[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 14569]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           THE U.S. RESPONSE TO THE CRISIS IN THE MIDDLE EAST

  (Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, when you are home in your 
district, there are those who are looking at the crisis in the Middle 
East and asking what is the response of the United States. And, yes, of 
course Israel has the right to defend. But the President of the United 
States, the Executive, has the right as well to stand and call boldly 
for a cease fire.
  We are the superpower of the world. We do have Americans in harm's 
way. I myself have students in the Mickey Leland internship program who 
are making their way back home from Israel.
  What I would say is that this is a time for engagement. This is a 
time for drawing parties from the Arab states as well as Israel and 
others who would go into the Mideast, sit down in Jordan or other 
states that are surrounding the area, and actually have a 
confrontation, a meeting, an understanding, if you will, to bring some 
solution.
  It is important for us to be in the way of saving lives. It is 
important for us to acknowledge the necessity of finding balance so 
that we can save lives.
  Soldiers should be returned, but we should not ignore the opportunity 
for engagement. We must be in the Mideast. We must draw the parties 
together. We must find a solution. We must save lives.

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