[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 11]
[House]
[Pages 14305-14306]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  ISRAEL HAS A RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF

  (Mr. WELDON of Florida asked and was given permission to address the

[[Page 14306]]

House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, last month Israel was provoked 
when Hamas terrorists kidnapped Corporal Gilad Shalit, an Israeli 
soldier manning a check point. This was an unprovoked act of terror, an 
act of war against Israel by Hamas, which also controls the Palestinian 
Authority government.
  As long as Hamas embraces terrorism and refuses to acknowledge the 
right of Israel to exist, terrorists will persist in the Palestinian 
land.
  Earlier this week, Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in 
northern Israel. Israel has responded in an effort to rescue these 
soldiers and diminish the possibility of Hezbollah to launch missiles 
into Israeli population centers.
  I rise to express support for our ally Israel as it deals with yet 
more terrorist acts. The kidnapping of the Israeli soldiers can 
certainly be considered a provocation of war. Unfortunately, Israel's 
withdrawal from the Gaza Strip has not led to a positive transformation 
of Palestinian politics or more security for the Israeli people.
  We need to support Israel in this difficult time.

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