[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 85 (Tuesday, June 8, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       THE GAZA FLOTILLA INCIDENT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ADAM B. SCHIFF

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 8, 2010

  Mr. SCHIFF. Madam Speaker, Israel has the right and the duty to 
defend its citizens from attack, and it is both reasonable and prudent 
to interdict weapons from being smuggled into Gaza.
  Last Monday's confrontation between Israeli naval forces and a group 
of activists seeking to bring supplies to the Hamas-governed Gaza Strip 
was tragic, and I join the worldwide outpouring of grief over the 
deaths of nine people aboard the Mavi Marmara.
  In the midst of his tragedy, we must not forget that Israel has been 
engaged in a protracted struggle with Hamas, a terrorist organization 
that has repeatedly stated that it will never accept Israel's right to 
exist, and which has used the 1.4 million people of Gaza as human 
shields for rocket attacks and other acts of terror against Israeli 
citizens.
  The Turkish group that organized the flotilla, the IHH, must accept 
responsibility for the loss of life aboard the ship by deliberately 
provoking a confrontation with Israeli Navy personnel enforcing a legal 
blockade of Gaza. Rather than accepting Israel's offer to offload its 
cargo in Israel for subsequent transport via the land crossings into 
Gaza, the Mavi Marmara chose to try to run the blockade and then 
resisted the Israeli boarding party, beating Israeli troops with metal 
pipes and other weapons. In the days since the incident, it has been 
revealed some of those aboard the ship were jihadist provocateurs 
seeking a clash with the Israeli military. And regrettably in this, 
they were successful.
  The international community must show greater resolve in forcing 
Hamas to renounce terror, accept Israel's right to exist, and abide by 
prior agreements. We must work together with Israel to meet the urgent 
needs of the people of Gaza, but Hamas bears ultimate responsibility 
for the continued suffering of the people of that region.

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