[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 24187]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                         THE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson-Lee) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, before I start my special 
order this evening, I too want to add very brief appreciation and 
respect for remarks for Congresswoman Tillie Fowler, for her service 
and for her leadership, particularly her leadership in issues where 
women were not traditionally known to serve. I worked with her, albeit 
recently, as a member of the Women's Caucus, which works in a 
bipartisan manner on many, many issues. She is certainly a great 
leader, very much appreciated, and I want to thank her for her service.
  Madam Speaker, I come to the floor today and this evening rather 
reluctantly, because some might say that any position on this issue 
dealing with the Mideast conflict would pose the concern and 
possibility of being politically incorrect, but I am so moved by the 
violence and the seeming inability to find common ground for an 
opportunity to continue the peace negotiations that I would like to pay 
tribute to a group of individuals in my community.
  This article was noted in the Houston Chronicle on Monday, October 
23, 2000, and the headline reads, ``Faith Unite in Prayer for Mideast 
Peace.'' It seems that when nothing else works, it might be just a 
simple step for Americans to begin to unite in prayer in order to seek 
peace in the Mideast.
  I remember as a teenager and young adult watching the Vietnam 
conflict and seeing on a regular basis the body bags coming out of that 
war. They are somewhat of the same feeling, though the numbers 
certainly have not reached that proportion. As I watched the 
controversy in the Mideast, this picture reflects the controversy of 
those running away in fear, but it does not reflect in totality the 
death, the loss of lives of dear children, the extreme violence, the 
extreme divisiveness, the fear, the hatred and seemingly the inability 
to solve this problem.
  I believe it is important for both men who are at the center of this 
crisis to lead, to lead without fear and to demand an end to violence, 
and so I would like to share that my community, an extended community 
that is, determined that it was important to pray this past Sunday. The 
article states, as the bloodshed continued in the Middle East on 
Sunday, eleven children in the Woodlands lighted a single white candle 
and prayed for peace. This gathering was one of Muslims and Jews and 
Christians of various denominations, who gathered to remind us that if 
nothing else works that we might pray to end the violence on the other 
side of the world.
  A feeling of helplessness, a feeling of hopelessness has descended 
upon us as we see the tragedy of so many children dying, Rabbi James 
Brant of Congregation Beth Shalom told the Woodlands audience, but 
Brant suggested that the prayers of different faiths united could lead 
to an end to the killing and to the hatred and misunderstandings that 
have caused this tragedy. Its hopeful message was received well.
  It seems now that one would wonder that this blurred confusion really 
cannot even point us to how it started, but the great heinousness of it 
all is the fact that people are no longer at the table of 
reconciliation and peace. There can be no resolve, no happiness, no 
outright ability to live with the quality of life that all of us would 
welcome if there is not peace in the Middle East between these two 
entities.

                              {time}  2130

  No one will be happy. No child will live without fear. No one will 
worship without fear. So I believe that it is important to pay tribute 
to these two congregations that saw fit to have this at the South 
Montgomery County Community Center, sponsored by Congregation Beth 
Shalom of the Woodlands, the Islamic Society of the Woodlands and Faith 
Together, a fellowship of religious communities.
  It can be done. Religions can come together and seek peace. For 
nearly two hours those in attendance read from prayers, asked for 
peace, children of different faiths, and poems written by Palestinian 
and Israeli children were read.
  Madam Speaker, I would simply say we need to do as the people of 
Houston have begun to do, to simply pray and unite around the idea that 
they must come back to the table of reconciliation and peace.

                          ____________________