[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3305]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     THE HOUSE ALSO SHOULD CONDEMN THE HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN GAZA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ellison) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, today I voted in favor of House Resolution 
951 to condemn rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel and the death and 
fear those attacks have caused. These rocket attacks must be condemned, 
and they must be stopped. I've been to Sderot, and I have seen how 
these rocket attacks cause fear and suffering among the people there, 
where it is extremely difficult to carry on anything approaching a 
normal life. The residents of Sderot and now Ashkelon face a daily 
barrage of rockets, and that is intolerable. Terrorists are bombing 
citizens, not soldiers. There is nothing in Islam to justify hurting 
innocent civilians. Bombers cannot use religion to justify what they're 
doing, and I condemn it.
  But this resolution is not enough. If we want to be morally 
consistent, we must condemn rocket attacks on Israel and also condemn 
the humanitarian crisis in Gaza too. The 1.4 million inhabitants of the 
Gaza Strip exist in a state of dreadful isolation, quite literally cut 
off from the world. Basic supplies and necessities are at a minimum. 
Ninety percent of the industry has closed down. Unemployment is 
rampant, and poverty and disease are endemic. Only a few weeks ago, the 
people of Gaza broke through walls to buy groceries in Egypt. I regret 
the resolution we voted on today did not devote adequate attention, in 
my view, to the plight of the people of Gaza.
  To suggest that this is the Gazans' just desserts for voting the 
wrong way in the Palestinian legislative elections in January 2006 does 
nothing to improve the quality or alleviate the human suffering on 
either side of the border. We in Congress need to show compassion for 
the people of Gaza, Sderot, and Ashkelon and the tremendous human 
suffering they are undergoing. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says 
he does not want the humanitarian crisis in Gaza to continue, and the 
Bush administration should do all it can to help him meet that 
commitment.
  This resolution criticizes one of the leading advocates for stability 
and peace in the region: Egypt. The Egyptian Government has made it 
clear that it is doing all it can to close off smuggling. What's needed 
is a greater degree of cooperation with Egypt. This resolution does 
nothing to advance that cooperation. We need to engage Egypt, not pass 
resolutions that publicly offend or diminish our relations with them. 
Absent strong evidence that Egypt is complicit in allowing weapons 
smuggling to occur, I am not in favor of Egypt bashing.
  I understand Egypt is doing what it can to control the border despite 
restrictions on its security forces imposed by Egypt's peace treaty 
with Israel. If Egypt had direct contact or diplomatic channels with 
all parties involved in the conflict, the United States should prevail 
upon Egypt to help effect a prisoner exchange, stop the rocket attacks 
on Israeli citizens, and improve the humanitarian conditions for 
citizens of Gaza.
  It's a fortunate coincidence that the Secretary of State is in the 
region right now, and I am supportive of her taking an active role in 
resolving this conflict. Beyond resolutions and expressions of 
sympathy, we need real actions from the Bush administration to solidify 
and advance the commitments of leaders in the Middle East to a lasting 
peace through the two-state solution envisioned well before Annapolis. 
I ask my colleagues here in the House to join me in urging the 
Secretary of State to highlight the humanitarian needs of ordinary 
citizens of Gaza alongside the fear and death among ordinary Israelis 
as she seeks to mediate the situation so tragic for all involved.
  Finally, as a Member of Congress, I am concerned about the 
resolution's references to Iran. Now, I agree that Iran is playing a 
negative role in the region, but we have seen what the Bush 
administration has done with past congressional resolutions. I want to 
repeat that there is nothing in the resolution that should be construed 
as a justification for military action. I remain opposed to military 
action against Iran. We need to start a bilateral dialogue. That has 
been and will continue to be my position. The most effective way to 
stop Iran's harmful activities is to engage them directly.
  Mr. Speaker, though I wholeheartedly condemn the rocket attacks on 
Israel, I urge my colleagues to consider the suffering of all of the 
people, including the people of Sderot, Ashkelon, and Gaza.

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