[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 120 (Tuesday, July 29, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5039-S5040]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ISRAEL
Mr. REID. Mr. President, this resolution is sponsored by me, the
Republican leader, Senator Menendez, Senator Corker, and others.
I want the record to reflect that Senator McConnell and I have talked
about this personally and we have agreed, without any hesitation, about
this legislation.
I have always been a supporter of the United Nations my whole career.
What I saw last week disgusted me. As the U.N. Human Rights Council
in Geneva voted to adopt a resolution accusing Israel of human rights
violations in the ongoing Gaza conflict, the resolution was so
incredibly one-sided and anti-Israel biased that it makes zero--none--
mention of Hamas and the atrocities Hamas has committed by
indiscriminately barraging Israel and using Palestinian civilians as
human shields.
Hamas perpetrated this conflict. They wantonly fire rockets, and they
don't care where the rockets go. Hamas has fired almost 3,000 missiles
during a 3-week conflict.
In fact, the very day the U.N. Human Rights Council exonerated Hamas,
it fired dozens of rockets into Israel the same day.
These aren't firecrackers. These are very violent, powerful weapons.
They
[[Page S5040]]
have a number of rockets. It is estimated they have 10,000 of them.
They have something called WS-1E. It is a Chinese rocket, but they
got the blueprints--Iran did from the Chinese--and, of course, they
shipped these surreptitiously into Gaza. They will travel some 30 miles
and they carry about 40 pounds of explosives.
They have another one called the Fajr-5. This is an Iranian rocket.
It is the most prestigious weapon of Hamas.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard gave Hamas the technology to
manufacture those. They carry a warhead of 400 pounds. They will travel
about 55 miles. I repeat, these aren't firecrackers.
They have another missile in their arsenal. It is called a Khaibar M-
302. It is a Syrian-made missile with a range of some 12 miles. They
carry a 300-pound warhead and, of course, it goes far enough that they
believe that with the Fajr and this one, Tel Aviv is within their
sights.
The one they have the most of is called the Qassam-1 manufactured in
Gaza, with no guidance system, a 3-mile distance, and a 10-pound
warhead; the Qassam-2 has 9-mile distance and a 20-pound warhead.
They have something called a Grads. They have lots of weapons--lots
of them--and they indiscriminately fire into Israel. These aren't
grenade launchers; these are missiles, huge weapons. These rockets are
professionally engineered from Iran, Syria, and other countries. They
are smuggled into Gaza. They manufacture a few of their own, as I have
indicated. These are serious weapons of war.
Hamas also continues to try to construct and use its sophisticated
tunnels into Israel, which as one Member of Hamas recently bragged,
allow Hamas fighters to invade Israel and kill Israelis.
Hamas's responsibility in the Gaza clash is a fact, but the U.N.
Human Rights Council didn't make a single mention of this
terrorist organization.
How many of these nations, such as Venezuela, China, Vietnam, and
other nations--I wonder how this organization feels about their human
rights. How many of these nations which condemned Israel would allow
their own citizens to suffer through endless rocket fire--endless
rocket fire.
I talked to one American doctor who goes to Israel, as he does often,
and all night long there was one air raid siren after another. It has
been going on there for weeks. This U.N. resolution that was passed
does not mention a single word, nothing.
What is Israel supposed to do?
We all lament the loss of life. It is heartrending. But what else is
Israel to do after rocket after rocket after rocket plunges into its
territory.
I met with a man today who owns an oil company, oil exploration. They
do oil exploration in Nevada. It is called Noble Energy. They are the
ones who helped develop gas and oil fields in Israel. This is
relatively new, but they say there are rockets dropping all over.
As I mentioned earlier this morning, Iron Dome doesn't protect all of
Israel. They need more Iron Domes. Everyone, no matter what they are
doing, they can be out in Gaza working in the oil fields and missiles
are flying all over from Hamas.
I condemn Hamas's terrorism. We should. Their terrorism is not only
against Israel; it is against their own people. As I heard the
Republican conservative columnist in the New York Times David Brooks
say in the NewsHour--I am paraphrasing, but this is what he said: This
is the first conflict I have known where the enemy says: Kill more of
us.
I join my friend the Republican leader in doing what other nations
refuse to do: condemning the United Nations Human Rights Council's
biased resolution. We in this resolution condemn Hamas. The countries
that have voted for this are Venezuela, Cuba, China. I repeat, how
would they like to look at their human rights violations?
In this resolution, we as a country support in this conflict a
lasting peace which can only be realized through the demilitarization
of Gaza.
They talked about tunnels. These are not tunnels; these are major
operations costing millions of dollars to dig a hole in the ground.
Why? To go into Israeli settlements and kill innocent people.
In offering the resolution before the Senate we stand with Israel and
its right to defend itself, its security, and most importantly its
people.
I said earlier I am disgusted--as someone who has been a supporter of
the United Nations ever since I have been in government--and the United
Nations better take a look at this organization. This is
``disgusting''--I use it for the third time, as I mean it.
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