[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.
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