[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 68 (Thursday, April 18, 2024)]
[House]
[Page H2506]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 PEACE

  (Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, together we are witness to 
war in the Middle East, yet so many of us are divided in our righteous 
anger and desire for peace.
  At home, I speak with friends and family and constituents who want 
what is just. Nevertheless, I also see how we speak past each other, 
missing the common humanity of both Israelis and Palestinians, the 
innocent people on both sides who work, live, and play on lands now 
ravaged and scarred by war.
  Let me be clear. I condemn Hamas, yet I decry Mr. Netanyahu's 
prosecution of this war. That is why I called for a bilateral cease-
fire and a release of all remaining hostages in February.
  I hold both beliefs, not as an equivalence or political spin, but as 
a principle to stand with the innocent, with Palestinians and Israelis 
who must know peace and security in their lifetime.
  We must reject the far too tempting politics of hate and division and 
embrace the duty of peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians.
  In time warped by hate, I lean on my faith, the wisdom of the 
Beatitudes: ``Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called 
children of God.''

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