[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,

[[Page H6336]]

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.

                          ____________________