle East and how we support a two-state solution that has 
been America's policy in the Middle East for many years.
  But there is another component to that, and that component is that 
the Palestinians have to show good faith too--and by showing good 
faith, that means recognizing Israel's right to exist, adhering to 
prior agreements and doing other things that would demonstrate, 
including ending the terror and the violence against Israel--that they 
are serious partners for peace.
  Eliot, when they talk about sitting down at the peace table, you need 
to have a partner at the peace table, particularly one that recognizes 
your right to exist. If your peace partner, so-called, doesn't 
recognize your right to exist, what are you negotiating, for your right 
to exist for 10 years, 20 years, 30 years?
  When the Palestinians show good faith by truly ending the terrorism, 
recognizing Israel's right to exist, adhering to prior agreements 
calling for peace and other measures, then the Israelis can have the 
security they need to sit down and negotiate a two-state solution.
  They have made unilateral withdrawals of land over multiple decades, 
and, as my dear colleague knows, these have been very, very tough 
choices for Israel. They have made them with very little in return.
  Mr. ENGEL. I thank the gentlewoman. Let me say this: It is time for 
the Arabs to step up and normalize relations now with Israel.
  I will have more to say in a little while.

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