[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 29, 2014)]
[House]
[Pages H7026-H7033]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    ISRAEL'S RIGHT TO PROTECT ITSELF

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 3, 2013, the gentleman from Utah

[[Page H7027]]

(Mr. Stewart) is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the 
majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. STEWART. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Utah?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. STEWART. Mr. Speaker, we live in a very dangerous world. It seems 
like there is chaos and darkness all around us. As a former Air Force 
pilot, I have seen the results of abusive power in a very real way.
  It seems like every time we turn on the television or we read the 
news, we get the feeling that the world is being turned upside down. 
The wheels have come off the train and we seem to be careening towards 
the cliff: Russia takes Crimea and then sends un-uniformed troops into 
eastern Ukraine; tens of thousands of deaths in Syria, with millions of 
refugees; the recent evacuation of our own Embassy in Libya; Iran 
working toward a nuclear weapon; ISIS in Iraq creating essentially a 
terrorist state; the crisis of Chinese power threatening significant 
parts of the Eastern world. The list of concerns is very long, indeed.
  But nowhere is the strife and uncertainty more dangerous, more 
strategic, and more critical to U.S. interests than what we are 
witnessing in Israel and their military operations in Gaza.
  Israel is the most important ally in the region that we have. It has 
the only democratically elected government in a very unstable and 
violent part of the world. It has a vibrant, free capitalistic society 
that respects human rights, that respects women's rights, that respects 
minority rights, even the religious minorities.
  Let me say this as clearly and as unambiguously as I can: Israel is 
our friend and our ally. So tonight we stand with Israel and state 
without equivocation that Israel has a right to defend itself.
  Let me set the stage for the crisis that is happening right now, very 
quickly.
  September 2005: Israel withdraws from Gaza Strip, home to some 1.8 
million people. Thousands of Israelis are uprooted and missile fire 
from Gaza into Israel increases dramatically.
  A few short months later, in January 2006, Hamas deposes Fatah, wins 
elections, and becomes the ruling party of Gaza. The United States, 
Britain, and all the European Union consider Hamas a terrorist 
organization.
  June 2007: Hamas seizes power in Gaza with Mahmoud Abbas and the 
Palestinian Authority.
  Skipping ahead now to May 2014: rocket attacks from Gaza to Israel 
increase.
  June 12, 2014: Three Israeli teenagers are kidnapped and killed on 
the West Bank. The PA aids Israel Defense Forces in clamping down on 
Hamas in the West Bank and tension increases significantly. As a result 
of that, Hamas unleashes hundreds of rockets in Israel.
  Finally, July 7, 2014: the Israel Defense Forces launch Operation 
Protective Edge. Its goal is to stop the insistent rocket attacks in 
Israel. Within a week, they expand to an offensive ground war. Its 
purpose is to destroy Hamas tunnels built for military use against 
Israel. Now, we will talk more about these tunnels, but let me mention 
just briefly that, to date, Israel has uncovered more than 66 access 
shafts to 30 tunnels. Palestinian militants have fired, to date, more 
than 2,000 rockets since the fighting began on July 8.
  Let me put that in perspective before I turn the time over to some of 
my colleagues.
  Imagine, if you will, that al Qaeda or ISIS in Iraq has pledged the 
destruction of the U.S., something which is not hard to imagine. Now 
imagine they placed a military frigate off our eastern shore. Now, they 
claim that it is a supply ship, they say that it has no military 
purpose, that it only has civilian and peaceful purposes. But then 
imagine they start lobbing not a few and not dozens, but hundreds of 
rockets and missiles along our eastern shore, specifically targeting 
cities where millions of innocent families live.
  What would we do? What should we do. Would you expect your 
government, your President, to protect you? Of course, we would. We 
would defend ourselves. We would seek the elimination of the threat. We 
would protect our own people, our values, our way of life. Any Nation 
would, and every Nation should be able to do that.
  That is all the State of Israel is asking: the right to defend 
itself. That is why we are here tonight, to defend a friend and ally 
against not only missiles and rockets, but against an onslaught of 
deception in the world of public opinion. We want our friends in Israel 
to know that they do not stand alone.
  I have invited some of my friends and colleagues to share the floor 
with me this evening as we stand firm and united in the defense of 
Israel and their right to protect themselves.
  I would like to begin with my colleague Dr. Wenstrup from Ohio. He is 
a fellow veteran, he has served in the Army Reserves since 1989, and 
served a tour in Iraq. He sits on the House Armed Services and the 
Committee on Veterans' Affairs. I yield to Dr. Wenstrup.
  Mr. WENSTRUP. Thank you. I appreciate my friend, the gentleman from 
Utah, for putting this together tonight to allow us to share our 
message in support of Israel.
  The fear that has engulfed innocent civilians in this conflict is 
really unthinkable. In southern Ohio and across America, could you 
imagine rockets raining down indiscriminately on Cincinnati or 
Chillicothe or Portsmouth? Ohioans know the fear that they feel when 
they hear tornado sirens blare and the impending threat of possible 
destruction. Imagine that fear amplified and extended continuously over 
weeks by an enemy that seeks to eliminate your country and your 
countrymen.
  The continued success of the Iron Dome has protected countless 
innocents and weakened the perpetual threat posed by the terrorist 
organizations that surround them. I am proud to say that America has 
been a strong partner in pioneering this technology.
  While Israel continues to protect their people with the Iron Dome, 
Hamas urges Palestinians to become human shields to protect their Hamas 
rockets.
  We all hope for a peaceful resolution to the current conflict. 
Unfortunately, Hamas continually rejects cease-fire deals. Hamas 
refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist and is dedicated to 
destroying the State of Israel.
  Just yesterday, Hamas used tunnels to burrow into Israel and ambush 
Israeli soldiers, killing many. Can you imagine a terrorist group with 
tunnels built to infiltrate your town, your village, your city?
  The construction materials used to build these terrorist tunnels were 
intended to construct schools and hospitals, but Hamas would rather 
continue its perpetual aggression with Israel than better the lives of 
the Palestinian people. Hamas would rather fire rockets from 
playgrounds and homes than work towards peace.
  The American public stands with Israel on a foundation of shared 
democratic values and a commitment to a free society, especially in the 
face of rising anti-Semitism across the globe.

  Israel cannot draw down while Hamas continues to dig tunnels, giving 
them unfettered access to towns.
  Every Nation has the right and responsibility to defend itself, and 
Israel is no different.
  Mr. STEWART. Thank you, Dr. Wenstrup.
  Next, I would like to yield to Mr. Steve King, a colleague and 
gentleman from Iowa. Mr. King sits on the Agriculture, Small Business, 
and Judiciary Committees, and he has always been a strong defender of 
Israel.
  Mr. KING of Iowa. I thank the gentleman for yielding and for leading 
on this Special Order to have this discussion about the sovereignty and 
the safety and the protection of Israel, our strongest ally in the 
Middle East, the place where there is a rule of law, where there are 
property rights, where they are available to everyone that is an Israel 
citizen, whether they happen to be of Arabic descent, whether they 
happen to be of Jewish descent, or any other descent.
  The allies that Israel have been deserve on our side that similar 
kind of support, in fact, a stronger support.

[[Page H7028]]

There have been so many messages that have been sent from this 
administration to the contrary, we need to be standing on the floor of 
the House of Representatives sending a message to Israel, Benjamin 
Netanyahu, and the leaders that are there, the members of the Israel 
Defense Forces: We stand with you, Israel. Any Nation that is 
surrounded by enemies, that is infiltrated by tunnels that are dug 
through to be able to infiltrate and kill innocent people on the 
streets of Israel, kidnap them, celebrate that, any government that is 
formed for the purposes of eradicating Israel from the face of the 
Earth--and, Mr. Speaker, I would point out that this new government 
that was formed among the Palestinian Authority, the Palestinian unity 
government, includes Hamas terrorist leaders in the cabinet.
  Finally, the political arm of Hamas, which always was the Palestinian 
Authority, has openly now embraced Hamas itself. This Congress and the 
administration itself and the American people need to understand that 
there is a Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 which prohibits the 
U.S. from sending foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority government. 
That includes Hamas terrorists. It says that we are not going to fund 
any terrorist organizations, and Hamas has been declared a terrorist 
organization.
  We are watching now as the operations that were so utterly necessary, 
the Israel Defense Forces going into Gaza, losing Israeli soldiers, 
and, yes, they have to defend them since thousands of rockets have been 
fired into Israel. Living under that threat of a people that outside 
your borders would raise their children to carry suicide vests, to kill 
themselves to try to kill Israelis, to teach the things that they teach 
to the young people in that culture and in that climate, that hatred is 
on one side of that border of Gaza, it is not on both sides. It is on 
the Gaza side, it is in the West Bank, and it is all around Israel, it 
is not from within Israel out.
  I am amazed at how forgiving they are, how patient they are, how 
tolerant they are, how they have suffered the way they have, and they 
waited until it absolutely had to be before the order was given to go 
in and eradicate the tunnels and to try to take out some of the rocket 
locations. These rockets are in schools around children. They are using 
human shields of the children. They are hoping--I guess I can't quite 
say hoping--but willing to accept the casualties of children, because 
that is a media message to the world.
  This is an appalling set of neighbors that Israel has. They want to 
live in peace. They have a right to live in peace. We stand with 
Israel. Israel stands to defend itself. We need to make sure that they 
have the resources to do so and the moral support from the United 
States.
  I would point out also the statement that was made by Ari Shavit in 
the newspaper in Israel. He said of Secretary Kerry's latest attempt 
for a cease-fire over the weekend that ``very senior officials in 
Jerusalem described the proposal that Kerry put on the table as a 
strategic terrorist attack.''

                              {time}  1815

  That is not a very strong message, I would say, Mr. Speaker. It is 
not a very strong message representing the policy of the United States 
coming from our Secretary of State. Our policy is we stand with the 
Israeli people. We stand for their self-defense.
  I thank the gentleman for setting up this Special Order tonight.
  Mr. STEWART. Thank you, Mr. King.
  Mr. King mentioned the tunnels. I would like to illustrate this, if I 
could, and just interject very quickly. This is a photograph of the 
tunnels. These aren't dark 2-foot holes dug into the ground.
  These are sophisticated, expensive, complicated contraptions that 
have been put together--30 tunnels, not including the more than two 
dozen that were discovered prior to Operation Protective Edge. They run 
for miles.
  They are dug more than 60 feet beneath the ground, so that they avoid 
seismic detection. Some of them are large enough that you can drive a 
vehicle through them.
  You think: What is their purpose? Is it to smuggle men, weapons, or 
material? It is to in some cases, unfortunately, smuggle and hide those 
who have been captured and are being kidnapped. Hamas operatives have 
been intercepted emerging from the tunnels with tranquilizers and 
handcuffs--obviously, to kidnap Israeli soldiers.
  Once again, how much better would the situation have been for the 
citizens of Gaza if these resources and this money had been diverted? 
Instead of building tunnels, build infrastructure and schools and 
hospitals and other things that the citizens there could use.
  Thank you, Mr. King, for your comments.
  I would like now to yield to my good friend, Mr. Daines from Montana. 
He is a successful businessman who sits on the Homeland Security, 
Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittees.
  Mr. DAINES. I want to thank the gentleman from Utah for putting 
together this Special Order. I also want to thank you, Congressman 
Stewart, for your service to our country. As a B-1 bomber pilot, you in 
fact hold the record for the fastest nonstop flight around the world. 
Thank you for your service to our country, Chris.
  As our closest ally, Israel's security is critical not only for the 
future of Israeli people, but also for the security of the United 
States. Both of our nations were founded by those seeking political and 
religious freedom.
  Israel is the beacon of democracy in the Middle East. Our continued 
support for Israel is crucial to bringing peace, stability, and 
security to this most important region of the world.
  Daily rocket fire from Gaza is one of the many threats facing the 
Israeli people. I was in Israel last year. As I stood at the border 
with Syria, I could hear mortar and rocket fire in the distance.
  Since its founding in 1948, Israel has faced a number of existential 
threats from all sides, including invasion by its neighbors and 
terrorism from radical groups operating within Israel, Gaza, and the 
West Bank.
  This past March, representatives from Montana's Crow Tribe presented 
a formal resolution to Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer in my office here 
in Washington. The resolution from the Crow Legislature to the Israeli 
people affirmed their support of Israel's right to exist and recognized 
their shared challenges of maintaining political and territorial 
independence and a deep connection to their ancestral homelands.
  During this meeting in my office with Crow Tribal leaders and Israeli 
Ambassador Dermer, his cell phone went off. It wasn't a call. It wasn't 
a text message. It wasn't an email.
  It was an app he had on his phone that many Israelis have to warn 
them of impending rocket attacks. It was a sober realization that each 
time his phone made that noise, fearful Israeli families had seconds to 
scramble for their lives.
  As the Israeli people remain steadfast in confronting these threats, 
they deserve our unyielding support now and in the future. America's 
commitment to Israel must never waver. We must stand with Israel.
  Mr. STEWART. Mr. Daines, I agree that we must stand with Israel. All 
of us here tonight agree that we must stand with Israel.
  I now yield to my colleague and good friend, Mrs. Hartzler from 
Missouri.
  Mrs. HARTZLER. I thank the gentleman from Utah. I appreciate you 
leading this critical Special Order tonight.
  It has been a dangerous few weeks in Israel. We have been watching 
the developments between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as Israel shows 
restraint while still protecting its citizens.
  Quite simply, Israel is under siege by a radical faction that 
displays blatant disregard for its citizens. Hamas is using its 
citizens as human shields, building bombs in the basements of schools 
and homes, and prohibiting families from evacuating areas where rockets 
are being launched.
  Israel has shown tremendous restraint and has every right to defend 
itself against these unwarranted attacks. Over 2,000 rockets have been 
launched into Israel, reaching even Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Over 80 
percent of the country's citizens have had to huddle in bomb shelters 
for parts of 3 weeks now.
  Over 6 million men, women, and children are endangered, yet Israel 
has

[[Page H7029]]

agreed to cease-fire after cease-fire. Unfortunately, Hamas has not 
abided by these calls, firing dozen of rockets into Israel, even when 
Israel was ceasing its efforts to protect its citizens, so that 
humanitarian assistance could arrive to the people in the Gaza Strip.
  Israel has gone above and beyond for years now to help the people of 
Gaza and give them an opportunity for a better life. Nine years ago, 
Israel moved totally out of Gaza, giving the land and farms and 
greenhouses to people of Gaza. 10,000 Israeli lives were disrupted as 
they moved to Israel.
  Generous people all over the world raised money to buy the tractors 
and farm equipment for the people of Gaza. The area could have become 
the jewel of the Mediterranean and a peaceful neighbor to Israel--a 
model of a two-state solution. Instead, they tore down the greenhouses. 
Instead of building roads and homes, they built tunnels with the intent 
to attack and kill Israelis. They voted Hamas in power and turned the 
area into a terrorist military outpost.

  So here we are today, while Hamas is bent on killing innocent 
Israelis, Israel is intent on preserving their lives. As they seek to 
stop the rocket fire in the Gaza Strip, Israel goes to great lengths to 
save innocent lives. It drops leaflets into the neighborhoods, warning 
of an impending military attack to take out the rocket launchers, which 
are often strategically placed by Hamas in the neighborhoods.
  It then calls the residents of the house to warn them, then sends 
text messages to the home, then ``knocks'' on the house by dropping a 
small nonpenetrating bomb on the roof to let people know they are 
serious. Unfortunately, Hamas has responded by stopping people from 
fleeing and even forcing them onto the rooftops as human shields.
  Thankfully, the Iron Dome missile defense system has stopped rockets 
from reaching their targets in Israel. As Prime Minister Benjamin 
Netanyahu said:

       Israel uses its missile defense system to save human lives. 
     Hamas uses its people to save its missiles.

  We need to be standing strong for the only democracy and our greatest 
ally in the Middle East. We need to let other nations know we will 
never abandon Israel, and they need to join us in speaking out against 
the affront to national sovereignty and to human decency. We need to be 
offering assistance to stop these attacks and help Israel stay safe.
  It is time for Hamas to agree to a total cease-fire. Any loss of life 
is tragic, and Hamas needs to end their blatant disregard for their 
citizens and agree to end the attacks.
  Please join me in praying for the peace of Jerusalem.
  Mr. STEWART. Thank you. We have so many people who want to join in 
this conversation tonight. We are grateful for many of those who 
participated.
  It is my honor to yield to Mr. Engel, who represents New York, the 
ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
  Sir, we are glad to have you with us.
  Mr. ENGEL. I thank the gentleman for yielding to me, and I want to 
thank all my colleagues for their excellent remarks. I agree with every 
word that has been said.
  I think perhaps I will start off with a bit of good news because 
everyone can see this tonight. At a time when the pundits say that the 
two parties can't agree on anything, that nothing gets done, and that 
there is too much fighting, there is one thing on which we can agree, 
and that is that the support for Israel in this Congress is strong and 
it is bipartisan, and that is the way it should be.
  It is bipartisan for a number of reasons. First of all, Israel is the 
only democracy in the Middle East. We share common values with Israel, 
and we understand that the people of Israel, right now, are besieged.
  Hamas is a terrorist group. It is not a fight between Israelis and 
Palestinians. It is a fight between Israel and a terrorist group. As 
someone who was in New York on that fateful day of September 11, 2001, 
Israel has endured many September 11, 2001s.
  My colleague said it right before. The difference between the Hamas 
terrorists and Israelis is that Israel uses its missiles to protect its 
citizens and Hamas uses its citizens to protect its missiles.
  It is terrible when any civilians die, and my heart breaks for 
casualties on both sides, but Hamas uses their citizens as human 
shields. They build their bomb factories, and they build their missile 
factories in mosques and schoolyards. Missiles were even found in 
United Nation schools. They do this deliberately because they 
apparently don't value human life at all.
  Let's just imagine if we, in the United States, had a terrorist group 
over the border in Canada firing rockets, hurting people in New York or 
Michigan. Wouldn't we respond?
  If there were terrorists in Mexico that were firing into Arizona, 
Texas, or California, would we just simply let our people be targets? 
Wouldn't we respond? Wouldn't we go over the border and try to root out 
the terrorists, root out their missiles, root out their tunnels if 
there were? That is precisely what Israel is trying to do.
  I am introducing the emergency Iron Dome replacement act. The Iron 
Dome, which has been Israeli-created and American-funded, has saved 
countless numbers of Israeli lives, and by the way, Hamas has the nerve 
to talk about civilian casualties when it has targeted, day after day, 
week after week, month after month, year after year, Israeli civilians. 
That is what they do.
  Israel targets the missiles--and there are some civilian casualties 
because of the way the Palestinians put their missiles right in the 
densely-populated areas--but Hamas has deliberately been trying to kill 
innocent Israeli civilians.
  So we hope we will continue funding the Iron Dome, and I know there 
will be strong bipartisan support on both sides.
  Any cease-fire should contain the total disarming of Hamas. Any 
cease-fire should contain the destruction of the tunnels which, as my 
colleague very adeptly pointed out, were made for terrible purposes.
  With the concrete that was coming into Gaza, they could have built 
schools and mosques and skyscrapers; but what did they do? They built 
terror tunnels, so they can try to kill Israelis.
  And the media? Shame on some of the coverage we have seen in the 
media. There is no moral equivalency between a terrorist group and a 
nation that values its citizens and wants to protect its citizens. 
There is no moral equivalency whatsoever.
  Israel is trying to protect its citizens. Hamas only wants to kill. 
Read their charter. Read what they say about Jews. Read about Israel. 
They want to destroy every last person in Israel. So I think the media 
ought to be a little more evenhanded and not the way it has been 
portraying things up until now.
  So let me conclude by saying this: the bond between Israel and the 
United States is unbreakable, unshakeable. It has always been and will 
always be. The United States will always stand by the people of Israel, 
particularly in their fight to exist and in their fight against 
terrorism.
  I thank my friend.
  Mr. STEWART. Thank you, Mr. Engel. Thank you for your service on the 
Foreign Affairs Committee.
  You bring up such a great point. This is a bipartisan issue. There is 
agreement on both sides of the aisle. We have got servicemembers, 
military members, school teachers, and businessmen. We have got people 
from all backgrounds who want to speak on this tonight. Frankly, we 
have got more people who want to join in this Special Order than we 
have time for.
  I would like to now yield to Mr. Collins from Georgia. He has a 
unique perspective as a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee 
as well. He served as a chaplain in the Air Force since 2002 and a 
combat tour in Iraq in 2008.
  Mr. Collins, thank you for your service.

                              {time}  1830

  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Thank you as well for yours, and thanks for 
doing this tonight.
  Mr. Speaker, this is an easy one for me. I stand with the State of 
Israel as well as her right to defend herself. It is amazing to me at 
times that that is even called into question, because Israel has proven 
time and time again that it is very capable of defending herself, and 
it is amazing to me that the

[[Page H7030]]

world doesn't want to acknowledge that.
  This commitment that I have to Israel is here now and will continue 
to be unwavering even in the midst of this conflict between Israel and 
Hamas that is taking place mainly in Gaza. I am in firm support of 
Israel's decision to launch a ground operation, and I hope this 
conflict will be resolved quickly and negotiations for a permanent 
cease-fire will occur soon for this area.
  Currently, Israel's strategic objective is to eradicate Hamas' 
ability to terrorize Israel. Prime Minister Netanyahu gave the go-ahead 
to send ground troops into Gaza after a 10-day air operation failed to 
diminish Hamas' rocket barrage.
  Think if the U.S. were being targeted. Do you think we would wait a 
day to execute a ground incursion, let alone 10 days? Absolutely not.
  In fact, Israel and Egypt tried to negotiate a cease-fire with Hamas, 
but Hamas was unwilling to accept it. We see the true stripes of Hamas 
when they will not come to the table and when they, instead, want to 
basically put their own citizens up as human shields.
  I have received a lot of feedback from folks in the Ninth District 
who feel very strongly about the United States' support for Israel from 
the beginning, when the three young Israeli teens were kidnapped. 
Georgians empathized with the pain of the nation and with the hope that 
the three teenagers would be returned to Israel, unharmed. 
Unfortunately, their bodies were discovered in a Palestinian-controlled 
area. They had been brutally murdered at the hands of Hamas.
  I think my constituents would agree when I say a peaceful solution to 
end this conflict between Israel and the residents of the Gaza Strip is 
preferred. Hamas, on more than one occasion, however, has rejected the 
cease-fires that Israel was more than willing to agree to. We as 
Americans understand fighting terrorism is a constant fight, and this 
is yet another reason we must continue to work towards combating 
terrorism, not just on American soil, but by supporting our allies in 
their fights against terrorism.
  Our support is shown in many ways, but the biggest is in the Iron 
Dome defense system. Hundreds of Hamas' rockets have been intercepted 
by the Iron Dome, and it has protected those in Israel who are being 
terrorized by Hamas. Hamas is hiding behind Palestinians--their own 
people--to protect their rockets while Israel is protecting their 
people with the Iron Dome. These are the things that must be reported, 
and these are the things that must be looked after. A peaceful solution 
needs to be found soon.
  The administration needs to get its priorities correct. Israelis 
understand this, and that is why they need to continue to protect 
themselves. The resources going to Gaza should be used to build schools 
and hospitals and infrastructure instead of the things that the 
Palestinians are not getting. This is why the United States must 
continue to support Israel. We must continue to support their fight 
against terrorism, and we must continue to maximize our efforts towards 
a peace that will last in Israel in this area.
  Mr. STEWART. I thank you for your comments and for your support, Mr. 
Collins.
  I now am happy to introduce the newest Member of Congress, Mr. 
Clawson from Florida.
  Mr. CLAWSON of Florida. Thank you very much for this time.
  Mr. Speaker, we are living in a time of significant crisis at home 
and worldwide.
  We have a humanitarian and a national security crisis on our own 
border, and all Americans are deeply concerned and are looking for 
solutions. Simultaneously, we see a border crisis in the Middle East 
that makes our own border crisis pale by comparison. We see our friend 
and ally Israel attacked physically but also, sadly enough, attacked in 
the media. It is our solemn duty, I believe, to address this crisis as 
well as our own crisis on our own border.
  Israel's borders have been attacked by over 2,000 rockets, launched 
by Hamas, with a total disregard for innocent lives. Within Gaza, Hamas 
sets up their rocket launchers in the midst of apartment buildings, 
mosques, and U.N.-sponsored schools--using civilians as human shields. 
Hamas is not seeking to minimize collateral damage but, rather, to 
maximize it. Meanwhile, elements of the media fuel anti-Israeli 
propaganda with scenes of innocent dead and wounded Palestinians, 
adding to Israel's dilemma--falsely asserting that the Israel Defense 
Forces are committing war crimes.
  The fact is that Israel is responding with careful precision, taking 
extraordinary steps that few nations would take to protect lives on 
both sides of this fight. Israel's Iron Dome is shooting down rockets 
that would otherwise kill Israelis. Israel is warning civilians in Gaza 
in advance of attacking terrorist infrastructure there. Israel takes 
extraordinary steps to minimize collateral damage. Israel wants peace. 
Hamas seeks the destruction of Israel. This cannot happen.
  The United States must stand firmly with Israel and against Hamas and 
take a leadership role in convincing the world to do likewise.
  We must remember the threats extend beyond Gaza and Hamas. Hezbollah, 
the Islamist militant group and Iranian surrogate based in Lebanon, 
possesses thousands of rockets on another part of Israel's border. 
ISIS--evolved from al Qaeda in Iraq--has declared an Islamic caliphate 
in major areas of Syria and Iraq, threatening the entire region, but 
especially Israel. Iran, the world's exporter of terrorism--committed 
to the destruction of Israel--continues to hold nuclear ambitions, 
raising security issues not only for Israel but for the entire world.
  We cannot waver in leading the international community towards a 
long-term, verifiable solution. The Middle East is arguably a more 
dangerous place than at any time in history, with Israel threatened on 
several fronts by well-armed and well-funded terrorists who are 
distressingly close to possessing weapons of mass destruction. This 
cannot happen.
  This is not a time for partisan bickering between Democrats and 
Republicans or between the Congress and the administration. It is a 
time for a national discourse to educate the public about the dangers 
out there, with the goal of national unity and resolve to stand behind 
Israel--the only democratic state in the world's most dangerous 
neighborhood.
  Speaking as a freshman Congressman--the newest Congressman--I pledge 
to work with my colleagues to seek better ways of working together in 
support of the State of Israel and its right to exist.
  In these times of peril, I believe it is our duty to work as a team 
and to stand with Israel. Together, we can seek a path to lasting 
solutions in the Middle East. The alternative cannot happen. America 
must come together to support Israel.
  Mr. STEWART. Thank you, Mr. Clawson. We look forward to serving with 
you in the future, and we, once again, welcome you.

  It is now my honor to introduce my good friend and someone I have 
come to respect and admire, Mrs. Walorski from Indiana. She is the 
daughter of an Air Force veteran and serves on the House Armed Services 
and Veterans' Affairs Committees.
  Mrs. WALORSKI. I thank the gentleman from Utah for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, as with past conflicts in the Middle East, much of the 
media focus in this current conflict between Israel and Hamas has been 
on the death tolls on both sides, but what this reporting neglects to 
mention is Hamas' destruction of its own people. Legitimate governments 
understand that one of the most important duties of any nation is the 
protection of its people and the protection of innocent civilians.
  Israel goes to great lengths to avoid targeting civilians, from its 
use of precision-guided weapons to sending out phone and text warnings 
to evacuate buildings before it carries out a strike. Yet Hamas' 
leaders are willing to sacrifice their own people in an attempt to 
score political points. Hamas continues to force civilians, including 
women and children, to stand in harm's way and literally act as human 
shields for the terrorist leaders and properties, causing Israeli 
strikes on legitimate military targets to result in the loss of 
innocent lives.
  As General Conway, the 34th Commandant of the United States Marine 
Corps, recently wrote in The Wall Street Journal, there is a clear and 
obvious ``moral chasm,'' he says, between

[[Page H7031]]

Hamas and Israel. Hamas has always targeted civilians, and they 
continue to target civilians. It is their standard operating procedure, 
and it is one of the reasons it makes them a terrorist organization.
  Sadly, though, what we are seeing in this conflict is nothing new. 
This is the third time in less than 6 years that fighting has broken 
out between Israel and Hamas.
  In order to secure peace and stability in the Middle East, America, 
our allies, and anyone else truly concerned about the safety of 
civilians on both sides of the border should focus on keeping weapons 
out of the hands of Hamas' leaders. We must condemn anyone--perhaps, 
most importantly, Iran--who is supporting and arming Hamas. Iran 
supplies Hamas with rockets and training. Just yesterday, Iran's 
supreme leader declared on Iranian national TV:

       Everyone, whoever has the means--especially in the Islamic 
     world--should do what they can to arm the Palestinian nation 
     . . . The Zionist regime deeply regrets starting this war, 
     but it has no way out.

  We must stand strongly with Israel as it exercises its legitimate 
right to self-defense. We must call on the international community to 
join us in condemning Hamas for their human rights violations.
  Everyone wants the current conflict in Gaza to end, but how it ends 
is critically important. The conflict can only be truly over when there 
are no rockets, when there are no tunnels, and when Hamas has been 
completely disarmed and defeated militarily and politically.
  Mr. STEWART. We thank you, Mrs. Walorski. Beautifully said.
  I now would like to introduce someone I have come to have tremendous 
respect for. He brings not only a unique perspective but great 
experience to this question as chairman of the House Appropriations 
Defense Subcommittee. He is also a U.S. Army Vietnam veteran; although, 
he appears to be far too young for that.
  Mr. Chairman, I yield to you.
  Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand with Israel.
  There are certain principles that govern the conduct of nations that 
are so basic--so fundamental--that the world should never have to be 
reminded of them. The most fundamental of these is simple and 
straightforward: a nation has the right and the obligation to defend 
its people and its territory from attack. Unfortunately, however, this 
fundamental principle does not bear repeating tonight because too many 
around the world seem to have forgotten it or too many seem to think it 
only applies to every nation but one--the State of Israel.
  Make no mistake. It applies to Israel just as it applies to every 
nation on the face of the Earth.
  Every nation--every one--has the right and the obligation to defend 
its people and its territory. The thousands of rockets launched against 
Israel by the terrorist group Hamas are a deliberate attack on the 
State of Israel and the Israeli people.
  I stand with Israel's right to exist in peace and to protect itself. 
I stand with Israel in terms of its efforts to defend itself, and I 
support the very important Iron Dome, Arrow program, and David's Sling 
program, which keep the Israeli people safe. I stand with Israel in its 
effort to destroy the ability of Hamas' to attack Israel's people and 
its territory.
  Mr. Speaker, I stand with Israel.
  Mr. STEWART. Thank you, Chairman Frelinghuysen, for your comments and 
for your leadership.
  It is now my honor to introduce Mr. Lance from New Jersey. He served 
for many years in the New Jersey State Legislature and now serves on 
the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee.
  Mr. LANCE. Thank you very much.
  Mr. Speaker, for those of us in the United States who value Israel, 
its people and its value--symbolic and real--these are heartbreaking 
times. Our world's most sacred lands are again brutalized by terror as 
evil tries to extinguish the Jewish state. Though we may be far in 
distance, our spirit, support, and resources are needed. The United 
States stands in solidarity with Israel and its fundamental right to 
defend itself.
  The ongoing crisis in Israel may feel a world away to some, but the 
significance cannot be understated: a free people and democratic ally 
of our Nation faces continued war by elements of hate and intolerance 
similar to those who have claimed the lives of millions, forever 
scarred the face of the Earth, and brought this battle to our shores 13 
years ago.
  To know terror, look at their tactics. While Israel uses weapons to 
shield women and children, Hamas uses women and children to shield 
weapons.

                              {time}  1845

  When Israel offers a cease-fire, Hamas orders more rocket launches. 
When Israel offers compromise, Hamas calls for more bloodshed. Israel 
needs and deserves the support of the world community, not a lecture 
from media commentators. If the United States were under daily rocket 
assault, assuredly, the press would not question our right to keep 
Americans safe.
  Many of us in Congress have worked together in a bipartisan fashion 
to support Israel. Look no further than the Iron Dome capability at the 
center of Israel's current defense apparatus. The Iron Dome has been 
the guardian of a people under siege, and it was constructed with the 
help of American ingenuity, American technology, and American funds.
  Countless other measures have sought to assist Israel, including 
legislation recently passed here in the House, to disrupt to the 
greatest extent possible international financing capabilities of terror 
networks.
  How can Israel negotiate with entities on a mission for its 
destruction? The answer is moral authority. Israel stands for peace, 
democracy, the rule of law, human rights, liberty, an eventual two-
state solution, and peace through strength.
  In this time of great moral crisis, now is not the time for 
neutrality. Nearly 800 people proudly stood in solidarity with Israel 
earlier this month at the New Jersey headquarters of the Jewish 
Federation of Greater MetroWest as we rallied for Israel. Tonight, that 
same energy is here in Washington, where I join many other lawmakers in 
further conversation as how best the United States can assist our 
friend in need.
  Israel must never lose its resolve, its mission, its purpose, or 
forget its proud history, and the United States must support our great 
ally as it fights to preserve its very existence.
  Mr. STEWART. Thank you, Mr. Lance.
  As the manager of this Special Order, I have to be prepared to fill 
the time if we need to, to fill any gaps in the conversation, and very 
clearly that has not been necessary tonight. We have so many eloquent 
Members who are anxious and are stating this case so powerfully.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Franks), who 
also serves on the Armed Services Committee and Judiciary Committee and 
is also chairman of the Constitution Subcommittee.
  Mr. FRANKS of Arizona. Mr. Speaker, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann 
and I recently introduced H. Res. 622 to defund the Palestinian 
Authority. We have now 27 bipartisan cosponsors in the House of 
Representatives, and just today we received nearly 28,000 signatures 
supporting this policy.
  Mr. Speaker, may we all remember that Yasser Arafat, the founder of 
the Palestinian Authority, proclaimed early on: ``We plan to eliminate 
the State of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian state. We will 
make life unbearable for the Jews by psychological warfare and 
population explosion. We Palestinians will take over everything, 
including all of Jerusalem.''
  Mr. Speaker, Mahmoud Abbas, the current head of the Palestinian 
Authority, has taken this mantra to its insidious end by publicly 
uniting with the terrorist group Hamas, which is really the Muslim 
Brotherhood.
  Let me make this very clear, Mr. Speaker. The Hamas and Palestinian 
Authority have now become one and the same. Yet, even as Hamas has 
continued to launch cowardly attacks from neighborhoods in Gaza, hiding 
behind innocent women and children and making civilian casualties a 
deliberate strategy, this President has responded by heralding 
President Mahmoud Abbas as a man of peace.
  Mr. Speaker, in spite of the President's astonishing failure to do 
so, Congress must continue its steadfast

[[Page H7032]]

commitment of supporting Israel to protect against Hamas' thirst for 
death, and the first step in doing that is to defund the Palestinian 
Authority.
  Mr. STEWART. Thank you, Mr. Franks.
  Mr. Speaker, I am happy now to yield to the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Perry), a good friend of mine, someone, once again, 
that I have come to respect greatly. For one thing, he is a colonel in 
the Army National Guard. I was only a major when I separated from the 
Air Force, so, of course, I salute him every time I see him. He sits on 
the Homeland Security and also Foreign Affairs Committees.
  Mr. PERRY. Mr. Speaker, I would like to start by thanking the great 
gentleman from Utah who is, indeed, a friend, and I thank him for his 
service.
  We have heard much tonight about Israel and the rockets and 
everything that is happening in that part of the world, but one thing 
we haven't talked about much is the United Nations Human Rights 
Council, which really can't be taken seriously as a human rights 
organization, and I will tell you why.
  Let's talk about some of the members on that: Cuba, Russia, Congo, 
Ivory Coast, Venezuela, and China.
  When you think about Cuba and Venezuela, they outlaw political 
demonstrations in their country, but yet they are on the Human Rights 
Council judging Israel. When you think about Ivory Coast or Congo, they 
allow genital mutilation in their country, yet they are judging Israel.
  Now, this commission established a commission to probe alleged war 
crimes in violation of international law by Israel for defending its 
citizens against rocket attacks and terror tunnels. I mean, really? A 
competition to probe the war crimes from Israel.
  Now, what they should be doing, instead, is focusing on Hamas, which 
uses its citizens as human shields while its commanders flee to 
bunkers. If Hamas uses human shields to protect its rockets, I mean, is 
that Israel's fault for defending itself? But somehow, as Americans, we 
are told that that is what we should believe.
  Everybody--everybody--in this Chamber, every American is saddened by 
the tragic loss of innocent life on both sides of the conflict. 
However, let's be clear. It is Hamas, a designated terrorist 
organization, that has refused to deescalate this conflict.
  Recently, I heard a reporter and some other folks saying: Well, in 
Gaza, where should the Palestinians go? It is small. There is nowhere 
to go to avoid the rockets from Israel. Where should they go?
  They should stay right there and quit firing on Israel, quit digging 
tunnels into Israel. That is what they should do, and then this problem 
would relieve itself. I mean, who dug these tunnels? Who has fired over 
2,000 rockets into Israel? They don't have to go anywhere. They just 
need to quit attacking Israel.
  No U.S. funds should go towards the Palestinian Authority or its 
institution so long as Hamas is part of a unity Palestinian Government.
  Secretary Kerry's recent actions have actually hampered a cease-fire. 
This administration continues to befriend our enemies and make enemies 
of our friends, and it must stop, Mr. Speaker. It is critical for the 
U.S. to reiterate our support for our ally, our only ally there, which 
is Israel, including its right of its people to live in peace and to 
defend itself.
  Mr. STEWART. Thank you, Mr. Perry.
  Once again, I have the honor of yielding to the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Bentivolio), a Member with a unique background, who, 
while stationed in Iraq with the Michigan Army National Guard, he, 
himself, experienced rocket attacks. This happened on a regular basis, 
so I think he speaks with some authority on the subject tonight.

  Mr. BENTIVOLIO. I thank the gentleman from Utah (Mr. Stewart). He is 
a true friend of Israel and a friend of mine as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of Israel and its right to 
self-defense as it faces the ongoing threat of terrorist rockets from 
Gaza.
  Picture the scene. You are walking down the streets of Tel Aviv. You 
look around you. You see men, women, and children of all ages. To your 
right is an elderly man with a walker. A few paces ahead is a mother 
with her stroller. It is peaceful. It is calm. It is the embodiment of 
urban normality. And suddenly you hear it. Everyone instinctively knows 
what it is and, in a split second, everything changes. It is the red 
alert siren. A rocket is racing toward the city at breakneck speed. 
Only seconds remain to find refuge in a bomb shelter. And the rocket 
could land anywhere: on a preschool, on a hospital, on a random family 
home, or perhaps on the mother and her stroller up ahead.
  Mr. Speaker, this is the threat that Israel faces from Hamas and 
other terrorist groups in Gaza, which deliberately target Israeli 
civilians, which indiscriminately kill, maim, and terrorize, and whose 
sole purpose is to destroy the State of Israel.
  When faced with such a complete absence of basic moral inhibition by 
a brutal enemy, it is Israel's right--nay, its duty--to forcefully 
respond in order to eliminate the threat. It is not disproportionate. 
It is self-defense, pure and simple, and it is precisely why the State 
of Israel deserves our unwavering support at this time.
  It is also why no government that claims to be interested in peace 
can credibly partner with a group like Hamas. It is past time for the 
Palestinian Authority's president to dissolve his unity governing 
arrangement with this appalling terrorist group.
  We can't have it both ways. We can choose to make peace with Hamas or 
with Israel.
  As for me, I have made my choice. I am proud to support the Jewish 
State, and I stand with Israel because Israel embodies all the values I 
embrace--peace, democracy, tolerance--while the values of Hamas--hate, 
extremism, violence--violate everything I believe.
  Mr. STEWART. I thank the gentleman from Michigan. He has stated it, 
once again, like many others, very powerfully.
  Mr. Speaker, in conclusion tonight, I yield to the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Smith), who, once again, as a senior member of the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, has great experience and is 
unquestionably like many of us, a strong supporter of Israel.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. I thank my good friend from Utah. I thank 
him for his service to our country and for, again, bringing us all 
together this evening.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today to call on the President of the United 
States to give Israel the robust and vigorous support it deserves.
  Since the latest round of unprovoked rocket barrages were launched on 
July 6 by Hamas, Israeli citizens have lived under a relentless rocket 
attack, mortar fire, even attack from Hamas drone aircraft and a foiled 
sea raid.
  Israel itself has lived under a media attack, a calculated campaign 
to isolate Israel for defending itself. Major articles in international 
newspapers around the world take a grossly anti-Israeli slant.
  Make no mistake about it, Mr. Speaker. A major purpose of Hamas' 
rocket attacks is to provoke counterattacks, thereby to use the 
inevitable civilian deaths to set up an international media campaign 
against Israel. Hamas is guilty of sacrificing Palestinian lives and is 
guilty of using women and children as human shields in a brutally 
cynical attempt to manipulate world public opinion and isolate Israel.
  Mr. Speaker, the facts on the ground of Hamas attacks were clear from 
the start and follow long-established patterns. It is time our 
government sent a much more powerful and unambiguous message that the 
U.S. fully supports Israel's right to defend itself.
  The administration should emphasize that Israel's actions in its own 
defense are legal, that they are right, and that the U.S. stands with 
Israel without any ifs, ands, or buts, or so longs or any other 
qualifiers.
  As of yesterday, since the start of Israel's Operation Protective 
Edge, 2,500 rockets have been fired at Israel from Gaza. 1,875 of these 
have landed in Israel; 495 have been shot down by Iron Dome. Also, as 
of yesterday, the IDF has uncovered in Gaza 32 tunnels, with more than 
60 access shafts, some of which were in mosques and houses.
  Anyone who has read today's feature in The New York Times, ``Tunnels 
Lead Right to the Heart of Israeli Fear,'' understand what these 
tunnels mean. The tunnels are about 50 feet underground, mostly 
undetectable like

[[Page H7033]]

this one to my left, and underground equipment cannot even discover 
their whereabouts.
  The story quotes Eyal Brandeis, who lives in Kibbutz Sufa, and he 
says:

       It is a very pastoral environment. I live in the quiet of 
     the green grass, the trees. It is not pleasant, though, that 
     you sit one day on the patio drinking coffee with your wife 
     and a bunch of terrorists will rise from the ground.

  That is exactly what happened a mile from his kibbutz at dawn on July 
17.
  Many Israelis are more concerned about the tunnels than the rockets. 
Perhaps that gives us some insight into the dimension of the Hamas 
terrorist.
  I note, Mr. Speaker, that despite these rocket attacks by Hamas and 
tunnels, Israel continues to permit the transfer to the Gaza of 
humanitarian supplies and goods. Israel's humanity while under 
terrorist fire, its continued effort to do everything it can to 
separate terrorist militants from Palestinian civilians, only 
underscores the evil nature of Hamas.

                              {time}  1900

  Mr. Speaker, Hamas was designated a foreign terrorist organization in 
1997, and it has adopted its charter, the famous Covenant of the 
Islamic Resistance. That charter remains its ideological program.
  Only yesterday, Khaled Meshaal, the leader of Hamas, spoke on the 
Charlie Rose show in response to a question, ``Do you want to coexist 
with the State of Israel?'' He said, ``No.'' He said, ``No.'' Hamas 
doesn't want peace or reconciliation or coexistence. It wants to 
utterly destroy the State of Israel.
  I have further comments I will be saying later on this evening about 
the charter. Please read the charter. It couldn't be clearer. Hamas 
wants to destroy Israel.
  Mr. STEWART. Mr. Speaker, that was powerfully said.
  In conclusion, as we wind down our time tonight, let me just finalize 
with these thoughts.
  There is a great line from a speech that would have been given by 
John F. Kennedy in November 1963 if he had been allowed to give that 
speech before he was assassinated. And he said: ``This people, this 
generation, not by choice, but by destiny, are set to be the watchmen 
on the wall of world freedom.''
  We may not like the fact that we have to lead in the world. We may 
not like the responsibility. We may not like the cost. We may not like 
the hassle or the criticism or sometimes the hatred that is directed 
toward us. But it doesn't matter. We have to lead. If we don't do it, 
who will? If we don't lead, we give power to our enemies, and we weaken 
our friends.
  We have a chance here tonight to make a statement to the world. To 
the people of Israel, we stand by your side. To the peace-loving people 
of Gaza, we stand with you as well. But to the terrorists who seek for 
the destruction of Israel and to the leaders of Hamas who seek only for 
death and destruction, we, the American people, will always stand in 
your way.
  And with that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

                          ____________________