[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 4]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5158]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              ISRAEL DESERVES THE RIGHT TO DEFEND HERSELF

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                           HON. RONNIE SHOWS

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 18, 2002

  Mr. SHOWS. Mr. Speaker, since September 11th, Americans have been 
living in a new age. Attacks on New York and Washington made us keenly 
aware of our vulnerability.
  Never before had we been attacked so savagely so close to home. That 
is a day we will never forget.
  Well, Mr. Speaker, now we all know what it must be like to be an 
Israeli, because this has been the pattern of THEIR lives, every day.
  Israel has long lived under the shadow of terrorism. In the aftermath 
of 9-11, Americans need look no further than the people of Israel as a 
source of strength and courage.
  Terrorists have no regard for innocent human life and have threatened 
innocent Israelis for years.
  But in recent weeks these terrorists have escalated their bloody 
tactics and threaten ALL innocent Middle Easterners who just want to 
live in peace.
  They have escalated their violence to a terrifying level that 
threatens regional stability and world peace.
  Mr. Speaker, the whole world is watching and wondering and praying 
for peace in the Middle East and an end to this senseless slaughter.
  Our President has stepped up to the plate and initiated negotiations 
towards that end.
  That's all well and good, Mr. Speaker, but on the very day that 
Secretary of State Powell arrived in Israel to begin the process, yet 
another terrorist bomb blew a hole in the heart of peace itself.
  And in spite of this we continue to insist that Israel pull its 
troops out of the West Bank! Mr. Speaker, we are asking Israel NOT to 
defend herself.
  Mr. Speaker, how can we ask Israel to pull back--to stop defending 
itself--at the very time we are engaged in our own war against 
terrorism?
  We are fighting in a country thousands of miles away, but Israel's 
enemies are in her own back yard. How can we tell Israel to back off, 
when the terrorists don't play by civilized rules?
  Israel is a land that is holy to so many people throughout the world. 
Yet the terrorists have invaded the most sacred churches, shooting from 
its windows, and using nuns and clerics as human shields.
  This is what Israel is up against, Mr. Speaker. Yassir Arafat either 
can not, will not, or does not want to, end the terrorist attacks 
against innocent Israelis.
  Since September 11th, we Americans know very well what terrorists 
seek to do--to strike mortal fear within the fabric of everyday life, 
to destroy free society from within.
  Mr. Speaker, we cannot expect Israel--or any free country--to cease 
defending itself against this kind of threat.
  Just as we are standing up to Osama Bin Laden and his forces of evil, 
Israel must stand up against the forces of evil that would bring her 
down.

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