[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 141 (Wednesday, September 21, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H6331-H6337]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ISRAEL
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Ellmers). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 5, 2011, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Deutch) is
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.
Mr. DEUTCH. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Mr. DEUTCH. I appreciate the opportunity to be here following those
series of speeches delivered that lead perfectly into the discussion
that we're here to have.
This is a crucial moment for the State of Israel, for the United
States, for the relationship that binds us together. This is an
important moment for those who believe in democracy and for those who
believe in peace. We will all be watching what transpires at the United
Nations in the coming days as the Palestinians continue to move forward
with an ill-fated attempt to create a state that can only be created by
negotiation.
I appreciate the opportunity to engage in a discussion with some of
my colleagues, and I would like to start by recognizing my neighbor and
my friend, the gentlelady from Florida, Congresswoman Wasserman
Schultz.
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Thank you very much for putting together this
important Special Order hour to give us an opportunity to come together
in support of our ally and friend, the State of Israel.
I rise today in praise of President Obama's enduring, unequivocal
support for our ally Israel and a vision for a peaceful world.
This morning at the United Nations, President Obama shared with an
international audience his commitment to Israel's security in the midst
of a challenging region and complex times. The administration
approached this year's U.N. General Assembly standing strong with our
ally in many respects. From once again boycotting the anti-Semitic
activities surrounding the Durban Conference, to pledging to veto any
Palestinian unilateral declaration of independence in the Security
Council, to working all summer with our partners and allies against the
unending efforts to criticize and delegitimize Israel at the U.N.,
President Obama has been a stalwart ally of Israel in this
international forum. I'm so pleased that he continued in that vein this
morning with his address to the General Assembly.
In his historic speech to this global audience, President Obama once
again demonstrated his stalwart support for our friend and ally Israel.
Importantly, President Obama used this opportunity at the United
Nations to unambiguously state his support for direct, bilateral
negotiations as the only way to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
and create a Palestinian state.
As the President said, ``a genuine peace can only be realized between
the Israelis and the Palestinians themselves. There is no shortcut to
the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace will not come
through statements and resolutions at the United Nations. It is the
Israelis and the Palestinians, not us, who must reach agreement on the
issues that divide them: on borders and on security, on refugees and
Jerusalem.''
President Obama made it resoundingly clear that unilateral action
will never create a state and that we must continue to support a
process between two peoples that recognize both security concerns and
national aspirations. And that clarity has not gone unnoticed.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, speaking after the President's speech
today, said that our President is wearing a ``badge of honor'' for his
commitment to direct, bilateral negotiations as the only way to a
Palestinian state.
As he has done so many times in the past, President Obama again put
forth our country's unshakable commitment to Israel's safety and
security as a central tenet to peace. The President reaffirmed our
enduring friendship to our ally Israel noting the very real security
concerns of being surrounded by hostile neighbors. He made clear to the
world that he understands the very real threat Israelis face in
constant rockets and suicide bombs and children coming of age knowing
that, throughout the region, other children are taught to hate them.
Only when Israel feels its security concerns are met will future
generations of Israelis and Palestinians live side by side in pride and
in peace.
With the international community assembled, President Obama stressed
the difficult but vital efforts we must all make in our quest for
peace, not only for Israelis and Palestinians, but also across the
Middle East and all around the world.
He spoke of the accomplishments of revolutions that have brought
burgeoning democracies to the Middle East and North Africa over the
past year and the frustrated aspirations of many in the region where
democracy is yet to come.
In praising the new free Libya and urging the international
communities to join us in sanctioning Iran and Syria, the President
affirmed his commitment to supporting those who wish to cast off
tyranny. And in a world free from the terror of Osama bin Laden,
President Obama emphasized our continued quest to end the religious,
gender, and sexual persecution that prevents all people from achieving
their true potential.
I am so proud of President Obama's unwavering support for Israel and
his overall vision for peace that he laid out at the United Nations
this morning.
Hopefully, hearing the strong message from the United States, the
Palestinians will once again return to the negotiating table with
Israel and work out a just and lasting solution between the two
parties. In the meantime, we can stand tall with the exemplary efforts
by this pro-Israel President as we continue to engage diplomatically
over the coming weeks to ensure that bilateral negotiations between
Israel and the Palestinians will resume.
Thank you, Mr. Deutch, for your unwavering support for our ally.
Mr. DEUTCH. Thank you very much. The same to you.
I would note the President also spoke today at some length about the
need to recognize Israel's security interests. The fact that Israel is
a country that is surrounded by enemies, that has faced rocket attacks,
barrages, at times on a regular basis, that it is imperative that all
of our allies around the world who understand the security threats that
Israel faces, that they understand that it is in Israel's interest to
take the action necessary to defend herself even as they move toward
the negotiations with the Palestinians. That's something that every
nation would understand.
I appreciate your bringing that up today.
{time} 1810
It is my pleasure and my honor to yield time to the impressive and
wonderful former chair and now the impressive and wonderful ranking
member of the State, Foreign Operations Subcommittee of the House
Appropriations Committee, Representative Lowey from Westchester.
Mrs. LOWEY. I want to thank my good friend Mr. Deutch. You are a
principled, strong supporter of the Israel-United States alliance for
organizing this conversation at this very, very critical time, and I
thank you very much.
[[Page H6332]]
Madam Speaker, I rise in opposition to the Palestinian Authority's
counterproductive and dangerous gambit to declare statehood
unilaterally through the United Nations.
As we all know, a genuine and lasting peace between the Israelis and
Palestinians can only be achieved through a negotiated settlement
between the parties, themselves. A lasting peace cannot be imposed on
Israel and the Palestinians by an outside country, like the United
States, or an organization, like the United Nations. That is why it is
so disturbing that the Palestinian Authority has chosen to discontinue
direct negotiations with Israel and instead to pursue a unilateral
declaration of statehood through the United Nations. This action will
indisputably set back the prospects of a settlement between the parties
and call into question the commitment of Palestinian leaders to genuine
and lasting peace.
The Palestinian Authority receives more than $500 million in economic
and security assistance from the United States each year because it is
in our interest and that of Israel's to support the ability of the P.A.
to provide security and basic services, but that assistance is
predicated on the willingness of the Palestinian Authority to negotiate
directly with Israel toward its own state. President Abbas has been
warned repeatedly, and I remain firm, that this counterproductive
action by the P.A. crosses a line and should lead to a reevaluation of
this assistance.
Despite the provocative decision of the Palestinian Authority to
abandon negotiations and to pursue instead a unilateral declaration of
statehood, I remain optimistic that the administration, working in
concert with the Quartet, can facilitate the conditions for a
resumption of good-faith negotiations.
I commend President Obama and Secretary Clinton for standing firm in
support of a negotiated settlement and for reaffirming the unbreakable
bond between Israel and the United States. I support the
administration's tireless work to prevent a unilateral declaration of
statehood from coming to a vote before the United Nations and to defeat
this gambit if a vote does occur.
As President Obama stated today before the United Nations, peace is
hard, but we also know that it is very much worth the effort. I
encourage President Abbas to make the hard choice to return to
negotiations with Israel. It is the only way to achieve the lasting and
genuine peace that both Israelis and Palestinians seek.
Mr. DEUTCH. Thank you, Congresswoman Lowey.
There are few in this body who understand as well as you the
importance of weighing the decisions to allocate United States' foreign
aid and where that money goes. You have been such a vocal and
passionate supporter of aid to Israel in order to give Israel the
ability to defend herself. I think you spoke eloquently about the
questions that will be raised if the P.A. continues to move forward on
this gambit at the United Nations, calling into question their
commitment to negotiation and ultimately raising the reevaluation of
aid to the Palestinians.
I thank you very much for sharing that with us.
Mrs. LOWEY. I know how hard the administration is working. Every
minute of the day has been spent trying to ward off what we think will
be a real disaster. So, as an optimist--and I think it's on Friday that
Abu Mazen is scheduled to speak--I hope that he is wise and thinks of
that decision and gets back to the negotiating table.
Mr. DEUTCH. I thank the gentlelady from New York.
It is now my honor to yield such time as she may consume to a
colleague and friend who has often been described as the great pro-
Israel Member of the United States House of Representatives, the
Representative from Nevada, Shelley Berkley.
Ms. BERKLEY. I thank the gentleman from Florida very much for putting
this Special Order together in order to discuss an issue that is very
important and that is certainly front and center on the international
scene today as it has been for the last several weeks. I also thank
you, Mr. Deutch, for your extraordinarily steadfast support for the
State of Israel and for the strong American-Israeli relationship that
we work on and attempt to foster every day.
Madam Speaker, I rise to support our closest friend and ally, the
State of Israel, and to support the peace process between Israel and
the Palestinians. We must oppose Abu Mazen's misguided and dangerous
effort to bypass negotiations with Israel and go to the U.N. with a
unilateral resolution in order to create a Palestinian state. The
ramifications of that are extraordinary. They could destabilize the
entire Middle East, put Israel on the defensive at the International
Criminal Court, and create a failed terrorist state right next-door to
the State of Israel--controlled by the Iranians, I might add.
The Palestinians have claimed that they're going to the U.N. because
they have no partner to negotiate with, but it is the Palestinians, not
the Israelis, who refuse to negotiate. They demand--and they demand it
time and again--that Israel cease all settlement growth in the West
Bank before they would be willing to sit down and negotiate for peace
and a Palestinian state with the Israelis.
I think it's time that we talk and remember the exact history--and
it's not such ancient history either. Even a full settlement freeze is
not enough for Abu Mazen. In the summer of 2009--if we can remember
back to that time--the Netanyahu government, at great political risk,
agreed to freeze all settlement growth for 10 months. Did Abu Mazen and
the Palestinians sit down at the negotiating table with the Israelis?
There were 10 months of a moratorium--certainly enough time to
negotiate a peace agreement that would bring lasting peace to the
Palestinian people and a Jewish State of Israel. Did he do that? No, he
did not. He waited over 9 months to begin negotiating with Israel and
only sat down at the table with weeks left on the Israeli moratorium.
Then what did they do? The Palestinians demanded that the Israelis
extend the moratorium. They did nothing for nine of the 10 months. Then
they wanted to expand the moratorium.
This is not the behavior of a true negotiating partner. What type of
negotiating partner invites Hamas, a terrorist organization, to join
them and become part of the Palestinian Authority? Certainly not a
peace partner that wishes to bring peace and a Palestinian state to the
Middle East.
The Israelis, by contrast, have shown their commitment to
negotiations and have repeatedly called on the Palestinians to join
them at the negotiating table. When Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu
addressed the United States Congress in a joint session on May 24, he
reiterated his willingness to make painful compromises in order to
reach peace with the Palestinians, but the Palestinians have turned
their backs on the negotiations or on any form of compromise and have
gone to the notoriously anti-Israel body, the United Nations, where
they believe they will receive more sympathy and, ultimately, success.
I appreciate the Obama administration's strong statements that they
will veto any Palestinian statehood effort at the Security Council, but
I am deeply concerned that the Palestinians will receive overwhelming
approval at the General Assembly.
Today, the Palestinian Authority has tentatively agreed to merely
introduce their resolution for a unilateral declaration of statehood in
the Security Council and then ask that no action be taken until they
negotiate with the Israelis. This concerns me greatly. What type of way
is this to negotiate? Put a gun to Israel's head, and every time the
Palestinians don't like the way the negotiations are going, the
Palestinians can threaten that they're going back to the United
Nations? I don't think this demonstrates a true interest in sitting
down and negotiating for a Palestinian state.
{time} 1820
Let me tell you, as I conclude, what I think we can do; and we should
do it immediately.
Congress must act. We must send a clear signal to the Palestinians
that we will not continue to support them with our foreign aid dollars
if they choose to act unilaterally and avoid negotiations.
I will not continue to throw taxpayer money away at the Palestinians
when they are refusing to negotiate in good faith for a Palestinian
state.
[[Page H6333]]
I have introduced H.R. 1592, which would cut off funding to the
Palestinian Authority if they unilaterally declare a state outside of
negotiations. I hope my colleagues will join me in cosponsoring this
timely legislation. We must send a clear message to the Palestinians
that their efforts to circumvent negotiations are unacceptable and the
only way to statehood, the only way, is at the negotiating table.
Mr. Deutch, I thank you so much for allowing me to share my thoughts
with you at this most delicate time in world peace.
Mr. DEUTCH. Thank you very much, Representative Berkley.
If there is going to be peace, you are absolutely right: that is
peace that will come through negotiations. And I am not sure what type
of negotiating tactic it is to, on the one hand, say that there is a
commitment to negotiating, but at the same time to run to the United
Nations to unilaterally declare a state in a way that only seeks to
delegitimize your so-called peace partner.
Israel is committed to peace. We've seen that time and time again.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is set, ready to negotiate. It is time that
the P.A. moves forward with negotiations. I appreciate your insight and
your commentary.
I would tell that you that as you spoke about Hamas, the P.A. made a
decision also to move into a partnership with that terrorist
organization, a terrorist organization that still holds Gilad Shalit
captive and refuses to let the world see him, meet with him. He should
be released.
This is a message that was given to Hamas, to the P.A. directly, in a
meeting that I was privileged to participate in on a bipartisan trip to
Israel some months back. I was pleased to be on that trip with our
friend from California, Representative Cardoza.
I am pleased to yield the gentleman as much time as he desires.
Mr. CARDOZA. Thank you, Representative Deutch. You are not just a
friend but a great colleague.
Before she leaves the Chamber, I just want to associate myself with
Congresswoman Berkley's remarks. The gentlewoman from Nevada has been a
stalwart for the State of Israel. She is absolutely and unequivocally
correct on this issue, and I will gladly cosponsor your bill.
Ms. BERKLEY. Thank you.
Mr. CARDOZA. Mr. Deutch, thank you for putting together this Special
Order this evening. As you all know, the Palestinian Authority has
stated that it will submit, or it's intending to submit, to the U.N.
Secretary General Ban ki-Moon a resolution requesting recognition of
Palestinian statehood.
As President Obama said today in his speech before the U.N. General
Assembly, the bonds between the United States and Israel are
unbreakable, as our commitment is to the security of Israel.
And as I and my colleagues in Congress expressed earlier this year,
when there was an overwhelmingly passed House Resolution 268, the only
path to a lasting peace is through direct negotiations between Israel
and the Palestinians that leads to a two-state solution.
Lasting peace will not come by playing destabilizing and damaging
political games at the United Nations. A unilateral approach to
Palestinian statehood will surely fail at the United Nations. It will
fail, and in failing it will harm the bilateral negotiation process
that is the only way to bring about a lasting peace.
A lasting peace cannot be achieved while a contingent within the
Palestinian Government does not recognize Israel's right to exist. A
lasting peace cannot be achieved while rockets are being fired into
Israel, threatening her children and her people.
I was there with Mr. Deutch just days after an anti-tank rocket was
shot into a yellow school bus. I ask every American watching tonight
and those around the world to think what they would do if the State of
Mexico fired on a school bus in El Paso and the response that we as a
country would pursue.
A lasting peace cannot be achieved while the same group firing those
rockets into Israel is actively trying to define Israel's borders so
that those rockets would then strike major populated areas.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, a lasting peace cannot be achieved when one
party fundamentally refuses to negotiate the terms of peace.
I call upon President Abbas to do what's right for both the
Palestinian people, the Israeli people, and the world and to not put
political gamesmanship ahead of a lasting peace. I call upon him to
return to a negotiating table and to give up this spurious, dangerous,
and damaging game.
Mr. DEUTCH. I thank my friend from California.
There are a lot of opportunities that we as Members have to
participate in the process and to see the impact of the decisions that
we make.
The opportunity that we had to spend some time in the community that
had just been attacked with that rocket fire reminds us of what we are
doing here this evening, what President Obama did at the United Nations
earlier today, and what our allies throughout the world hopefully will
do in standing up to support the one great democratic nation in the
Middle East, why that is so vitally important.
Mr. CARDOZA. You are absolutely correct, Mr. Deutch, and the visions
of those scared mothers talking to us in their community by the bus
stop, a shelter that has to be reinforced by concrete so that they can
somewhat protect their children on the way to school, is the reason why
we must act for a lasting peace, if no other than that.
Mr. DEUTCH. Thank you for being here, Mr. Cardoza.
It is my pleasure and honor to yield as much time as he may choose to
utilize to my good friend from New York, Representative Joe Crowley.
Mr. CROWLEY. I want to thank my dear friend and colleague from
Florida for yielding me this time.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about one of the most important
issues in our world, and that is peace in the Middle East.
For far too many years, many parts of the United Nations have been
hijacked by states opposed to the ongoing existence of the State of
Israel. Some states simply refuse or are not willing to acknowledge
that Israel is a country surrounded by many who seek her destruction.
They seem to believe that if the Israelis simply conceded, simply gave
up, that peace would come to the region.
That view doesn't only show a lack of understanding; it is simply
wrong. The truth is no country in the world would ever take action that
undermines its ability to defend itself and neither should the State of
Israel.
Day in and day out, the people of Israel face the threat of
terrorism. From the moment that they wake up in the morning to when
they go to sleep at night, Israeli citizens wonder if they or their
families will be the target of attacks.
Dozens of suicide bombings and attacks have been carried out over the
past 10 years, and there is no doubt that each and every day Hamas is
planning and preparing for even more attacks.
Madam Speaker, we need peace in the Middle East, but these are not
the conditions for peace. How can anyone make peace when enemies are
seeking their destruction? And now we see this move at the United
Nations to secure unilateral declaration of statehood. Instead of
finally achieving the peace that is so desperately needed, so
desperately wanted, this looks like a step to try to back Israel into a
corner.
Let me assure you, this is not the path to positive change. It is a
grave error by Abu Mazen to demand recognition of statehood at this
time. The fact is, the day after any vote, the situation on the ground
in the Middle East will not have changed.
{time} 1830
All the same issues will remain in place. The difference will be the
trust. Trust will forever be eroded, and for good reason. That's not
the only difference, however. There is another issue that I believe we
need to have more discussion about.
I believe that what the Palestinian Authority is doing calls into
question our funding for their work. The United States supported the
Authority as a way to support peace efforts, but this statehood drive
undermines those very efforts. American dollars are meant to support
efforts by the Palestinian Authority to secure peace and to diminish
violence, but this is not a blank check.
[[Page H6334]]
We cannot support those who seek confrontation instead of
reconciliation.
I believe it is time for a very, very serious review of our policy,
the United States Congress and the United States' policy in its
funding, not only for the Palestinian Authority but for any nation that
seeks to undermine the State of Israel within the U.N., not just the
Palestinian Authority but any nation that would vote to undermine the
existence of the State of Israel.
I want to thank Mr. Deutch and Mr. Hoyer and all of my colleagues for
putting this effort together tonight. I and my colleagues will continue
to stand firmly with the people of Israel.
Mr. DEUTCH. I thank you, Mr. Crowley.
The most important point to make right now in listening to you and
listening to Mr. Cardoza and listening to the gentleman from California
who spoke earlier from the other side, this is not a partisan issue.
This is not a religious issue. This is a question of whether we stand
together in support of democratic ideals, in support of the safety and
security of our ally. That's what is at stake here, and I thank you for
coming to so eloquently and passionately speak to that issue.
Mr. CROWLEY. Let me just make one point. There is partisanship. There
are those who would use this opportunity to divide. Not here in the
United States, not Republicans and Democrats, but around the world.
This is a world forum we're talking about in the U.N., and what I want
our allies to know and our friends to know is that we're watching--
those who will stand with the State of Israel and those who will not.
Mr. DEUTCH. I thank the gentleman. Efforts to delegitimize the State
of Israel at the United Nations must be opposed at every capital in
this world. I thank you very much.
It is my pleasure to recognize my friend and colleague, a passionate
supporter of the State of Israel who hails from a community in Illinois
with an equally passionate zeal for the safety and security of the
State of Israel, Representative Schakowsky.
Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. I want to thank you so much, Mr. Deutch, for
organizing tonight's Special Order.
Today, President Barack Obama clearly restated the U.S. commitment to
negotiated peace and protection of human rights. In his remarks to the
General Assembly of the United Nations, the President emphasized the
importance not just of peace but of human dignity and economic
opportunity.
In particular, President Obama again demonstrated that he is a true
and steadfast friend of Israel and reiterated that ``America's
commitment to Israel's security is unshakeable, and our friendship with
Israel is deep and enduring.''
Like the President, I am a strong supporter of a two-state solution.
I look forward to a future in which a Palestinian state exists in peace
alongside the Jewish State of Israel. But as the President emphasized
at the U.N. today, a genuine, true, and lasting peace can only be
reached through negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians
themselves.
I strongly support the President's diplomatic leadership and efforts
to convince the Palestinians and their international allies to abandon
efforts to use the U.N. to bypass negotiations with Israel, and I join
him in urging them to return to the talks with the Israelis. While we
acknowledge that the conflict will not be resolved easily and that it
will require difficult sacrifices from both parties, it is only through
direct peace negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians
themselves that a lasting solution can be found. There can be no
substitute for such negotiations. As the President stated today in New
York, ``Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the
United Nations.''
In his speech today, the President recognized the legitimate desires
of the Palestinian people for a state with recognized borders and
opportunities for economic growth. I share his commitment to working
toward that goal. But, as he also emphasized, any peace agreement must
acknowledge and address the ongoing security threats faced daily by
Israel and the Israeli people and be based on a recognition that Israel
is the historic homeland of the Jewish people.
Instead of appealing to the U.N., the parties simply need to return
to the table. A lasting peace cannot and will not be imposed by any
external party. It must be reached by the Israelis and the Palestinians
themselves, with regional and international support, including that of
the United States of America. The Palestinians should abandon this
effort at the United Nations. Our allies should stand with the State of
Israel and a real peace negotiation. That means the Palestinians have
to return to the bargaining table.
I thank you, Mr. Deutch.
Mr. DEUTCH. And I thank you, Congresswoman Schakowsky. Your talk
about the President's statement today is important. Equally important
is what the administration has been doing leading up to that speech
today, in the way that the U.N. Ambassador has continued to press our
allies, in the way that this administration has been clear throughout
that if this movement goes forward, if the Palestinians continue to go
to the Security Council, that the United States will veto that
resolution because it is not a way to achieve peace. I appreciate your
sharing those thoughts and raising those issues with us.
It is a great privilege for me now to turn over the floor and yield
to my friend, who is one of the fiercest defenders of the U.S.-Israel
relationship, one of the most outspoken Members of this body when it
comes to standing up for the safety and security of the State of Israel
and someone who has steadfastly remained engaged in this issue, even
traveling to New York, before coming back to Washington, to speak
directly to those who will be making decisions at the United Nations, a
good friend and a great colleague, Eliot Engel.
Mr. ENGEL. I thank the gentleman from Florida for yielding, and
before I talk about these issues, let me first compliment the gentleman
from Florida. He hasn't been in Congress very long, but he certainly
made his mark very strongly, particularly on the U.S.-Israel
relationship. He has been a stalwart supporter and a very articulate
spokesperson for the U.S.-Israel relationship. I know that Mr. Deutch
has been very, very effective, and it is an honor to do this Special
Order with him this evening.
Madam Speaker, I agree with everything that every one of my
colleagues said. Let me first say, because we are Democrats having this
Special Order, there has been a lot of fighting in Congress, but one
thing we don't fight about, Democrats and Republicans, we agree that
the U.S.-Israel relationship must remain strong. If there is one thing
that unites this Congress and unites Democrats and Republicans, it's
strong support for the U.S.-Israel relationship.
Many of my colleagues have made very, very good points, many of which
I want to reiterate, but I think the most important thing to reiterate
is this: If there is a dispute anywhere around the world, the only way
you can resolve that dispute is getting the two adversaries face to
face in direct negotiations to hammer out all of the areas of
disagreement and hopefully come to a peace agreement.
That happened in Ireland, in Northern Ireland, a place that we never
thought would get peace but did, because both sides made the commitment
that they preferred peace over war and over misery that had gone on for
far too long. So they sat down face to face, with a little prodding
from other countries, including the United States, and were able to
hash out an agreement. That, I'm convinced, is the way that the Middle
East difficulties will come to fruition, only by face-to-face
negotiations.
{time} 1840
The Palestinians, in my estimation, have attempted to throw so many
preconditions at Israel before they will even sit down and negotiate
that it has made it impossible for Israel to be able to sit down and
talk with them. Boundaries like 1967 boundaries or settlements or
expansion of neighborhoods, all these are final status issues. These
are not issues where one side says to the other side, you have to
unilaterally agree with our position before we will even sit down and
negotiate with you. That makes no sense whatsoever. So face-to-face
negotiations are the only way that we can have peace.
[[Page H6335]]
I would argue that going to the United Nations by the Palestinians
actually sets back the cause of peace because if the United Nations
were to declare a Palestinian state, say on the basis of the 1967
lines, which is what the Palestinians want, well, that is a guarantee
that there can never be peace with an agreement like that. First of
all, if the United Nations were to agree to that, no Palestinian leader
in the future could ever accept anything less. And the Israelis can
never accept, and will never accept, a return to the 1967 borders,
which were indefensible. Israel fought wars because those 1967 borders
were not defensible. And so these preconditions, and this going to the
United Nations, actually sets back the cause of peace.
Now I just think a little bit of history is important because it's so
easy to go on college campuses or to try to delegitimize Israel and the
United Nations or to have statements that aren't really true. The fact
of the matter is that Israel has always been prepared to make painful
concessions for peace. I was in this Congress during 2000-2001 when
President Clinton helped negotiate what we thought was a peace, the
Oslo Accords, and what we thought was a peace between Israel and the
Palestinians. I remember in 1993 on the White House lawn with Yasser
Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin shaking hands. I remember being there with my
8-month pregnant wife in 95-degree weather, and we all had such high
hopes.
But what has happened? Abba Eban used to say the Palestinians never
miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. And there have been many
opportunities for peace. In 2000-2001, Israel agreed to a peace.
Arafat, who was the Palestinian leader, said no. And what did Arafat
turn down at that time? He turned down a Palestinian state, part of
Jerusalem, 97 percent of the West Bank and billions and billions of
dollars of aid. Israel said yes. He said no. I think it's important to
put that in perspective.
Then the Palestinians talk about the right of return. They want to
flood Israel with Palestinian refugees--not refugees that left in 1948,
when Israel was founded--but their descendants. And that's a pipe dream
because that could never happen. It would undermine the essence of a
Jewish State of Israel.
So if there is going to be peace in the Middle East, we need to go
back to what the partition of Palestine in 1948, the original
resolution, said in the U.N. It said Palestine is to be partitioned
into an Arab state and a Jewish state. And here we are, some 63 years
later, and the Palestinians and most of the Arab world won't even
recognize Israel as a Jewish state. That's where the problem lies, not
with Israel. And the attempt to go to the United Nations and sort of do
an end game around Israel will not work.
Finally, and then I'd be happy to discuss this further with my
colleague from Florida (Mr. Deutch), let me just say this, and we have
heard some rumblings about it with some of our colleagues here. This
Congress will not continue to fund the Palestinian Authority. It's not
going to be a blank check. If the Palestinian Authority doesn't want
peace and doesn't show that it wants peace, we are not going to
continue to fund them.
I introduced a resolution in the Foreign Affairs Committee which came
before the State Department markup which passed unanimously on a roll
call vote withholding money, ending money to the Palestinian Authority
if they come to the United Nations for a vote. It passed unanimously--
every Democrat, every Republican. And so this Congress is not going to
be a fool. Either the Palestinians want peace or they don't. But they
cannot have it both ways. They cannot say they want peace and refuse to
sit down and talk to Israel face to face at a negotiating table.
So, Mr. Deutch, I want to thank you for doing this. I think it is
very, very important that all people of good will, Democrats and
Republicans, stand together in support of Israel. I think the
President's speech today at the United Nations was a very good speech
where he talked about the bond is unbreakable between the United States
and Israel.
And we have to make sure that the Palestinians live up to their
commitment. Israel is willing to live up to its commitments. Israel
wants to live in peace. We're now waiting to see what the Palestinian
and the Arab states want to do.
Finally, let me say this. There are two factions in the Palestinians:
One is Fatah, which is Abbas' faction, and one is Hamas. Hamas controls
Gaza. Hamas is a terrorist group. Hamas doesn't recognize Israel's
right to exist. Hamas certainly doesn't recognize the right of a Jewish
state to exist. How can we expect our ally Israel to sit, negotiate,
and make peace with an entity that denies its very right to exist and
an entity whose whole reason for being is to destroy the Jewish state?
We wouldn't ask that of ourselves. We shouldn't ask that of Israel.
Mr. DEUTCH. I thank the gentleman.
Mr. Engel, if the Palestinians were serious about peace, they would
abandon their unity with Hamas. They would abandon this plan to move
forward at the United Nations, and they would return to the negotiating
table. But this doesn't seem to be the case, as we've discussed here
tonight. They seem intent on, in fact, making a mockery of the United
Nations by using it as a platform to delegitimize Israel. But we will
stand up to that effort. We'll stand up against it. The fact is from
the vile ``Zionism is Racism'' resolution of the 1970s to the biased
and misleading Goldstone Report, the United States has, time and time
again, stood up against such delegitimization efforts, loudly voicing
our opposition and declaring that we won't tolerate such bogus and
malicious accusations. And we'll stand up again for Israel this week in
New York, but not just today and Friday.
I would like to take a moment to talk about what is going to be
happening tomorrow. When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad brings his campaign of
hatred to the United Nations General Assembly, as he stands just miles
from Ground Zero a mere 3 weeks after the 10th anniversary of the
September 11 attacks and blasphemously declares that the U.S.
Government orchestrated the attacks to reverse the declining American
economy, as he did last year, we will stand up for those brave men and
women who lost their lives that day and every day since fighting for
freedom. And when he stands at the U.N. and celebrates the 10th
anniversary of the Durban hatefest that was an anti-Semitic rant
against Israel, we will stand up for the freedom and democracy that
Israel represents, the freedom and democracy that Ahmadinejad so
brutally represses in his own country. That's going to be our role just
tomorrow. And I know that you will look forward to standing in strong
opposition to those statements from one who wishes to see Israel wiped
off the map, one who could probably be tried for incitement to genocide
for his statements, you will stand with me, as you always have, in
opposition to the rhetoric, the hateful rhetoric, that we will be
forced to listen to tomorrow.
Mr. ENGEL. Thank you, Mr. Deutch for pointing that out because,
unfortunately, I said before that the U.N. had been a kangaroo court
against Israel time and time again. Israel cannot get a fair shake in
the United Nations. I do hope that we are able to block the votes in
the Security Council where the United States, the Obama administration,
has said that the President will do a veto of any kind of resolution,
and I hope that it won't even come to that because I hope that they do
not get the requisite number of votes to even pass it.
And then the Palestinians might then go to the General Assembly. They
say they are going to do that. And while the General Assembly cannot
admit a Palestinian state, it can upgrade their status, which would
allow them to run around and harass Israeli leaders in the different
international courts.
I just think the U.N. better be careful. It sits in my hometown of
New York, and we have always been proud that the U.N. is in New York.
But I think the U.N. is on the verge of discrediting itself very, very
badly.
{time} 1850
There was resolution 242, which talked about land for peace in the
Middle East. I would say that the Palestinians, by trying to get
recognition unilaterally in the U.N., they are repudiating the land for
peace. They're certainly repudiating the Oslo Accords,
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which said that both states have to sit down, the Palestinians and the
Israelis have to sit down and hammer out an agreement. As I mentioned
before, it even repudiates the very basis of the initial partition of
Palestine in 1947 and '48 into a Jewish state and an Arab state.
And we talk about the Palestinian refugees. They have been used as
pawns by the Palestinian leadership--and frankly by all the other Arab
states in the world. And we ought to mention this because it's very,
very important. Jewish refugees from North Africa and all over the
world, from Europe, from all over the world, came to Israel and were
integrated into Israeli society through the years. The Palestinian
refugees could have and should have been integrated in the various Arab
countries, but the Arab leaders decided to leave them in these
horrendous conditions in these camps, to use the Palestinian refugees
as pawns in the Palestinian camps.
It wasn't done by the Israelis. It was done by the Palestinians
themselves and by the Arab nations themselves to use them as political
pawns. So I think we should look at the people who are really suffering
here and say why they're suffering. They're suffering because they've
had a leadership that has failed them for more than 60 years.
So I'm very proud of the United States of America. I'm proud of our
country for standing up for freedom. I'm proud of our country for
standing with Israel. I'm proud that the President said the bond
between Israel is unbreakable. We have to understand that this is not a
fight between two groups that are sort of equal in being concerned
about democracy. Israel shares our values. Israel is the only democracy
in the Middle East. What's important to Israel is important to the
United States. That's why we have to stand with Israel because if we
don't do it, nobody else will. We've shown time and time and time again
that the international community, particularly the United Nations, is
biased against Israel; and unless the United States stands squarely
with Israel, Israel will never get a fair shake.
So I am proud that we are doing that now at the United Nations. I am
proud that we have taken a stand. I am proud of this Congress, on a
bipartisan basis, for taking a pro-Israel stand. The United States--and
I would say this to the people of Israel--will always stand with our
friends and allies, Israel, who care for the basic human rights and
concerns and democracy and democratic values that we care about as
well.
So as we see this unfolding, I would just say to the Palestinians, if
you really want your state, if you really want a two-state solution--
which I believe you are entitled to--then sit down with Israel face to
face across the negotiating table, no preconditions, and talk peace.
The Israelis are ready to do it. We're still waiting for the
Palestinians.
Thank you, Mr. Deutch.
Mr. DEUTCH. I thank you very much, Mr. Engel, for your passionate
words.
I think it's important, as we wrap this up, to think about why it is
and to remind our colleagues and the American people why it is that we
are so committed to this bond with Israel, and we do it because the
bond with Israel runs deeper than our interests in Middle East affairs.
It runs deeper than mutual security interests. Our bond is born out of
the values that our two nations share, the values of freedom, of
respect, of human rights. We as Americans share those values with
the people of Israel. They are universal values, American values. They
span religious and political parties. They bring people together from
all walks of life. They are the things that some of Israel's neighbors
are losing their lives fighting for, the values that Israel holds dear
as a great democracy in the Middle East and in the world.
Israel faces one of its greatest challenges, a worldwide campaign to
unilaterally declare a Palestinian state. The United States must
continue to remind the world why it is that we stand in solidarity with
Israel.
I urge our allies around the world to stand with us now in urging the
Palestinians to abandon this misguided and dangerous quest. If Mr.
Abbas seeks a state where the Palestinian people can truly prosper, a
peaceful state, then he will look to Israel as a partner. He will
understand why negotiations provide the only path to peace; and he will
take his seat at the negotiating table.
To our whip, Steny Hoyer, who helped us arrange this hour, and to my
colleagues who participated, and to everyone who has tuned in even for
a moment, I want to say thank you, thank you for giving us the
opportunity to stand up at this most difficult and crucial moment in
the history of the U.S.-Israel relationship and remind our allies from
around the world--and every nation from around the world--just how
strong and unbreakable the bond between our two nations is.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SIRES. Madam Speaker, Palestinian Authority President Abbas has
announced that this Friday he will formally seek statehood recognition
at the United Nations.
While there are obstacles to achieving a lasting and peaceful two-
state solution, the PA's attempt to seek recognition at the UN
demonstrates that they are not truly interested in achieving peace.
Such a unilateral approach, will not lead to peace. This action
violates the letter and spirit of the Oslo accords and deals a
significant blow to future negotiations.
Recognizing a Palestinian state would also give legitimacy to Hamas
given that the terrorist group currently is in control of the Gaza
Strip--an area the PA claims for its state.
By granting recognition of a state, the international community will
reward Hamas for its terrorist actions, rather than condemn them.
Furthermore, this reckless action at the UN could lead to widespread
violence on the ground.
The only way to achieve a two-state solution is through direct
negotiations leading to a peace treaty fully accepted by both
governments and by both peoples.
A vote on a unilateral UN resolution will likely set prospects for
peace in the region back years.
The United States needs to stand strong with Israel, and I am pleased
that President Obama has called the Palestinian efforts at the UN a
``mistake'' and has stated that the United States will veto this
resolution should it be brought before the Security Council.
We need a unified voice from the United States and our allies showing
that this action is not the way to achieve a peace and that if such
action is taken, there will be consequences.
Mr. WAXMAN. Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to join with so many
Members of the House to express our profound concern, and strenuous
opposition, to the impending request by the President of the
Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, to seek a unilateral declaration
of statehood at the United Nations later this week.
The Palestinian leadership says it wants peace with Israel, but their
actions and words contradict their assertions. It is not at all clear
President Abbas is even capable of making peace with Israel. He refused
to enter direct negotiations last year even when Israel agreed to a
settlement freeze. He refuses to accept a simple statement that he
accepts Israel as a Jewish state. And, as a prelude to his bid for
statehood from the United Nations, he wrote in the New York Times last
May: ``Palestine's admission to the United Nations would pave the way
for the internationalization of the conflict as a legal matter, not
only a political one.'' Recognition of statehood by the United Nations,
in other words, is simply another front in the conflict--and not a
settlement of the conflict.
Any move towards statehood for Palestine in the United Nations is
gravely flawed.
First, a unilateral declaration of statehood, by the Palestinians
themselves or through the United Nations, constitutes a unilateral
repudiation of the peace process. A Palestinian state can only emerge
at the conclusion of a peace treaty with Israel. As President Obama
told the assembled leaders of the world today at the United Nations:
``There is no short cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for
decades. Peace is hard work. Peace will not come through statements and
resolutions at the United Nations.''
Second, a unilateral declaration by the Palestinians will not bring a
State of Palestine into existence. Without agreed borders, there is no
agreed state. Without an agreed state, there is no lawfully constituted
government of the state of Palestine.
Third, such action at the United Nations may well provoke violence in
the West Bank and Gaza and possibly across the region. Excessive
expectations among the Palestinians have been induced by the public
campaign of the Palestinian Authority to seek statehood through the
U.N. Reality cannot and will not meet those expectations--leading to
immense frustration for Palestinians in the West Bank and elsewhere. In
the past, this has led to successive uprisings targeting Israel. Such
violence has been vicious and inhumane, with
[[Page H6337]]
immense loss of life--and it serves no purpose. It brings neither peace
nor statehood any closer. But the threat of violence overhangs the
Palestinian maneuvers at the U.N.
Fourth, unilateral action at the United Nations will be a major
setback of incalculable duration to any meaningful resolution of the
issues if there is to be a just and lasting peace with Israel, and the
establishment of a Palestinian state. If the Palestinians seek to act
on their own, what is there to negotiate with Israel? Where is the
dialogue? What can possibly be the prospects for a meeting of the minds
and a resolution of the issues of borders, security, Jerusalem, and
refugees? A unilateral declaration of statehood is not a substitute for
the peace process; it is a repudiation of the peace process. And that
means the end to the peace process.
Fifth, a recognition of Palestine by the United Nations will lead to
great legal vulnerability to Israel and its government's leaders by
giving Palestine standing in several international institutions, such
as the International Court of Justice. No settlement of any issues or
grievances between the parties can be advanced by legal harassment of
Israel in international organizations.
For all these reasons, I believe it is imperative that the United
Nations reject any unilateral bid for statehood for Palestine.
The member states of the United Nations must understand that a vote
against a resolution in the General Assembly is not a vote against a
Palestinian State--it is a vote to get the parties into direct
negotiations so that a Palestinian State can truly and successfully and
legitimately arise.
As President Obama said today: ``We will only succeed in that effort
if we can encourage the parties to sit down together, to listen to each
other, and to understand each other's hopes and fears. That is the
project to which America is committed, and that is what the United
Nations should be focused on in the weeks and months to come.''
Last week, I was pleased to join with dozens of Members of the House
in correspondence directed to several dozen foreign heads of state, in
which we urged that their governments reject a unilateral declaration
of statehood for Palestine by the United Nations.
I commend our correspondence to all our colleagues. We will continue
our efforts at the United Nations and redouble our commitment to the
re-commencement of direct negotiations between Israel and the
Palestinians leading to a peace agreement between them.
House of Representatives,
September 15, 2011.
We write on a matter of great urgency, on the eve of the
United Nations General Assembly meeting. It is our
understanding that the leadership of the Palestinian
Authority will pursue a resolution at the United Nations--in
either or both the Security Council and the General
Assembly--to grant the Palestinians the equivalent of
statehood and/or prejudge final issues, including borders and
the status of Jerusalem. One of the major goals of this
effort is for the Palestinians to better position themselves
to petition the International Criminal Court, very possibly
bogging down the court for the foreseeable future.
It is our strong belief that such unilateral action would
have devastating consequences for the peace process and the
Palestinians themselves. Accordingly, we urge you in the
strongest terms not to support this effort.
We believe that the only way to achieve a two-state
solution is through direct negotiations leading to a peace
treaty fully accepted by both governments and by both
peoples. A just and lasting peace cannot and must not be
imposed on the parties. If the Palestinians pursue such a
unilateral approach, it violates the letter and spirit of the
Oslo Accords and will deal a significant blow to future
negotiations. Given the expectations gap among the
Palestinian public, such action could lead to widespread
violence on the ground, jeopardizing the West Bank's
impressive economic and security gains over recent years.
There is also a substantial risk of more broadly inflaming
the region and increasing violence at a time of already great
instability. Finally, the United States will reconsider its
assistance program for the Palestinian Authority and other
aspects of U.S.-Palestinian relations if they choose to
pursue such a unilateral effort.
We are confident that your government shares the United
States' commitment to a comprehensive resolution of the
conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. That
outcome can only be achieved through direct negotiations. A
vote on a unilateral UN resolution will likely set prospects
for peace back years.
Our bilateral relationship is based on certain fundamental
values. We urge you to vote those values, and to stand with
the United States in not supporting unilateral action at the
UN that would impede the peace we all seek.
Thank you for your consideration of our views.
Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer; Democratic Leader Nancy
Pelosi; Rep. Gary Ackerman; Rep. Joe Baca; Rep. Shelley
Berkley; Rep. Howard Berman; Rep. Madeleine Bordallo;
Rep. Leonard Boswell; Rep. Dennis Cardoza; Rep. Russ
Carnahan; Rep. David Cicilline; Rep. Emanuel Cleaver;
Rep. Gerry Connolly; Rep. Jim Costa; Rep. Jerry
Costello; Rep. Mark Critz; Rep. Joseph Crowley; Rep.
Susan Davis; Rep. Rosa DeLauro; Rep. Ted Deutch.
Rep. Eliot Engel; Rep. Charlie Gonzalez; Rep. Gene Green;
Rep. Janice Hahn; Rep. Brian Higgins; Rep. Kathy
Hochul; Rep. Tim Holden; Rep. Steve Israel; Rep.
William Keating; Rep. Larry Kissell; Rep. James
Langevin; Rep. John Larson; Rep. Sander Levin; Rep. Dan
Lipinski; Rep. Nita Lowey; Rep. Carolyn Maloney; Rep.
James McGovern; Rep. Gregory Meeks; Rep. Michael
Michaud; Rep. Chris Murphy.
Rep. Jerrold Nadler; Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton; Rep.
Bill Owens; Rep. Gary Peters; Rep. Steven Rothman; Rep.
C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger; Rep. John Sarbanes; Rep.
Janice Schakowsky; Rep. Adam Schiff; Rep. Allyson
Schwartz; Rep. David Scott; Rep. Brad Sherman; Rep.
Heath Shuler; Rep. Albio Sires; Rep. Betty Sutton; Rep.
Edolphus Towns; Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz; Rep.
Henry Waxman.
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