[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 5, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H808-H809]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
AIRDROPPED HUMANITARIAN AID IN GAZA
(Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1
minute.)
Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I rise to raise awareness of not only the
desperate humanitarian situation in Gaza, but also, the fact that
Israeli hostages that probably number over 100 have not been freed by
Hamas.
Every means at our disposal, including U.S. sea and airdrops, should
be airlifted to get all necessary aid to civilian populations trapped
and in dire need of supplies.
I applaud the Biden administration's new mission to airdrop food and
other aid directly into Gaza in collaboration with our Jordanian allies
and in cooperation with Israeli forces.
If our Nation could lead the Berlin airlift following World War II,
surely we can ease the suffering as we urge a truce and work with our
allies toward a two-state solution.
I include in the Record a proposal for a negotiated truce and a two-
state solution that will allow for rebuilding.
[From the Blade, Jan. 31, 2024]
Guest Essay: Establishing `Gaza-Palestinian Protectorate' Would Go a
Long Way
(By U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur)
Halfway around the world, the war between Hamas' terrorist
units and Israel is a piercing global tragedy. It demands a
global response. Yet, ``Peace and Justice'' have eluded
solution in this troubled region for over a century. It will
be even harder to achieve after this conflagration ends. The
extraordinary death toll will resound for generations
forward. How does one create a lasting peace borne of such
fierce, enduring hatreds?
The invasion Hamas' fighters launched from Palestinian Gaza
into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 broke the cease-fire that had
tensely hung over that very troubled region. More than 1,200
innocent Israeli civilians were slaughtered in a barbaric
attack, with more
[[Page H809]]
than 100 Israeli and some American hostages still remaining
in captivity. More than 250,000 Israelis were evacuated and
displaced from their homes. In Gaza, 1.7 million Gazans have
subsequently been displaced with Hamas health officials
claiming more than 25,000 civilians dead, and more than
60,000 injured with two-thirds of the victims being women and
children.
How does any army defeat a hostile enemy positioned amidst
a civilian population and underground in a vast ``bunker
city'' with miles of interconnected tunnels, dug for purposes
of war, not peace?
Over 140,000 Hezbollah terrorist forces supplied by Iran,
are positioned in southern Lebanon, shooting rockets down on
Israel now. It is no accident Yemen's terrorist Houthi
adherents, also supplied by Iran, have been purposefully
shelling private cargo ships as well as targeting U.S. naval
vessels in the Red Sea to disrupt global trade in this
conflicted region. Russia's role in exacerbating resurgent
unrest was made clear when top Gen. Sergei Shoigu recently
visited Iran. And a Hamas delegation was in Moscow not long
after it attacked Israel.
Across the Middle East, a spiderweb of terrorism is
hastening, hell-bent on evil. Iranian drones and missiles are
being used against Ukraine, Israel, the United States, and
our allies in Iraq, Pakistan, Syria, and Jordan. North Korean
missiles are likewise in use against Ukraine. The global
distinction between tyranny and liberty could not be clearer.
The world community of nations must not allow terrorist
forces enabled by Iran and Russia to foment unrest and
carnage. The sacred boundaries of nations must be respected,
defended, and enforced.
The history of the Middle East instructs that former
adversarial nations can make peace among themselves. For
nearly five decades, dating back to my days of service in the
Carter administration, proposals for a two-State solution
have been advanced for Israel and Palestine.
Ironically, the depth and brutality of this present
conflict may create an opening for a far-reaching solution.
If the world community could spend as much money on peace as
it has on war, both the Israelis and Palestinians could have
thriving homelands,
To move forward, I propose that the United Nations, or a
coalition of willing nations, begin to negotiate a ``Gaza-
Palestinian Protectorate.'' The parties involved should aim
to negotiate a long-lasting solution to the conflict in Gaza,
address challenges in the West Bank, and divide the contested
territory securing their existence with an International
Multilateral Security Force to separate warring factions.
If the civilized world could achieve this with a divided
Korea, why not with Palestine and Israel?
The goals of the Protectorate would be fourfold:
1) an international coalition of nations should be
assembled and involved in organizing its administration and
staffing;
2) Gaza would be demilitarized of weapons, war, tunnels,
and fortifications;
3) Hamas would have no role, politically, administratively,
or economically;
4) Palestinians from Gaza should be involved in the
administration of the Protectorate's on-site operations,
including its police forces.
The Protectorate would have three immediate tasks. The
first would be to quickly secure resources and provide food,
water, shelter, and medical care to the almost 2.3 million
people of Gaza.
The second is to provide an international military
coalition that can demilitarize Gaza as quickly as possible.
Gaza must never again be a threat to its neighbors.
The third is to physically separate Gaza and Israel, by
creating a demilitarized zone between the two, that is
virtually impenetrable, as is the DMZ between North and South
Korea. As part of the separation, the infrastructure to
provide water, sewage treatment, and energy needed by Gaza
should be located in Gaza and staffed by the people of Gaza.
One of the long-term missions could be to rebuild what is
now a destroyed area under a new vision of peace and
prosperity. Gaza has many undeveloped resources, the primary
of which is its land and location. While small in size, Gaza
is located in one of the most attractive parts of the
Mediterranean, with miles of undeveloped, beautiful beaches
that could become a recreational center of the region.
With peace and stability, Gaza could become a financial and
economic hub that attracts capital and businesses from around
the world. Gaza and the West Bank have the thousands of
workers needed to rebuild what has been destroyed along with
necessary staff to renew the economy. A ``Gaza Development
Authority'' as part of the Protectorate could create and
administer a long-term development plan to bring prosperity
and transparency that would forestall the corruption that so
often accompanies unfettered development,
Hope must arise from this cruel war. Old diplomacy, and old
solutions should be shelved. They should be replaced with a
forward-looking approach that could bring peace, justice, and
prosperity to this war-torn region. Succeeding would give
hope to a civilized world that hungers for peace in these
troubled lands.
Ms. KAPTUR. The U.S. is prepared to continue airdrops if we can work
with our allies to achieve it by sea or air. The world community can
help.
We have a moral obligation to achieve and to assure the release of
hostages and sustainment of life for those who are innocent on the
ground.
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