[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 82 (Wednesday, May 12, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2474-S2475]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                 Israel

  Mr. LEE. Madam President, as I offer these remarks on the Senate 
floor today, tensions between Israel and Palestine continue to escalate 
to levels we haven't seen in years. Innocent lives have been lost, and 
hundreds face injuries.
  While the global media reports largely paint Israel as the instigator 
of violence, this portrayal is patently false. It is simply not only 
not backed up by fact, it is contrary to the facts.
  Hamas, a U.S.-declared, U.S.-designated terrorist organization, 
purposely exploited a nonviolent point of tension as justification to 
trigger a violent set of conflicts.
  On Monday night, Hamas launched thousands of rockets into Israeli 
cities. The intended targets? Well, the intended targets were any 
Israeli person, civilian or not, residential or commercial. The goal? 
Just to create destruction and terror.
  So to paint this action of armed aggression as anything other than 
offensive terrorism is disingenuous, and we in the United States and 
the U.S. Government itself must acknowledge and affirm Israel's right 
to take proportional action to defend itself against these attacks.
  What is perhaps even more disturbing and distressing than the media's 
portrayal of these ongoing events is the Biden administration's ongoing 
nuclear conversations in Vienna with Hamas's No. 1 supporter--the 
Iranian regime.
  Iran, of course, is a well-known state sponsor of terrorism. It is a 
major funding source for Hamas, and their leaders continue to heap 
praise on Hamas, specifically for its attacks against Israel.
  Israel is undoubtedly our strongest democratic ally in the Middle 
East, and together, the United States and Israel have made great 
strides--tremendous strides, historical, unprecedented strides--toward 
peace and stability through the region through the Abraham Accords.
  The Biden administration's nuclear talks with Iran, as well as its 
posture of willingness to concede on sanctions relief to Iran without 
any meaningful corresponding gains to U.S. security, undermine both the 
U.S.-Israel relationship and the new partnerships formed by the Abraham 
Accords.
  We really must stand with our strongest democratic ally in the 
region, and we need to do that by recognizing Israel's right to self-
defense against terrorism.
  U.S. policy really ought to be geared toward strengthening and not 
undermining this valued relationship. We certainly undermine that 
relationship when we legitimize a regime that is funding these very 
same terrorist activities.
  I have gotten updates. Some of them are difficult to come by, given 
that sometimes it is hard to find real-time, accurate facts on what is 
happening on the ground. In addition to relying on U.S. media, I have 
relied on media sources from throughout the world. I have also spoken 
to people familiar with the area and in some cases, people who have 
lived or currently live in Israel.
  My friend Ruth Lieberman, a joint citizen of the United States and of 
Israel, recently commented, just noting the exasperation that is in the 
air, noting the genuine source of frustration that she feels. She said:

       My kids are sitting ducks, and the world thinks we're the 
     aggressors.

  Ruth is one of many Israeli citizens--one of countless Israeli 
citizens--subjected to these attacks. It is Ruth and her husband and 
their children who are among the many whose lives are put at risk every 
single day as a result of these cowardly acts of aggression.
  So we can't hesitate to condemn violence when we see it; nor can we, 
nor should we ever step back and pretend that this is something that 
can be perceived as a situation where language of moral relativism or 
even moral neutrality can fairly be applied. On some days, that would 
almost be a good day, if you could truly look at both sides, if the 
mainstream media could look at both sides with language of moral 
equivalence, but they don't. They don't even do that. Instead, they 
largely refuse to blow the whistle on the aggressor and heap only blame 
and vitriol on our ally, which is not the aggressor.
  There are others who, regardless of whether they use terms of moral 
equivalence wrongly or even unfairly, heap blame on Israel and on 
Israelis. Some will resort to a different tactic, expressly or in some 
cases implicitly saying: Yeah, I know this is bad. Yeah, I know it is 
bad when hundreds and then thousands of rockets rain down on Israeli 
citizens, innocent victims, civilians, often in residential 
neighborhoods. Yeah, I know that is bad, but then again, Israel has a 
strong military, in part because the U.S. supports its strong military 
and shares funding and equipment with the Israeli military.
  Let's think a little bit about the flawed logic there, how truly 
messed up that is. You know it is cold comfort to the men and women and 
children whose lives are put in danger every single day when they have 
rockets raining down on them; it is cold comfort to them when their 
loved ones die or are afraid to go outside even when they haven't done 
anything wrong; it is cold comfort to them to say: Well, at least 
Israel has a strong military.
  Look, Iron Dome and David's Sling--these great technologies that have 
been developed with the support of the United States--they provide a 
great source of security and comfort and safety to the Israeli people, 
and these same technologies benefit the American people as well. But 
let's remember, those technologies are not foolproof. They can't catch 
every single rocket. The more rockets that fire, the more difficult it 
is to protect citizenry from casualties. So let's never make that 
mistake of saying it is not that big of a deal because Israel is well 
fortified and has a strong military infrastructure and Israel has 
sophisticated, top-of-the-line, state-of-the-art equipment
  It doesn't excuse--nor can it in any way, shape, or form negate--the 
terrors to which they are subjected. Look, whenever someone aggresses 
and starts firing on someone else, they are opening up a whole can of 
worms. We can't be good allies and we can't be good global citizens 
unless we are willing to call out acts of unprovoked aggression, acts 
of violence, acts even of terrorism.
  Unless we are willing to step out and call those evil and unprovoked 
and unwarranted--unless we are willing to do that--we won't have the 
credibility that we need, not just with our allies but also with our 
enemies. We have to make sure that Hamas doesn't enjoy our support--not 
directly, not indirectly, not through our acquiescence or otherwise.
  My thoughts and prayers go out to the people in Israel. Everyone gets 
hurt--the Israelis and the Palestinians--when Hamas engages in violence 
and then tries to pass that violence off as somehow a defense on their 
part. Nor can we allow Israel to be castigated as the aggressor, as the 
instigator of these acts of violence, when it is plainly and clearly 
not true.
  I hope our friends in the media and in the Biden administration will 
acknowledge that.
  I yield the floor.

[[Page S2475]]

  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. The Senator from Delaware.
  Mr. CARPER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to complete my 
remarks before the vote.
  The ACTING PRESIDENT pro tempore. Without objection, it is so ordered