[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 10281]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  ISRAEL HAS A RIGHT TO DEFEND ITSELF

  (Mr. PENCE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PENCE. As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I have 
been a strong supporter of the U.S.-Turkish alliance. I've been to 
Ankara, Turkey. I have met with officials there. I knew the President 
before he was President of Turkey.
  So you can imagine my dismay, Mr. Speaker, with the recent aggressive 
action by Turkey toward our most cherished ally, Israel. The complicity 
of Turkey in launching a flotilla to challenge the blockade in Gaza, 
the ensuing violence that occurred, the grievous loss of life is deeply 
troubling to those of us who have supported the U.S.-Turkish alliance 
in the past.
  A few things need to be said. We grieve the loss of life, but Israel 
has a right to defend itself, and Turkey must know that America will 
stand with Israel in her inviolate right to defend herself. There is no 
humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Ten thousand tons of food and medical 
supplies are transferred into Gaza every single week, and the blockade 
has saved lives.
  Hamas used the Gaza strip to launch vicious and brutal attacks, 
thousands of rockets on civilians. It costs lives in Gaza. It costs 
lives in Israel. Turkey needs to count the cost. Turkey needs to decide 
whether its present course is in its long-term interests, but America 
will stand with Israel.

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