[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 146 (Wednesday, December 3, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1708]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HAMAS KILLS AGAIN

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                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 3, 2014

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, ``We love death more than the Jews 
love life.'' This Hamas propaganda phrase says it all. International 
outsiders cry ``peace, peace,'' but there can be no peace as long as 
Hamas refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist. No matter how many 
times leaders shake hands or how many agreements are signed, peace 
cannot be achieved if peace is not desired. The only reason Israel 
exists is because the Jews persist in surviving.
   In the morning hours of November 18, a group of Orthodox Jews 
gathered at a synagogue in Jerusalem to pray. In the middle of their 
prayers, at 7 a.m., two terrorists wielding guns, axes, and butcher 
knives attacked them. Odai Abu Jamal and his cousin, Ghassan Abu Jamal, 
killed 4 rabbis and one police officer and injured 8 others before they 
were shot by local police. Three of the four rabbis were American 
citizens.
   The men were members of the terrorist group known as the Popular 
Front for Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). While the group itself did 
not claim responsibility, it was quick to support the attack. Hamas, 
another terrorist group bent on the destruction of Israel, not only 
commended the attacks but called for more. Terrorist groups supporting 
terrorist attacks does not surprise me. But Hamas is not your typical 
terrorist group. It governs the entire Gaza Strip as a result of the 
1.8 million Palestinians there voting them into power. And the reaction 
from some of the people of Gaza to the attack shows that they share its 
terrorist government's feelings. In the town of Rafah, the people 
celebrated by handing out sweets, carrying axes, and holding up posters 
of the terrorists. The religious elites joined in the celebration as 
well: loudspeakers at mosques in Gaza called out congratulations. 
Palestinian radio reports described the attackers as ``martyrs''. 
Undoubtedly, the terrorists' family will receive compensation from the 
government's ``terrorist fund'', which pays stipends to the families of 
terrorists who are imprisoned or who died during their attacks.
   When an elected government and the people it governs celebrate a 
brutal terrorist attack, it is a reminder of the challenges Israel 
faces as it works for peace in the region. For the last six years, this 
White House has pressured the Israeli government to make concession 
after concession for peace. The reaction of the people in Gaza to this 
latest attack should wake the White House up to the unfortunate reality 
that, no matter how many concessions Israel makes, many Palestinians do 
not want peace if it means Israel continues to exist. Palestinian acts 
of terrorism are not just a problem of a couple of lone rats or 
individual terrorist groups, but they are supported by an entire 
infrastructure throughout the Palestinian territories that has close 
ties to the senior Palestinian leadership. Instead of repeatedly 
twisting Israel's arm to make peace when peace can't be made, the 
United States should stand strong with our democratic ally against 
terrorists. The same attackers that want to destroy Israel also call 
the United States the Great Satan. They want to kill Americans too, as 
this latest attack that killed three Americans showed. Our first step 
should be to cut the funding we give to the Palestinian Authority (PA) 
until they take specific, verifiable, and significant acts to go after 
those who commit acts of terrorism. At the very least, the PA needs to 
stop paying reward money to the families of terrorists. Second, we 
should make sure that our funding to Israel is strong and robust, 
focused on ensuring Israel can beat back these terrorists. Finally, we 
need to stop publicly and privately insulting Israel. Israel is the 
only liberal democracy in the Middle East and one of our strongest 
allies in the world.
   The right response to a terrorist act is not words of condemnation 
followed by continued pressure on the victims of terrorism. The right 
response is recognizing the evil for what it is and countering it with 
swift justice against the perpetrators and strong support for the 
victims.
   And that's just the way it is.

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