[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14426]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 ANOTHER TERRORIST ATTACK IN JERUSALEM

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mrs. CAPPS. Mr. Speaker, the news from Jerusalem today is horrifying. 
Another terrorist attack on a civilian bus. So many dead. Many more are 
injured and even more are bereaved. Today's atrocity follows and may 
have been in response to an attack yesterday on a Hamas leader in Gaza 
which injured its target but killed innocent victims. When will this 
cycle of violence end? Not even a week has passed since the President 
received the commitment of Ariel Sharon and Abu Mazen to do everything 
in their power to stop the killing and pursue the path of negotiations. 
Instead, we have terrorist attacks, attempted assassinations, horrific 
retaliations and more bloody reprisals. Last week's optimism has 
yielded to this week's despair.
  I urge President Bush to make it clear to both sides that the United 
States will continue to insist on the terms agreed to at the Aqaba 
summit, an end to the violence, the dismantling of the illegal outposts 
and the resumption of security cooperation. Clearly, Abu Mazen must do 
much more to stop terrorism. But it is obvious that he cannot stop the 
murderous Palestinian extremists without help from Israel. And Israel 
will never succeed in vanquishing terrorism through military force and 
continued occupation. A political solution is the only answer.
  The road map to peace has hit a tremendous obstacle. But we have no 
choice but to persevere. If this initiative is destroyed, Israelis and 
Palestinians may be doomed to a life of violence and suffering forever. 
Such a fate is not what these two peoples deserve, and it is surely not 
what America can afford.

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