[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 5 (Monday, January 12, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E49]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INTRODUCING THE DEFEND ISRAEL BY DEFUNDING PALESTINIAN FOREIGN AID ACT 
                                OF 2015

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                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 12, 2015

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the 
Defend Israel by Defunding Palestinian Foreign Aid Act of 2015.
  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' application to join the 
International Criminal Court (ICC) is an affront to all of those who 
have engaged for years in efforts to accomplish a peaceful resolution 
to the decades long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Palestinian 
Authority's anticipated war crimes complaint against Israel will, in no 
uncertain terms, severely hinder future comprehensive peace talks in a 
time when the advancement of a two-state solution that ensures enduring 
peace has never been more important.
  For more than half a century, Israel has been America's most reliable 
strategic partner in the Middle East. It is essential that we remain 
supportive of Israel's absolute right to defend itself and protect its 
citizens. We cannot stand by while the Palestinian Authority, engaged 
in a unity government with Hamas, makes frivolous and damaging claims 
against Israel Defense Forces soldiers and Israeli citizens residing in 
settlements in the disputed West Bank. Congress must halt the $400 
million American dollars sent annually to the Palestinian Authority 
until it withdraws its counterproductive request to join the 
International Criminal Court and returns to the negotiating table with 
Israel.
  I urge my colleagues in the House to join me in calling for the 
defunding of Palestinian foreign aid by becoming a co-sponsor of this 
resolution.

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