[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 7]
[House]
[Pages 10338-10348]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 THE ISRAELI BLOCKADE AND THE FLOTILLA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 2009, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Weiner) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. WEINER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
and include extraneous material on the subject of the Special Order 
that I and Leader Hoyer will be convening for the following hour.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.

[[Page 10339]]


  Mr. WEINER. Mr. Speaker and my colleagues, in the overnight hours of 
May 31, about 10 days ago, news broke that we now have become very 
familiar with--the previous speaker referred to it, and several of my 
colleagues have come to the floor this evening to talk about it--where 
a flotilla coming from Turkey was intercepted as part of the effort of 
the State of Israel to defend a blockade that was set up.
  I want to spend the next hour talking a little bit about that boat 
and how it progressed, where it came from and why, and perhaps 
importantly drill into a little bit the idea of what the blockade is 
all about and what the history was. It is impossible to fully 
understand this issue only looking at it from the point of Israeli 
naval officers climbing on board a ship and saying, okay, I think I 
understand the story because I see that picture. That would no more be 
the truth than to watch the closing scene of Casablanca and say, okay, 
I understand what happened in this movie.
  This was indeed a tragic thing. Anytime there is loss of life, 
anytime you have military officers, commandos climbing on a boat, 
something has broken down, something has failed. But what I don't think 
is fully understood, and still to this day isn't understood at capitals 
around the world, is who initiated this thing and why it was initiated.
  Make no mistake about it, my colleagues, as Leader Hoyer will be 
mentioning when he arrives here shortly, the condemnation that rang 
around the world against Israel is almost a default position in 
European and Arab capitals of the world. There is almost no surprise. 
It is also true that those very same quarters are the ones that 
criticize the United States at just about any opportunity. And in many 
of those same places you also see far too much joyous chest beating 
anytime something like this goes down where the United States or Israel 
is involved.
  It was undoubtedly unfortunate that it occurred, but it didn't happen 
by accident. If you look at the history of this incident, it actually 
started not on May 31, when the sailors climbed aboard that boat, but 
it started on May 17, a couple of weeks earlier. What happened then? 
What happened then was the Israeli Government got wind of the idea that 
this flotilla was leaving from Cyprus, Turkey, and said, look, 
understand that there is a blockade around Gaza that controls what can 
get inside of Gaza for obvious reasons that I will go into further 
later. But, frankly, to stop weapons from going into Gaza, because it 
is weapons and missiles that have come into the Gaza Strip, which is 
controlled by the terrorist organization Hamas, that have been used to 
terrorize Israelis. Terrorize to the magnitude of about 10,000 rockets 
have left from Gaza since Israel left it in 2007 and Gaza was 
controlled by Hamas.
  So they say we have an internationally recognized blockade that's 
been supported by both the Bush and Obama administrations to prevent 
ships from coming in without their having their goods inspected. So 
what the Israeli Government did is they reached out internationally to 
the sponsors of this boat and to the people on the boat and said, look, 
you are welcome to bring your supplies here to Gaza.
  So it was on May 31 that this boat was intercepted off the coast of 
Gaza, but it was May 17 that Israel said, look, if you are interested 
in bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza, you are welcome to do it. All you 
have to do is bring it into Ashdod, which is right here, and we will 
look at the goods, make sure there is nothing dangerous in there, and 
then we will allow it to be escorted into Gaza via truck.
  That's not an unusual occurrence. In fact, as of this morning 11,972 
trucks during this period of time the blockade has been in effect have 
been escorted in just such a way. It's not unusual for humanitarian aid 
to come into Gaza. Despite much of the rhetoric we have heard from the 
international community, Israel facilitates it through a process.
  Now, the people on those boats, this humanitarian boat that 
theoretically was trying to bring humanitarian aid to Gaza, said, no, 
we are going to take this flotilla of boats and we are going to go into 
the teeth of this blockade. They were reportedly warned repeatedly, and 
no one has disputed that. They were warned, look, a blockade is 
essentially a military thing.
  It is the same type of thing that we used in our blockade of Cuba. It 
is a recognized blockade. Because if you think about it, there aren't a 
lot of ways--if you look at the map here, this little stretch of land 
is what we are talking about. It borders Israel on some sides. Egypt, 
which is a participant in the blockade, they support and help support 
the blockade that Israel has. This huge coast here has been used in the 
past, particularly by the nation of Iran, to import weapons in.
  But instead, this humanitarian ship, which was no humanitarian ship 
as we later learned, this humanitarian ship, said, no, we are going to 
keep going. Now, I ask you, ladies and gentlemen, none of us are naval 
officers in this Chamber. Actually, Congressman Sestak is a naval 
officer, and I don't see him here today. But when it comes to enforcing 
a blockade, you don't have a lot of tools in your quiver.
  Now, there are some ways that you can debilitate a boat, that you can 
stop its rotors from turning by essentially jamming it up from waters 
underneath. That was done with one, two, three, four, five of the other 
boats that you didn't hear about in the newspaper. But those boats were 
stopped using the efforts of the military in Israel to stop them in the 
most peaceful way possible.
  Now, if a boat is coming into a blockade and it might pose a threat 
to Israel or to the United States, I mean, you can very easily change 
the names of the country and say a boat was coming from Yemen to the 
United States, and it's coming in and it wants to cruise down into the 
East River. Of course the United States would not let that happen, and 
the Coast Guard would say you are going to stop right here so we can 
inspect what's on this boat. And if they kept going, certainly we would 
not say, oh, that's okay. Every step necessary would be taken to stop 
them.
  Well, that's kind of what happened here. What effectively happened 
was this boat said we are not going to stop, and they said we are going 
to leave the Israelis with no opportunity except to board the boat. 
That's what created the conflict. Israel did not create the conflict. 
They were essentially in a defensive posture, saying this is the line, 
don't cross it; and we are going to give you every opportunity before 
you reach the line to avert this conflict. The people on the boat chose 
not to. They wanted this conflict. They wanted this conflict. They did 
not want to deliver humanitarian aid; they wanted this conflict.
  Well, once the conflict was upon the Israelis, I think by just about 
any definition of restraint the Israelis used restraint. They climbed 
aboard with quite literally paint guns on their shoulders to use when 
they landed. The only arms that they had were sidearms for the personal 
protection of these guys. And when they lowered themselves down on the 
boat, they were set upon by these humanitarian peace activists, I say 
with my tongue firmly in cheek. They were set upon with knives. They 
were set upon with steel poles. They were set upon with bullets. There 
were magazines and casings on the boat that did not match any of the 
Israeli sidearms. It was tragic that that happened. It was sad that it 
happened. But it was almost entirely the decision of the people on that 
boat.
  Now, I say almost entirely, because that boat did not just appear out 
of the ether. It didn't just appear out of thin air. It had an enormous 
amount of support by some of the worst enemies of peace in that region, 
and some of the worst enemies, quite literally, not only of Israel, but 
of the United States as well. And I mean Turkey, Iran, Hamas. These are 
not entities that were looking for some peaceful resolution here.
  Remember, once again to reiterate, here in the Gaza Strip, when 
elections were held in Israel, Israel does not any longer occupy the 
West Bank or Gaza. They left. They left it to the Palestinian people. 
This part here, the West Bank, is run by the Palestinian Authority.

[[Page 10340]]

  Many of my colleagues know Mahmoud Abbas was here in Washington today 
and met with the President. This is a place that's had a great deal of 
economic growth. There has been a reduction in the amount of violence 
coming out of the West Bank. There are still problems, and I still 
think it is outrageous we provide any aid to the West Bank or Gaza so 
long as Mahmoud Abbas refuses to engage in direct negotiations for 
peace.
  But putting that aside for a moment, in this area here, not the 
Palestinian Authority or Fatah, but Hamas, the terrorist organization 
Hamas that is funded by Iran, that gets their weapons from Iran and is 
in a declared state of war with Israel, has said they don't support a 
two-state solution, they support a no-State of Israel solution.
  Now, who is it that has been supporting that? Actually, it's not 
Egypt here. They have been working very hard to enforce the border that 
they have here and help to enforce the embargo. But it's basically 
Iran. Iran has been exporting terror here, not only here, by the way, 
but also up here to Hezbollah, to Nasrallah in Lebanon through their 
agent Syria. But that is why the blockade exists. It's not just because 
Israel wants conflict. Quite the opposite: it's to try to prevent 
essentially a war going on here with more and more rockets and more and 
more armaments coming on shore.
  So when this embargo is enforced, it's not only protecting the people 
of Israel; it's protecting the United States, because this is a way 
that Iran wants to set up essentially what is an agent of their own in 
the Middle East. That's what they want.
  So when the Israelis boarded the boat, they were set upon. The 
sailors were beaten. They were stabbed and shot, as I said. And when 
the dust settles, we had an opportunity, as all the world did, to see 
what was on that boat.
  Let me tell you what the humanitarian aid was that was on that boat: 
100 units of metal rods of various length--well, I am sure that was 
going to feed a lot of children; 200 knives of various sizes; 150 
military-style and Turkish-produced self-defense vests, military-style; 
seven electric saws; 100 pipe wrenches; 50 wooden clubs; 20 axes; a 
telescopic sight for a gun; four night vision goggles; 100 diving 
lights; 150 head lamps; and of course boxes and boxes and boxes of 
propaganda and tapes, all of them in Turkish.
  Now, if there was a true interest on the part of this boat of 
providing food or aid to the people of Gaza, I believe they had an 
opportunity, obviously, to go to Ashdod and drive it in. They did not 
want that.
  So what is the correct response of the United States and the world 
community when confronted with these facts? Well, we have a couple of 
things. First of all, we should understand that even if we are the last 
country on Earth that understands the facts that I have been laying out 
here, even if we are the last country on Earth that understands the 
importance of Israel's role in the region and how they are set upon in 
a similar way that the United States was on September 11, except the 
difference is they have that every day, we should stand with Israel. 
Even if we are the last country on Earth saying it, we should say, 
look, the facts are the facts here.
  As much as we would like to say Turkey is a player for peace here, 
no, they were a player for war here. And as much as we might like to 
say you know what, boy, I wish everyone would just get along in that 
region, it's Israel who is now sitting at the bargaining table for 
peace and the Palestinians who are refusing to do so.

                              {time}  1845

  But I think, my colleagues, we also have to consider something else, 
and that is all our relationships with some of the players who are 
behind us. Let's consider Turkey. This would not have happened were it 
not for the nation of Turkey taking the role that they did. They funded 
the ship. They provided international cover. The Turkish Foundation for 
Human Rights and Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief, IHH as it's known in 
Turkey, has been linked to Hamas, and they helped to fund this. The 
Turkish Government just today voted against sanctions on Iran because, 
hey, this is apparently an agent, a country that they would like to be 
an agent for.
  And for a lot of time, we kind of worship at the altar of the 
moderate Muslim state, the moderate Arab states that, you know what, we 
hope that they are there to be a fulcrum for peace, but it's not unlike 
a child wanting to see a unicorn. It would be great if it happened, but 
we have to realize the facts are the facts, and NATO membership for 
Turkey has to be called into question here. We have to start to say to 
ourselves whose side is Turkey really going to be on, because what they 
did here is, rather than being an instrument for peace where they could 
have very easily said, We're sponsoring this boat. Go to Ashdod right 
here and offload the humanitarian aid. Or, We're sponsoring this boat. 
We're not going to have cases of knives on board. We're going to have 
cases of baby food because we want to help the people of Gaza.
  That hasn't happened. And we also have to realize something else, and 
then I want to yield to some of my colleagues who have joined me.
  We have to realize that the default position of Europe and the Arab 
capitals of the world is always going to be against Israel. We can't 
allow that and that alone to be the determinant of whether or not, of 
how our foreign policy is prosecuted. There's a terrorist state that 
controls Gaza right now. It's a terrorist state that, if they could, 
they would destroy the United States of America tomorrow, and they're 
starting with Israel.
  The gentleman from Connecticut has been a great leader on this issue. 
I will be glad to yield to him.
  Mr. HIMES. I thank the gentleman from New York for his eloquent 
treatment of the facts, and I thank him for focusing on the facts at 
hand.
  One of the most disheartening aspects of the flotilla situation was 
the extent to which the facts were initially set aside by much of the 
world, and instead, prejudice was allowed to emerge, a prejudice 
against our ally, Israel. And we subsequently learned, of course, that 
the facts are a good deal more complicated than perhaps we were led to 
believe initially. As my colleague from New York points out, this was a 
flotilla with more than one agenda, a flotilla with a clear intention 
of provoking the kind of response that was ultimately provoked. And 
make no mistake, there's not a person in this Chamber or anywhere else 
that isn't saddened by the loss of life in the Mediterranean.
  But I'd like to step back for a moment, away from the immediate facts 
that Mr. Weiner did such a good job at articulating, to some larger 
issues that cannot be lost in the week-to-week, the day-to-day of our 
relationship with the State of Israel.
  The best way I can encapsulate what I'm talking about here is that 
Israel, for the United States, is family. We speak of a special 
relationship with Great Britain. We have at least a special 
relationship with the nation of Israel. It is a relationship of family. 
In some cases, very literally. In other cases, and for this Nation as a 
whole, we are family because we share so many values, so many of these 
values that are incorporated into this building, into our constitutive 
documents, our Judeo-Christian values, to which we owe a debt of 
obligation to Israel. And, of course, it is the only democracy in a 
very, very dangerous region. For that reason alone, we would resonate 
with the State of Israel. And, of course, something that is all too 
often forgotten, the economic ties that we have, the economic 
similarities, economies based on innovation and creativity.
  All three of these things make Israel family, and we can't lose sight 
of this as the facts are outed. As investigations are undertaken, we 
can't lose track of that underlying fact, especially in a world where 
our family is at risk--and this room is full of fathers and mothers, 
and we know what that phrase means.
  I traveled to Israel last summer, and I stood at Sderot and saw how 
close

[[Page 10341]]

and how severe the risks of Hamas, an entity dedicated to the 
destruction of the State of Israel, how that is not abstract. In fact, 
that is barely an arm's length away from the State of Israel. To the 
north, of course, Hezbollah, another entity, sponsored by Iran, 
dedicated to the eradication of the State of Israel. And, of course, 
Iran itself, not far away and hell bent on the creation of weapons of 
mass destruction and leaving absolutely no ambiguity about what it 
would do with those weapons of mass destruction.
  I'm not saying that any of that changes the facts that my colleague 
from New York has laid on the table that will be investigated, that 
will be considered, that will probably be most interestingly and 
comprehensively investigated by Israel herself. But we cannot, any more 
than we lose loyalty to our sons and daughters, our cousins, our 
brothers and sisters and our spouses, forget that we are talking about 
family, and that when family is at risk, we lean in to our family, and 
we remind the world that there is a reason why Israel is part of our 
family--a reason of values, a reason of democracy, and the reason that 
we stand here today to remind the world that Israel is our family.
  Mr. WEINER. I appreciate his thoughts and his leadership on this.
  Just to put it in further context of the relationship between the 
United States and Israel, this is a tiny town of Sderot that you 
mentioned in your remarks. In the period of time since Gaza has been 
controlled by Hamas, there have been 6,066 rockets fired from that area 
into Sderot, 4,434 mortars. And I ask my colleagues to envision your 
town, envision the district that you represent, envision this city 
being under that type of barrage from a specific place. Do you think a 
blockade would be an excessive step to take? And that's why it's so 
important that we stand here today, and it's particularly important 
that Leader Hoyer asked us to gather today to make these points.
  And before I yield to anyone else, I want to yield to the majority 
leader of the House of Representatives, Steny Hoyer.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank my friend for yielding. I thank my friend for 
leading this effort at my request, and I thank those who have joined in 
in raising our voice to defend actions that really need no defense, 
actions that any nation on Earth would take if it were similarly 
threatened, any nation on Earth.
  Mr. Speaker, in the early morning hours of Monday, May 31, Israel 
naval forces intercepted six ships carrying mostly Turkish 
demonstrators attempting to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip. There 
was no confusion. That's what they said they were going to do. Israel 
gave them notice 2 weeks prior to this that they would not allow that 
to happen. So there was no confusion here about what was happening.
  Five of the six ships complied with the IDF requests. The largest of 
them, however, the Mavi Marmara, refused, clearly bent on violent 
confrontation as it was boarded by Israeli defense forces, as they knew 
they would be. There was no confusion. These IDF troops were violently 
attacked with knives, clubs, and other weapons.
  Let me remind you that in five of the six in this flotilla there was 
no violence. There was something in common on all of those ships. IDF 
forces were on all of those ships. But five of those ships, knowing 
full well that the blockade would not be allowed to be breached, 
offered no violent resistance.
  At the end of the skirmish on the Marmara, seven members of the IDF 
had suffered injuries, including gunshot wounds and head trauma, and 
nine demonstrators, tragically, on the Mavi Marmara had been killed. No 
one wanted that result. I think not even those who were committing the 
violence on the IDF forces wanted that. But once violence is initiated, 
one cannot predict the outcome.
  Those deaths are tragic. The events leading up to them deserve a full 
and scrupulous investigation. But this much, ladies and gentlemen, is 
clear. To call all the passengers of the Mavi Marmara nonviolent peace 
activists would be a victory for propaganda, not for fact. Peace 
activists don't launch attacks with knives and guns, and they certainly 
don't do so while chanting slogans calling for the death of Jews as an 
al Jazeera broadcast showed. Not an Israeli broadcast, but an Al-
Jazeera broadcast showed the chants from those ships, from this ship, 
Kill the Jews.
  However much we lament those nine deaths--and we do so--the fact is 
that the IDF was faced with an organized, violent assault and responded 
in self-defense, as we would expect any of our own forces to do 
wherever they may be sent to defend our country. Unfortunately, but not 
unsurprisingly, this incident has renewed international condemnation 
for Israel's blockade of Gaza from countries I suggest to my colleagues 
that would do exactly the same thing.
  I cannot believe there's a country in Europe, in Asia, in Africa, in 
South America, or on the North American continent that would not say, 
If you breach this blockade that we have in place for our own security, 
we will confront you and stop you.
  But that blockade exists for a reason: to keep weapons out of the 
hands of Hamas, a terrorist organization dedicated to the destruction 
of Israel and to random attacks on Israeli civilians.
  Mr. Weiner has been pointing out the map. Probably most of us on this 
floor who are going to speak have been to Sderot. Some of us have been 
in the gymnasium that is an armed camp where it is the only safe place 
for the children of Sderot to play. Some have been with me to Sderot.
  The attack on Israeli civilians has continued without abatement. I 
don't mean that it hasn't lessened from time to time, but never has 
there been a time when Israelis felt that the violence was concluded, 
because Hamas has made it clear that it will not conclude.
  Hamas is dedicated to the destruction of Israel and to random attacks 
on Israeli civilians. The blockade was launched with the cooperation of 
Israel's neighbor Egypt when Hamas staged a violent coup to expel its 
political rivals and seize total control of Gaza. Who were its 
political rivals? Palestinians. The elected leadership of the 
Palestinian Authority.
  And the blockade could end today, my friends, if Hamas recognized 
Israel's right to exist--as is the principle of the United Nations--
gave up its commitment to murdering civilians, and released the Israeli 
soldier it holds captive.
  To the extent that life is hard for those in Gaza, the prime cause is 
the terrorist organization that keeps them hostage, holds power through 
violence, and monopolizes the food and humanitarian supplies that 
Israel allows across the border.
  Indeed, ladies and gentlemen, my colleagues, pay close attention to 
this point. Indeed, it is Hamas, not Israel, that is currently 
preventing the humanitarian goods from this very flotilla from reaching 
the Palestinians in Gaza. Not the blockade, but Hamas.
  Finally, the United States should and will resist all one-sided 
attempts to condemn Israel at the United Nations. The UN, a body 
committed by its charter to universal human rights, has for much of its 
history, unfortunately, been sadly fixated on singling Israel out for 
condemnation--the only democratic nation in that region of the world 
that recognizes human rights. And we see the Supreme Court of Israel 
saying, time after time, you cannot do that government. That is a 
nation of laws. Yet it has been singled out for condemnation as much 
more serious crimes and crises have gone unaddressed throughout the 
world.
  The biased record extends beyond the infamous 1975 resolution 
equating Zionism with racism. The U.N. General Assembly has convened an 
emergency special session 10 times. Not, I would suggest to you, when 
the North Koreans killed, obviously premeditatedly, 46 individuals in 
their ship of South Korea in South Korean borders.

                              {time}  1900

  Six of the times that they met out of 10 have focused on one small 
besieged nation, Israel, while no emergency session was ever held on 
the Rwandan

[[Page 10342]]

genocide, not held on the ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, not held on 
the genocide in Sudan.
  The 2001 U.N. World Conference Against Racism neglected racism around 
the world to again single out, almost exclusively, Israel and Zionism. 
The U.N. Human Rights Council, whose members include Saudi Arabia, 
China, and Cuba, has only one permanent topic on its official agenda. 
Now, I have mentioned three genocides that have occurred. They are not 
on that agenda. Israel. Even Secretary-General Kofi Annan criticized 
the Human Rights Council for its ``disproportionate focus on violations 
by Israel.''
  Should Israel comply with international law and the mores and values 
of the international community? Yes. Does it? Yes, yes, it does. And 
like every Nation, however, it enjoys the right to self-defense.
  This troubled history is exactly why I'm skeptical that the United 
Nations will treat Israel justly now. What happened on Mavi Marmara 
needs a real investigation, not one colored by years of one-sided bias.
  Mr. Speaker, despite what happened last Monday, the fundamentals of 
this conflict remain just as they were the day before. The overwhelming 
majority of Israelis want to live in peace with the Palestinians side-
by-side in two States. So I believe do most Palestinians, but the 
extremism and hate of groups like Hamas stands in the way.
  In my view, Mr. Speaker, there were those on those ships who sought 
this confrontation. Again, not for the purposes of humanitarian relief 
but for propaganda and for putting Israel at risk from those who wish 
its destruction. It is not a secret wish. It is an articulated wish. 
All the world knows the intent of Hamas: to destroy Israel and remove 
Jews from the Middle East because they say so.
  Let us not be confused, Mr. Speaker. Finding a way to peace is 
fiercely difficult. It should not be made more difficult by those who 
see more propaganda value than human values and these loss of lives.
  I thank my friend from New York for leading this Special Order that 
is so important so that our voices are heard here and around the world 
as it relates to our commitment to the sovereignty, security, and 
safety of Israel.
  Mr. WEINER. Well, I thank you, and before the majority leader leaves 
the floor, I think on behalf of all of us in this institution, long 
before you were the majority leader here, it was hard to think of a 
Member of the United States Congress in maybe anytime in the 62-year 
history of Israel that has had a stronger sense of commitment to the 
U.S.-Israel relationship than you, whether it was leading this body in 
a condemnation of the Goldstone Report, a one-sided document produced 
by the United Nations; leading this institution in support for Israel 
and, in fact, for the United States during the Gaza war.
  It is important, that final note that you made about who Hamas is, 
they are an enemy of Israel for sure, but they're also an outpost for 
Iran. We have something very strong in common with Israel beyond just 
our common sense of democracy and culture. We have the common enemy 
that when this boat was traveling, it was traveling essentially doing 
the bidding of Iran, and we have to recognize that Israel is on the 
front line of what is essentially a threat to us.
  I want to thank you on behalf of all of us who fight all the time to 
keep that Israel-United States relationship close for all that you have 
done in leading this institution.
  Mr. HOYER. I thank my friend for his comments and thank him for his 
leadership.
  Mr. WEINER. It is also important that we recognize something else 
that the majority leader said about the use of human shields on that 
boat. There were probably some people on that boat who were completely 
without malice; although most of the loudest voices made it very clear 
that all of them that we heard seemed to want nothing more than 
conflict and more than having Israel wiped from the face of the Earth. 
But remember, when there was the war in Gaza, when there was the war in 
Lebanon, the one thing consistent about agents of Iran that they always 
do, these terrorist organizations, they're always using human shields. 
They're putting civilians and putting weapons in the neighborhoods of 
civilians all the time.
  I yield to the gentleman from New York.
  Mr. MAFFEI. I thank the gentleman from New York. I also thank the 
gentleman from Florida for his graciousness.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to address exactly what the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Weiner) was talking about and, that is, Iran's involvement 
and what we can do about it. Indeed, it has been since 2007 that 
Israel, along with Egypt, has instituted this blockade of the Gaza 
strip to stop individuals from smuggling weapons, and over the course 
of the blockade, as we have already talked about, Israeli defense 
forces have diverted numerous ships, all without incident. Nobody ever 
wishes for fatalities or injuries to occur during the enforcement of a 
blockade, but the fundamental thing to understand is that Israel has 
the same right to self-defense as any country.
  Days before the incident, Israel notified Turkey and other 
governments participating that it would not allow flotillas to breach 
the blockade at Gaza, and as Mr. Weiner indicated at the beginning of 
this hour, humanitarian aid was allowed to be off-loaded in the Port of 
Ashdod.
  I am confident that the Israeli government will conduct a full and 
credible investigation regarding this incident, and it is imperative 
that we draw on the special relationship that endures between the 
United States and Israel and continue to stand by our ally.
  But I'm even more concerned that the media circus surrounding this 
incident may distract us from the real threat that Iran continues to 
pose, not just to Israel, not even just to its neighbors, but to the 
entire world, including the United States. The blockade was largely due 
to Iran's continued efforts to smuggle weapons, and we must keep an eye 
on that.
  Now, in fact, the U.N. Security Council actually passed a resolution 
today, Resolution 1929, which imposes new sanctions against Iran 
because of its suspected nuclear weapon program, the Revolutionary 
Guard, ballistic missiles, and nuclear-related investments. The 
resolution does expand on three previous sanctions on Iran by 
strengthening and expanding existing measures and breaking ground in 
several new areas.
  What the majority leader said about the United Nations is correct. We 
must always be somewhat skeptical about their resolutions. So the fact 
that even the United Nations is now passing this resolution should 
indicate a strong message about how dangerous Iran continues to be.
  It is increasingly important that the United States stand with the 
State of Israel and impose even stronger sanctions than the U.N. has. A 
nuclear-capable Iran poses a major threat to the entire world. By 
combining a nuclear weapon with a current missile program, Tehran would 
be capable of targeting American troops and its allies throughout the 
Middle East and beyond.
  Iran is one of the leading sponsors of terrorism and continues to 
spout anti-Semitic rhetoric regarding the State of Israel. President 
Obama has stated all options should remain on the table for dealing 
with Iran. However, currently tough sanctions that are strictly 
enforced remain the best option to try to persuade Iran's leaders to do 
away with their nuclear program.
  Both Chambers of the 111th Congress have already passed Iran 
sanctions legislation. Currently, the conference committee has been 
working on reconciling these different bills. The legislation would 
increase pressure on Iran by restricting their ability to purchase or 
refine petroleum products. Despite being one of the largest producers 
of crude oil in the world, Iran lacks adequate refining capability to 
meet its own domestic needs for gasoline.
  I believe only a consistent and appropriately tough sanctions policy 
will give the level of pressure on the current despotic State of Iran 
that has

[[Page 10343]]

any chance of persuading Iran to drop its nuclear ambitions. The 
refusal of Iran to accept the existence of the State of Israel helped 
lead to the unrest in Gaza which helped lead to this incident.
  The U.N. Security Council resolution is a good step, but America has 
an obligation to lead and not just follow.
  I really thank the gentleman from New York for his indulgence.
  Mr. WEINER. I thank you. The gentleman from Florida, I would be glad 
to yield to you.
  Mr. GRAYSON. Thank you very much.
  The question that has been raised by critics of Israel for the past 
week is why is Israel intercepting ships on the so-called high seas, 
100 miles from its own shores, and the answer can be summed up in one 
simple phrase: self-defense. That simple phrase explains what we saw 
and explains Israel's continuing need to protect itself.
  Over 1,000 rockets have been fired from Gaza into the territory of 
Israel, 1,000 rockets. Imagine what we would do if 1,000 rockets were 
fired into San Diego. Imagine what we would do if 1,000 rockets were 
fired into Seattle or into Detroit or any other border area.
  In the case of Israel, 1 million people live within rocket range of 
Gaza, and those 1 million people have been living through hell for 
years with a 15-second warning to seek shelter when a rocket attacks. 
And as a result of that, 13 Israelis have died, but it's inflicted huge 
harm on the people who live within rocket range in south Israel. One-
third of all the children in south Israel suffer from post-traumatic 
stress syndrome. Again, imagine what we would do to stop such attacks 
if they were directed against us.
  That's the fundamental reason why Israel feels obliged, the Israeli 
military feels obliged, to do what it needs to do to protect its 
citizens. These ships were not in any way interfered with because they 
were carrying humanitarian aid. The ships were interfered with for one 
reason and one reason only. That's because they could have been 
carrying missiles and rockets and things that could be made into 
missiles and rockets. It's a fundamental duty of the Israeli military 
to protect the people of Israel, just as it's a fundamental duty of our 
military to protect us. What they did was what they needed to do in 
order to ensure the safety of their own people, and honestly, in the 
same circumstances, we would have done the same thing.
  Thank you very much.
  Mr. WEINER. I would say to the gentleman, I would actually argue that 
the military of Israel used such restraint. I mean, frankly, there 
aren't too many ways to stop a boat. One of the ways is to fire upon 
it. They chose to put their own sailors in jeopardy; although there 
should have been no reason to believe that they would be on a 
humanitarian boat. Why would anyone expect that someone aboard a 
humanitarian aid ship would be set upon?
  You know, to some degree the media has to be on notice that there is 
some responsibility to report the context of this thing as well, not 
just the end. When you see a sailor being tossed overboard, you know, 
it didn't seem like a very humanitarian act, and there was a shameful 
display by Reuters, who recently published a photograph of the sailor, 
the Israeli soldier, that fell on the ground, and they cropped out the 
guy standing next to him with a knife to explain where all that blood 
came from. That knife was held by someone on this humanitarian aid 
ship.
  No one knows these facts better than Jerrold Nadler from New York. I 
would be glad to yield to him at this time.
  Mr. NADLER of New York. Thank you, and I thank you for organizing 
this Special Order.
  It has been absolutely galling to watch the hypocrisy and the fury, 
the underserved fury directed at Israel for taking a step in its own 
self-defense. The so-called ``Freedom flotilla,'' which went to break 
the blockade of Gaza, had to be intercepted. Israel and Egypt have been 
blockading Gaza. They've been blockading it not as humanitarian 
materials. Thousands and thousands of tons of humanitarian materials 
and food and supplies go through the checkpoints into Gaza every month 
by truck. But ships can carry anything.
  Israel has stopped ships on the high seas carrying rockets to Gaza. 
When they were challenged and the Israeli government urged the Turks 
not to allow this flotilla to sail the way it was--and the Chinese by 
the way had this right. The Chinese press a day or two before the 
flotilla was intercepted printed the headline: ``Turkey Challenges 
Israel.'' Not Israel challenges Turkey. Turkey Challenges Israel by 
sending these ships knowing that the goal was to break the blockade, 
not to deliver humanitarian aid.
  When the Israelis made clear to the people on board the ships that if 
you land in Ashdod we will send all the materials straight through to 
Gaza except for any weapons we find, Greta Berlin, the head of the 
organization sponsoring it, said, no, we're not interested in 
delivering humanitarian aid.
  Mr. WEINER. If the gentleman will yield for a moment, that's right 
here. It's not like they were being diverted somewhere far off.
  Mr. NADLER of New York. They were in armed rocket range.
  Mr. WEINER. Exactly.

                              {time}  1915

  Mr. NADLER of New York. Twelve miles, to be precise. Greta Berlin 
said, no, the aim is to break the blockade.
  Now, a lot of people, a lot of countries were saying, the President 
of France, ``How dare they intercept ships on the high seas.'' ``This 
is piracy,'' said Prime Minister Erdogan of Turkey.
  Well, the law is very clear. If you are fighting someone--and Israel 
is fighting Hamas; Hamas controls the territory and has declared war on 
Israel and said that war will not stop until Israel is destroyed, maybe 
a ceasefire from time to time, but this war must continue until Israel 
is destroyed, as far as Hamas is concerned--then you are subject to 
blockade. That is a tactic of war.
  And in a blockade, you can board the ship, you can, in fact, sink the 
ship if that's the only way to enforce the blockade, in international 
waters as long as it's clear that it's going to a blockaded area. And 
that's from the U.S. Naval Commander's Handbook.
  But why was this being done? Because, we are told, they have to break 
the blockade. Why do they have to break the blockade? Because the 
overall issue is that we must end the Israeli occupation. This is the 
real sin. This is why so many people think that Israel is wrong: 
Because it must end the occupation.
  People forget how the occupation started. The occupation of Gaza and 
the West Bank started when Israel resisted a war of aggression aimed at 
its extermination in 1967. But we are ignorant of history. History 
started 5 years ago.
  Israel wants to end the occupation. Israel has offered to end the 
occupation, but there is a problem: Who do you give the land to?
  And Israel has experience here. Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2006, 
and the U.N. said, ``We will send peacekeeping troops, and they will 
enforce Resolution 1701 to prevent the importation of rockets and 
arms.'' And what happened? There are 40,000 missiles in the possession 
of Hezbollah in Lebanon today because the U.N. peacekeepers stand 
aside. And Israel has learned that she cannot depend on the U.N. or the 
international community or anybody else to defend her.
  Gaza Israel withdrew from in 2005 and left behind agricultural 
establishments and other things. What happened? Hamas took over and 
turned it into a rocket launching pad against Israel. Over 10,000 
rockets have been launched against Israel.
  Mr. WEINER. Just so everyone understands the points that Mr. Nadler 
is making, this piece of real estate, about the size of New Jersey, now 
has a terrorist agent here in Gaza in the south; a terrorist agent up 
here in Lebanon, governed by Hezbollah, at least about 25 percent of 
its government is, and Nasrallah, and Hezbollah controls this area 
here; and a terrorist agent of Iran right here in Syria, which once

[[Page 10344]]

upon a time controlled literally the mountaintop overlooking the 
country.
  So what the gentleman is describing is terrorist, terrorist, 
terrorist functions, all in support of the same enemies of the United 
States, and that's Iran.
  Mr. NADLER of New York. But Israel still wants to end the occupation. 
Israel wants to be left in peace. Israel offered in 2000 at Camp David, 
in 2001 at Taba.
  And what was their offer? Israel said, ``We will withdraw from the 
entire Gaza Strip. We will withdraw from 97 percent of the West Bank. 
We will give land swaps to the Palestinians to make it equivalent to 
100 percent of the acreage. And we will share Jerusalem. But, in 
return, they have to agree that the war is over.'' They wouldn't agree, 
and they started the first intifada.
  Prime Minister Olmert renewed the offer in 2008, but they will not 
agree to end of claims or to demilitarization. That's the real issue. 
If they would agree to that, if the Palestinians would agree that the 
West Bank cannot be used--if they gave it back, that the West Bank 
would not be used as a rocket launching pad, that Gaza would not be 
used as a rocket launching pad, that Israel could live in peace if she 
withdrew, that deal could be made. And it could be made; it's been 
offered.
  And until the Palestinians are willing to live in peace and are 
willing to talk about it--the Palestinians, even Abbas, won't even talk 
to the Israelis now, only to the Americans. Until they are willing to 
talk and make that agreement, the occupation will continue, and it will 
be the fault of the Palestinians, not the Israelis.
  Mr. WEINER. Well, the gentleman makes an excellent point. And the 
gentleman from Virginia, I know, is expert on these issues, as well. 
And it is important to understand that, just today, Mahmoud Abbas was 
in town.
  And I would gladly yield to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Nye), 
who has shown remarkable leadership on these issues in his brief time 
in the House, to pick up on some of the points that Mr. Nadler made.
  Mr. NYE. I would like to start by thanking my colleague from New York 
for laying out the issue very concisely tonight and for his leadership 
on the issue. And, as someone who has spent a significant amount of 
time, myself, both in Israel and in a number of the surrounding 
countries, I want to rise today to reaffirm the U.S.-Israeli bond of 
mutual defense and security.
  Our friendship gives us peace of mind in knowing that we will always 
have each other's support in one of the most volatile regions of the 
world. I maintain my strong support for Israel's right to exist and to 
protect herself. As the lone bastion of democracy in the region, Israel 
is our closest ally against terrorist groups, and I am committed to 
seeing our friendship continue.
  The recent loss of life off the coast of Gaza is distressing. 
However, it is troubling that many have rushed to judgment while 
failing to recognize the serious security challenges Israel faces every 
day necessitating the Gaza blockade.
  As my colleague has mentioned tonight, Hamas terrorists in Gaza 
launch frequent rocket attacks directed at Israeli towns than too often 
take the lives of innocent civilians. And, as our majority leader said 
earlier this evening in describing a trip that I joined him on last 
summer, Israeli children are forced to hide in concrete bunkers in 
order to have a safe place to play.
  Hamas makes relentless efforts to import into Gaza, through any means 
possible, the parts for these deadly rockets, complicating Israel's 
efforts to safely allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.
  Lasting peace between the Israelis and Palestinians requires that 
Israel can assure the safety of its population against terrorist 
threats. And that is why I recently introduced and helped pass in the 
House H.R. 5327, the United States-Israel Missile Defense Cooperation 
and Support Act.
  The funds authorized by the bill will allow Israel to build two Iron 
Dome missile defense batteries that will help protect Israeli citizens 
living in cities like Sderot, who have been terrorized by over 8,000 
indiscriminate rocket and mortar attacks on their homes, schools, and 
communities.
  Mr. Speaker, U.S.-Israeli cooperation on the Iron Dome system will 
help advance the cause of peace by supporting Israel's ability to 
defend civilian areas from terrorist attacks, creating the necessary 
space for a successful peace process.
  Again, I want to thank my colleague from New York for his leadership 
on the issue.
  Mr. WEINER. Well, I thank you.
  And you are exactly right. Our cooperation with the State of Israel 
has never been higher, in terms of military and intelligence.
  I yield to the gentlewoman from Florida, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a 
member of the Appropriations Committee, a powerful committee, who 
recently led a delegation to the Middle East which I was honored to be 
a part of. The House knows no stronger advocate for the U.S.-Israel 
relationship than she.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. I thank the gentleman for yielding. And it was 
an absolute pleasure to join you on the CODEL to the Middle East in 
January where we learned quite a bit about the progress of the peace 
process.
  And it has been noted by a number of our colleagues this evening that 
we cannot allow, in spite of all the recent controversy--which is 
unclear to me why a country that is defending its borders, its 
territory, and its people is controversial--but that we cannot allow it 
to take our focus off to that of a nuclear-armed Iran.
  One of the things that is unbelievable to me has been the criticism 
and the questions that have been thrown at Israel: first, that they 
supposedly boarded the flotilla ships in international waters as if 
they somehow didn't have the right to do that. That this is a legal 
blockade, there isn't any disputing that. They are well within their 
rights and, understandably, are defending their borders and their 
people.
  Because what country would not make sure that items coming in from a 
ship to an area that is run by a hostile terrorist organization would 
not be checked to make sure that they are the genuine humanitarian aid 
that the people bringing the goods in say that it is? That is simply 
common sense. And I would think that the citizens of any nation would 
expect nothing less than their government.
  But the other criticism that I have heard during the week is that 
somehow the people of Gaza--and no one denies that there is suffering 
that has gone on in Gaza. The people of Gaza went through a war. They 
continue to be ruled by a terrorist organization, and so, as a result, 
they are definitely suffering.
  But it is important to note that, over the last 18 months, Israel has 
allowed a steady flow of humanitarian aid and food to go to the people 
of Gaza. One million tons of humanitarian aid, to be specific, have 
been allowed into Gaza over the last 18 months, the equivalent of one 
ton of aid per man, woman, and child in food and materials living in 
Gaza today.
  Mr. WEINER. And I would point out, that same exact offer was made to 
this flotilla: Come to Ashdod right here. And it wasn't made an hour 
before; it was made 10 days before, as soon as the word got out, even 
before it had left port. The nation of Turkey, who was sponsoring this, 
and the sponsors of the boat were told, ``Listen, just go right here, 
and we will take a look at what you have, and then we will escort it 
militarily into Gaza for you.''
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. And just a few days later, an Irish ship, the 
Rachel Corrie, was offered the same thing, to take their goods. And 
they were also challenging the blockade, yet had a very different 
response and accepted the boarding and accepted travel to the port of 
Ashdod and had their goods offloaded.
  The point is that Israel cannot be expected to stand idly by and 
allow for goods to be flowing unchecked without making sure that there 
aren't hostile intentions behind those goods.
  And as Israel continues to face unjust criticism on the world stage, 
the United States must continue and will

[[Page 10345]]

continue to support our friend, ally, and partner. And I am so proud to 
stand with my colleagues today.
  You have a tragic situation that occurred, but we cannot forget that 
this blockade exists because Hamas, the ruling party of Gaza, is a 
terrorist organization with the sworn goal to destroy the Jewish state. 
A blockade supported by both Israel and Egypt is a means to stop the 
smuggling of illegal materials and weapons to Hamas.
  And I am so pleased that you have organized this special order hour 
this evening and look forward to continuing to stand with you.
  Mr. WEINER. I thank the gentlewoman. And as someone who represents 
south Florida, you know that if a boat came churning towards the coast, 
and let's say it came from Yemen, and it had people on it who were 
chanting ``Death to Floridians,'' and it wouldn't stop when the 
military offered it an opportunity to, we would certainly not, as 
Americans, expect to say, ``Okay, we will just see what happens when it 
reaches shore.'' You are exactly right to point out the necessity of 
stopping it in international waters. That's where blockades happen.
  I yield to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Schwartz), who also 
understands these issues and, long before she even came to this body, 
was fighting to preserve the Israel-United States relationship.
  Ms. SCHWARTZ. I appreciate your organizing this hour of special order 
and giving us the opportunity to speak about the Gaza flotilla incident 
and to speak in support of one of our Nation's closest allies, Israel.
  While the full details of the incident aboard the lead ship that came 
in under the flotilla is still under investigation, it is apparent that 
the organizers of the flotilla intentionally sought to confront Israeli 
security forces and to defy the embargo of Gaza that was established by 
Israel and Egypt.
  The organizers, the activists, as they called themselves, rejected 
means offered by Israel--that has been talked about tonight--to deliver 
the humanitarian aid used by internationally accepted organizations, 
including the Red Cross, repeatedly, to get that aid to Gaza.
  The resulting altercation and loss of life could have been avoided 
had the organizers of the flotilla agreed to Israel's repeated offers 
for them to dock at one of their ports and allow the overland transfer 
of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

                              {time}  1930

  Israel has the right to defend and protect herself. The blockade of 
Gaza exists particularly because it needs to prevent arms being 
smuggled into Gaza and to protect the citizens of Israel, who have been 
the subject of thousands of rocket attacks launched by Hamas since 
2005. Hamas, which is recognized internationally as an enemy of Israel 
and as a terrorist organization, has as its mission the destruction and 
dissolution of the State of Israel and is continuing to be a threat to 
the safety and security of the residents of Israel.
  The loss of life is tragic, but there is no question that the 
organizers of the flotilla were clearly intent on provoking a military 
response rather than delivering humanitarian aid; otherwise, they would 
have worked with Israel to transfer the supplies to Gaza.
  I see there are others who want to speak. Let me just conclude by 
saying I am proud to stand with my colleague in support of Israel and 
the right that she has to defend and protect herself. We will continue 
to work towards peace and security for Israel, and I appreciate being 
here tonight.
  Yet, in spite of the fact that Hamas is singularly focused on the 
destruction of Israel, Israel currently allows delivery of 10,000-
15,000 tons of humanitarian aid a week to the people of Gaza.
  The United States will continue to stand by our ally and friend 
Israel. And we will continue to work closely with all of our allies 
including Israel to suppress violent extremism around the world. We 
will continue to work to end hostilities in the Middle East and find a 
way to ensure security for the State of Israel and a future of peace 
for the Israeli and Palestinian people.
  But, we will do so with a keen understanding of the threats against 
Israel and the threats against the values we share. I appreciate 
joining with my colleagues in standing tonight to support our valued 
friend, Israel and its right to defend herself and protect her people.
  Mr. WEINER. I thank the gentlewoman. And I really want to apologize 
for interrupting you.
  Perhaps the most important fighter for Israel in this institution is 
the chairwoman of the subcommittee, the gentlelady from New York (Mrs. 
Lowey). I'm glad to recognize you.
  Mrs. LOWEY. I thank the gentleman for organizing this Special Order 
and providing critical details of exactly what happened.
  Let there be no doubt in anyone's mind: Israel has the right to 
defend herself and the responsibility to protect her citizens from 
Hamas, which denies Israel's right to exist and rains rockets down on 
its citizens.
  While Israel reviews the flotilla incident and considers the best way 
to implement the Gaza blockade, we must not forget that failure to 
prevent weapons and other illicit materials from reaching Hamas would 
be a dereliction of Israel's most basic responsibility to its people. I 
stand firmly in support of Israel's right to self-defense, and I am 
committed to maintaining Israel's qualitative military edge so she can 
continue to defend her citizens.
  As the blame-Israel-first crowd continues to attack our democratic 
ally, Israel, over a host of challenges in the Middle East, I am 
reminded of a simple yet powerful concept: ``Words matter.'' The 
inflammatory rhetoric surrounding events in the Middle East in recent 
weeks and months only begets more hostility and discourages efforts 
towards a lasting peace agreement which the people of Israel, the 
people of the West Bank, and the people of Gaza deserve; and these 
words can incite those encouraging violence against Israel.
  Mr. GARRETT of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, our allies in Israel are in 
the midst of an ongoing crisis. Last week, this became crystal clear 
when so-called ``freedom activists'' attacked IDF soldiers. 
Regrettably, nine activists were killed and several Israelis were 
injured.
  In the aftermath of this incident, Israel has endured criticisms from 
Turkey, the United Nations, and the press. Even the U.S. Administration 
has been somewhat muted in its support of Israel's self-defense. These 
responses mystify me when I consider the background and reality of 
recent events.
  Fact: Israel is at war with Hamas. Hamas, which is recognized as a 
terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, 
still abides by a charter which calls for the destruction of the State 
of Israel. Furthermore, Hamas continues to espouse anti-Semitic 
propaganda en masse. Since 2001, thousands of rockets have been 
launched from Gaza into civilian-populated areas in southern Israel, 
indiscriminately killing and injuring innocent, unsuspecting men, 
women, and children. That's why I introduced legislation in 2008 which 
highlighted and condemned the ongoing rocket attacks. My resolution 
passed the House with strong bi-partisan support, but the rocket 
attacks have continued.
  Fact: Israel is not at war with the peaceful citizens of Gaza. Israel 
fully withdrew its soldiers and citizens from the Gaza Strip in 2005 in 
the hopes of attaining peace and creating an environment conducive to 
negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Last week, after Israel 
diverted the flotilla to the port of Ashdod for inspection, Israel 
proceeded to transport the humanitarian cargo to the Gaza Strip. In 
fact, Israel takes a proactive stance in providing humanitarian 
supplies to Gaza's civilians.
  Fact: Israel did not violate international law by imposing a blockade 
on Gaza. Historically, any sovereign nation at war may impose a 
blockade. Egypt, for example, had imposed a blockade on Gaza. The U.S. 
itself imposed a blockade on the Confederates during the Civil War, on 
Cuba during the Cold War, and on Germany and Japan during World War II. 
Israel is justified in its attempts to prevent radical organizations 
from supplying Hamas with weapons that could eventually harm Israeli 
civilians. To further that end, I recently introduced H. Res. 1241, 
which supports Israel's right to maintain and construct security fences 
along its borders.
  Fact: The interception of the Mavi Marmara was not an isolated action 
by the Israeli Defense Forces. In recent history, Israel has peacefully 
diverted nine other ``humanitarian'' missions, inspected their cargoes, 
and delivered the aid to Gaza. The boarding tactics

[[Page 10346]]

employed last week were necessary to restrain such a large vessel.
  Fact: The main mission of the flotilla was not to provide 
humanitarian supplies for civilians in Gaza. The six ships were 
sponsored in part by the IHH, an extremist Turkish organization with 
ties to terrorist groups such Al-Qaeda. While the IDF peacefully 
boarded five of the six vessels that made up the flotilla, activists 
and militants aboard the sixth vessel had armed themselves with iron 
bars, knives, and clubs.
  Fact: Hamas is not Israel's only threat. In 2002, Israel intercepted 
a ship in the Red Sea which was carrying 50 tons of weaponry provided 
by Iran. In November of last year, Israel intercepted an Iranian ship 
carrying hundreds of tons of weaponry to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran's 
president has repeatedly declared his hatred for Israel while 
continuing his pursuit of nuclear weapon development. As a member of 
the Iran Sanctions Conference Committee, I will continue to support 
prompt, strong action to deter Iran's evil ambitions.
  I must ask those who condemn Israel, ``Have you examined the facts?'' 
It is crucial for the United States to stand beside Israel during these 
tumultuous times and I am heartened that more than a dozen senators and 
over 60 of my House colleagues have released statements supporting 
Israel. I urge the Administration, the media, and American citizens to 
join us in defending Israel from false assertions. Moreover, I 
encourage the Attorney General to prosecute any American citizen who 
aids Hamas. The strategic relationship between our two democratic 
governments must withstand the threats and actions of terrorists who 
seek to create a rift between our two nations.
  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, the long-standing conflict in the 
Middle East unfortunately has added a new and tragic event to its 
history. I deeply regret the loss of life that occurred on May 31, 2010 
when the Israel Defense Force intercepted the flotilla of six ships 
that sailed from Turkey to Gaza. Events went horribly awry when nine 
people died.
  I want to repeat my support for the State of Israel and its right to 
defend itself from terrorist attacks in the strongest terms possible. 
Since 2005, when Israel disengaged from Gaza, over 10,000 rockets have 
been fired on the Jewish State, endangering the lives of thousands of 
civilians. Israel's naval blockade of Gaza has helped to ensure that 
the supply of munitions and weapons to Hamas, which has controlled the 
Gaza Strip since 2007, is kept to the lowest extent possible. The 
flotilla incident demonstrates once again that increased pressure must 
be placed on Hamas to recognize Israel's right to exist and to renounce 
terror. In addition, progress must be made in resolving the conflict 
between the Israelis and the Palestinians so that they can live in 
peace and security.
  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, let there be no doubt in anyone's mind: 
Israel has the right to defend herself and the responsibility to 
protect her citizens from Hamas, which denies Israel's right to exist 
and rains rockets down on its citizens.
  While Israel reviews the Gaza flotilla incident and considers the 
best way to implement the Gaza blockade, we must not forget that 
failure to prevent weapons and other illicit materials from reaching 
Hamas would be a dereliction of Israel's most basic responsibility to 
its people. I stand firmly in support of Israel's right to self-defense 
and am committed to maintaining Israel's qualitative military edge so 
she can continue to defend her citizens.
  As the `Blame Israel First' crowd continues to attack our democratic 
ally Israel over a host of challenges in the Middle East, I am reminded 
of a simple--yet powerful--concept: words matter. The inflammatory 
rhetoric surrounding events in the Middle East in recent weeks and 
months only begets more hostility; discourages efforts toward a lasting 
peace agreement, which the people of Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza 
deserve; and can incite those encouraging violence against Israel.
  The Administration focused today on humanitarian and development 
assistance to strengthen the Palestinian Authority so it can serve as a 
viable partner in peace to Israel. Abu Mazen must make clear to all the 
Palestinian people that their security and a prosperous future depends 
on rejecting Hamas, recognizing Israel and working with the 
international community and Israel to achieve a two state solution.
  Despite the current, tense environment, some positive steps have been 
taken that will improve Israel's security as well as bolster U.S. 
national security interests.
  Iran continues to be an existential threat to Israel, the region and 
the world, and I am pleased today's agreement by the U.N. Security 
Council to impose multilateral sanctions on Iran will hold the regime 
accountable for its reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons. I look forward 
to Congress finalizing strong bilateral sanctions and urge European 
partners and other responsible countries to do the same.
  We must continue to strongly support the U.S.-Israel partnership 
which provides invaluable benefits to both of our countries national 
security.
  Mr. McMAHON. Mr. Speaker, Israel is the only democracy in the Middle 
East, is our strong ally and true friend. Innocent Israelis endure 
attacks far too often.
  Unfortunately, following the May 31 flotilla incident, Israel has 
come under assault in the media and international community once again.
  This has resulted in a particularly sad time for the historically 
strong partnership between Israel and Turkey. As a bridge between East 
and West, Turkey is a source of dialogue between cultures, particularly 
for the Jewish people, who have lived in Turkey for more than five 
hundred years. This history has characterized the special relationship 
between these two countries since the founding of the State of Israel 
in 1948. For this reason, Prime Minister Erdogan's brazen rhetoric, 
support for the terrorist group, Hamas, and today's decision to vote 
against sanctions in the Security Council are misguided and thoroughly 
disappointing.
  It is unfortunate that a leader, who once opened his country's doors 
to all of its neighbors, now chooses to follow the radical, 
fundamentalist maneuvers of groups like the IHH, instead of practicing 
the diplomacy for which it has been known.
  Despite what Hamas supporters may be claiming now, the May 31, 2010 
flotilla incident wasn't about bringing in supplies. It was about 
provoking Israel, a country whose people have been subject to countless 
terrorist attacks from Hamas supporters in the Gaza Strip. No one 
should be led astray, Hamas is a terrorist organization that stands for 
the annihilation of Israel and should not and cannot be accepted as a 
legitimate voice in Gaza. And, Just as America protects its borders, 
Israel--and any other country--has the right to maintain and defend its 
own borders.
  Since Israel instituted its Gaza blockade, terrorist attacks against 
Israeli civilians have dramatically decreased, and it is not hard to 
see how the Israeli government would perceive the flotilla's actions as 
a direct confrontation. Primarily, though, we need to remain focused on 
what really threatens the shared interests of all democratic 
countries--a nuclear armed Iran. This is why I believe it is in our 
country's best interest to lower tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean. 
Turkey has unfortunately disappointed the global community today with 
its vote in the UN Security Council, but the passage of the sanctions 
package is an overwhelming victory for the United States, Israel and 
the overall security of the international community.
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, over the past week and a half, in response 
to the regrettable loss of lives off the coast of Gaza, there has been 
much controversy and speculation over Israel's right to self defense. 
Yet we are reminded again of the situation Israeli families face every 
single day.
  Imagine two young parents living each day going through their mental 
check list of how to protect their children. Is the path to the shelter 
clear? Do they know each other's schedules so they can find them if 
there is a missile strike? Do the schools have their emergency numbers? 
Have they taught the kids enough to react quickly in the event of a 
strike, but not too much to scare them?
  While the kids are at school they worry about hearing sirens of an 
imminent attack from a neighboring territory and are always worried 
that it will come when they can't physically protect their children.
  When this happened in America in the early 1960s these were my 
parents' fears. But with all of these fears they knew that the United 
States would do what was necessary to protect our families and our 
country. It would prevent the weapons from falling into the hands of 
people who wanted to destroy our way of life.
  Like the United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Israelis 
have blockaded the source of the threat to their homeland.
  America was able to protect itself, and we must ensure that Israel 
has the ability to do the same.
  Mr. BOREN. Mr. Speaker, in the last few weeks, the right of Israel to 
defend itself against threats to ensure its security has come under 
attack.
  Last month, Israel Defense Forces intercepted a flotilla of vessels 
in the Mediterranean Sea manned by protestors whose aim was to provoke 
a response from Israel and prompt international disapproval of Israel's 
blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
  During this so-called ``flotilla incident,'' Israeli forces boarded 
the ships to search for weapons. They were attacked and subsequently

[[Page 10347]]

used force to protect themselves. The Turkish Humanitarian Relief 
Foundation, which organized the flotilla, has known ties to Hamas and 
other terrorist groups.
  Mr. Speaker, in the aftermath of this event, Israel has been unfairly 
and wrongly condemned for its actions. As criticism of Israel over this 
incident escalates, and investigations into the matter proceed, we must 
not forget who really is under attack--Israel.
  Israel is persistently targeted for violence by Hamas and other 
military groups in the region. Hamas, which is officially designated by 
the United States as a terrorist group, is fervently avowed to the 
destruction of Israel.
  Israel inspects cargo bound for Gaza to stem the flow of arms and 
explosives to Hamas and other militant organizations there who want to 
attack it. There is a good reason for this policy: Since Israeli forces 
withdrew from Gaza, Hamas has fired more than 7,000 rockets and mortar 
shells into Israel.
  The foremost responsibility of government is to protect the safety of 
its citizens. Many nations--including the United States--reserve the 
right to confront threats to their security, sometimes preemptively to 
eliminate imminent danger.
  Blocking the movement of weapons by sea into Gaza prevents Hamas and 
other militant groups from having the means to use violence against 
Israel to achieve their desired aims, chief among them the annihilation 
of Israel.
  Mr. Speaker, it is imperative that members of this chamber give due 
attention to the circumstantial evidence and historical facts 
surrounding the flotilla incident.
  The relationship between the United States and Israel rests firmly 
upon the foundation of more than half a century of history. It is 
grounded in mutual respect, supported by shared values, and guided by 
common interests.
  For these reasons, we must remain resolutely committed to uphold 
Israel's right to self-defense.
  I urge my fellow colleagues also to voice their support for Israel on 
this important issue.
  Mr. SULLIVAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of one of the 
U.S.'s strongest and most steadfast allies, Israel. Since the tragic 
events of May 31, 2010, many have publicly questioned the right of 
Israel to defend herself by blockading terrorist-controlled Gaza. I 
believe that this blockade is a necessary measure to stop the shipment 
of weapons and prevent the loss of innocent lives in the region. After 
careful examination of the facts, I am confident Israel's right to 
defend herself will be sustained in the eyes of the international 
community.
  Israel plays an intricate role in United States foreign policy and 
provides the United States with a staunch ally in the region. As the 
only free market economy and viable democracy in the Middle East, it is 
essential that Israel and the United States continue this mutually 
beneficial partnership. We should continue to support this valuable 
ally in their fight against terrorism and extremism.
  I encourage the international community to recognize this basic right 
of Israel and encourage my colleagues to join me in making clear that 
the United States cares deeply about our friend and ally and we will 
not allow their right to their own defense compromised because of the 
actions of Hamas extremists who seek to do them harm.
  Mr. LEWIS of California. Mr. Speaker, Israel has the right and the 
duty to defend itself and its citizens. Part of its defense includes 
seeking to inspect ships run by Islamist extremist groups. These 
extremists were seeking to enter Hamas-controlled Gaza despite repeated 
requests from the Israeli government not to do so.
  I am very concerned by these recent events that have occurred in the 
Mediterranean Sea. As we now know, on Monday, May 31, the Israel 
Defense Forces intercepted six ships, known as the ``Free Gaza'' 
flotilla. We have learned that this flotilla attempted to break 
Israel's blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Although many 
have said that its primary aim was to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, 
it seems apparent that its main objective was to provoke Israel and 
disrupt the blockade. More than a million tons of humanitarian aid and 
medical supplies have entered Gaza through the Port of Ashod and other 
already established routes. The blockade was set in place to prevent 
weapons from being smuggled into Gaza. Although I am deeply saddened by 
the loss of human life that occurred during the interception of the 
flotilla, I do feel that the Israeli soldiers had every right to defend 
their lives against a hostile group who attacked them with clubs and 
knives.
  The United States must stand by Israel and its right to self defense.
  Ms. BERKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in solidarity with the State 
of Israel and all peace-loving nations who seek to defend their 
citizens and put an end to terrorism. Unfortunately, we live in an age 
when those simple goals are under threat and we face enemies who will 
use any means at their disposal to indiscriminately kill men, women and 
children who stand in their way.
  As the world knows, on May 31, the Israeli navy stopped a flotilla of 
six ships headed toward the Gaza Strip. These ships were flying under 
Turkish flags and claimed to be carrying tons of humanitarian aid for 
the people of Gaza. However, the real goal of these so-called ``peace 
activists'' was--in their own words--to break the Israeli blockade of 
Gaza and allow Hamas to import whatever they want to Gaza, including 
weapons. But these activists should remember that Hamas can end the 
blockade at any moment by recognizing Israel's right to exist, ending 
the violence and releasing Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been 
held by Hamas without access to the Red Cross for four years.
  When the Israeli navy attempted to commandeer the boats and bring 
them to Israeli ports for inspection, most of the passengers aboard the 
boats cooperated and used only non-violent, passive resistance to 
impede the Israeli efforts. However, one of the boats was filled with 
members of an Islamist group with connections to Hamas and Hezbollah, 
called IHH (Insani Yardim Vakfi). These ``peace activists'' immediately 
attacked the Israeli soldiers with knives, metal bars, wrenches, clubs 
and rocks. The soldiers' lives were clearly at risk and they fired back 
to quell the fighting, killing nine.
  It is important to point out that these IHH members were not serving 
a humanitarian mission. If that were the case, they would have 
cooperated with the Israelis and the Egyptians in order to expedite the 
arrival of their cargo. Prior to the incident, Israel offered to have 
the aid delivered to an Israeli port for inspection and delivery to 
Gaza. There was even a similar Egyptian offer, but the activists 
rejected both of those offers. As the organizers themselves said, this 
operation was about more than just delivering aid, but rather about 
ending the Israeli blockade of Gaza.
  I also reject the entire premise that there is any need for 
humanitarian supplies in Gaza. In 2009, more than 738,000 tons of food 
and supplies entered Gaza. The total amount of aid transferred from 
Israel to Gaza in 2009 increased by 180 percent, compared to the amount 
transferred in 2008. From January 1, 2010 through May 8, 2010, 230,690 
tons of humanitarian aid was transferred from Israel into Gaza through 
the Israel-Gaza goods crossings. This included medical supplies, milk 
powder and baby food, meat, chicken, fish, grains, legumes, oil, flour, 
salt, sugar, fresh vegetables and dairy products as well as animal 
feed, hygiene products and clothes. That does not sound like a 
humanitarian crisis to me.
  Hamas and its allies are simply using Israel's legal blockade of Gaza 
as a propaganda tool to undermine international support for the State 
of Israel. But if it weren't for this blockade, Hamas could import 
unlimited amounts of weaponry and rockets, which they would turn 
against Israeli civilians, as they have done in the past. If the naval 
blockade were broken, as the activists seek, every man, woman and child 
in Israel would be at risk from Iranian and Syrian missiles.
  Unfortunately, efforts are now underway to unfairly paint Israel as 
the aggressor in this incident, when they were simply acting to defend 
their citizens. Calls are mounting for an international investigation 
like the biased and deeply-flawed Goldstone Report, which accused 
Israel of war crimes in its self-defensive Operation Cast Lead. I join 
Israel in rejecting these calls. Israel, a strong democracy and 
America's close ally, is perfectly capable of conducting a fair, 
credible investigation that meets international standards.
  I find it even more galling that such calls are now being made, given 
the silence following North Korea's horrific attack on a South Korean 
ship that killed 46 sailors. It is time the world focused on such real 
threats to peace, while recognizing Israel's right to defend its 
civilian population against persistent terrorist threats.
  I am also deeply disturbed by Turkey's recent actions and statements 
regarding Israel and the Palestinians. Their irresponsible support for 
this so-called ``aid'' flotilla actually sought to bolster the Hamas 
terrorists in Gaza who have pledged to destroy Israel at any cost. By 
seeking an end to the blockade, Turkey is trying to legitimize a 
terrorist group that targets civilians and harms any chance for peace. 
As I've said, Turkey--and the world--should remember that Hamas can end 
the blockade at any moment by recognizing Israel's right to exist, 
ending the violence and releasing Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has 
been held by Hamas without access to the Red Cross for 4 years.

[[Page 10348]]

  Meanwhile, Turkey's actions have undermined the moderate Palestinians 
who have been building institutions, ending corruption and cracking 
down on violent extremists. If there is a chance for peace in the 
region, it does not come from the extremist elements Turkey is 
supporting.
  And Turkey is hardly in a position to criticize Israel. The world 
community should remember that Turkey has been illegally occupying the 
northern part of Cyprus--a sovereign nation--for over three decades, 
despite international calls to remove its troops. They have also 
steadfastly refused to recognize the Armenian Genocide and have 
systematically denied basic religious rights to the Greek Orthodox 
Patriarch in Istanbul. With their recent actions, Turkey is once again 
showing its true colors, as a supporter of terrorists, and not a 
champion of peacemaking.
  Mr. Speaker, I am deeply disturbed by the recent events and fear that 
the world is once again blaming the victim. Israel must be allowed to 
defend itself--for its own sake, for ours, and for the sake of all 
people around the world who are under threat of terror. We must not be 
duped into believing that these Hamas-sympathizers are somehow acting 
in the name of peace. Nothing could be further from the truth. We must 
take a united stand for democracy, for the rule of law, and for peace.
  Ms. MATSUI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express my support for our 
ally and friend Israel. Israel is a country that has always backed the 
United States in its efforts to combat extremism, and that has proven 
throughout its short history that democratic ideals can take root in 
the most challenging of international neighborhoods.
  Mr. Speaker, I, like so many of my colleagues here in the House of 
Representatives and like so many of my constituents in Sacramento, 
believe in Israel's right to defend itself. The people of Israel 
deserve to live without fear of being attacked by a terrorist 
organization--Hamas--that refuses both to recognize Israel's right to 
exist and to renounce the use of violence to achieve its objectives. 
For a number of years, both Israel and Egypt have enforced a blockade 
of Gaza to keep Hamas from acquiring material to launch rockets into 
Israel.
  The recent tragedy aboard the Mavi Marmara could have been avoided, 
and should serve as a reminder to us all that our Nation must lead the 
international community in efforts to forge a lasting peace in the 
Middle East. My heart goes out to the families of those whose lives 
were lost, and to those Israeli soldiers who were seriously injured.
  Prior to what took place on the Mavi Marmara, five previous ships in 
the flotilla bound for Gaza were redirected without incident. These 
five ships were sent to an Israeli port so that the goods they were 
carrying could be screened for material that could be used to make 
weapons. Much of their cargo has since been sent to Gaza.
  Israel redirected five of the flotilla ships because it has the 
right--and the responsibility--to prevent Hamas from acquiring 
materials it uses to fire rockets at Israeli towns. At the same time, 
Israel must continue doing what it can to ensure that the people of 
Gaza have access to food and supplies needed to live. Much of the 
humanitarian material the flotilla was carrying will make it into the 
hands of innocent civilians in Gaza, just as millions of tons of 
humanitarian aid have been delivered to Gaza through Israel since the 
start of the blockade.
  Mr. Speaker, what this incident demonstrates more than anything else 
is that a lasting Middle East peace is needed. For a peace settlement 
to be reached, the first step is for Hamas to meet a very simple set of 
preconditions established by the Quartet (the United Nations, the 
United States, the European Union, and Russia).
  The Quartet's demands are not complicated: Hamas must join the rest 
of the international community by recognizing Israel's right to exist, 
renounce the use of violence, and abide by previous agreements between 
Israel and the Palestinian people. If Hamas were to do so, the Gaza 
blockade would end, Israel's security would improve, and peace 
negotiations could begin in earnest.
  In the end, we should use this most recent tragedy as a catalyst to 
redouble our international efforts to achieve peace and security in the 
Middle East. Our objective must not change: we must create a peace that 
dismantles Hamas's terrorist infrastructure, improves the situation in 
Gaza, and guarantees the safety and security of innocent Israelis and 
Palestinians alike. The United States has been attempting to broker 
just such an agreement via proximity talks for months now.
  Furthermore, the United States' goodwill toward the people who live 
in Gaza is clear. The President's announcement of a $400 million 
initiative to improve Gazans' access to drinking water, create jobs, 
build schools, make affordable housing more accessible, and address 
critical health and infrastructure needs is just the kind of thing we 
need to change direction in the Middle East. I strongly support the 
President's initiative because I want the living conditions for the 
people of Gaza to improve just as I want living conditions for all 
people around the world to improve.
  As an international community, we all need to examine our various 
approaches to achieving peace in the Middle East, to see if any 
calibrations can be made in our strategies that will increase the 
chances of success. The tragedy on the Mavi Marmara only underscores 
how urgent it is for the international system to do everything it can 
to protect the security of Israelis, meet the humanitarian and economic 
needs of the people in Gaza, and create a permanent peace in this 
critical part of the world.
  I will continue to support Israel's right to defend itself and its 
citizens. At the same time, I long for the day when Israel and the 
Palestinians can live peacefully with one another, because that will 
mean that our efforts to achieve a viable peace agreement in the Middle 
East have been successful.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to join my colleagues in expressing 
support for the State of Israel. Israel is a tiny country that has been 
under attack since its founding 62 years ago. Nonetheless, it has 
developed into a vigorous democracy. With a free and active press, 
freedom of religion, free elections and a free and independent 
judiciary, Israelis of all religions and nationalities enjoy rights and 
opportunities unimaginable elsewhere in the Middle East.
  Israel is our strongest and most reliable friend in the Middle East. 
Israel is a strategic ally, helping to improve American anti-terrorism 
efforts, working with the US military to improve training, intelligence 
gathering, research and development, preparedness and protection of 
travel and trade.
  Despite the threats against it, Israel's economy is thriving, in 
large part as a result of her agricultural, technological and medical 
innovations. Israel constitutes a fraction of 1 percent of the land 
mass and only 2 percent of the population of the Middle East. 
Nonetheless, Israel far outshines much of the world in terms of 
academic, scientific and technological achievement. Israel has the 
highest ratio of university degrees per capita in the world and 
produces more scientific papers and more books per capita than any 
other nation in the world. It is the only nation in the world that has 
had a net increase in the number of trees. Israel has transformed 
itself from an impoverished backwater to a gleaming modern nation, 
ranking among the very highly developed countries of the world.
  The threat against Israel is growing. Hezbollah, along Israel's 
Northern border with Lebanon, is heavily armed with increasingly 
powerful weapons. Hamas, along the Gaza Strip, is vocal about its 
determination to destroy the Jewish State. And the Palestinian 
Authority in the West Bank is refusing to pursue direct talks with 
Israel, believing that they will get a better deal if the United States 
or other countries do the negotiating for them. Fatah leaders and the 
Abbas-controlled official media of the Palestinian authority continue 
to deny Israel's existence.
  The recent Gaza flotilla in which armed thugs challenged Israel's 
blockade of the Gaza Strip makes clear that Israel is facing a clear 
and present danger. If the blockade is broken, weapons will flow freely 
into Hamas's hands. In the years preceding the blockade, Hamas launched 
more than 8,000 missiles at civilian targets in Israel, killing and 
injuring thousands. If the blockade is lifted without a peace 
agreement, Israel's cities and towns can expect the bombardment to 
resume.
  Israel has to be vigilant in defense of its borders. The stated 
desire of Hamas and many Fatah leaders is to wipe Israel off the face 
of the world. When the world condemns Israel for defending its 
population, they are currying favor with terrorists at the expense of a 
democratic nation. And condemning Israel makes peace much less 
probable. I hope the Obama Administration will continue to make clear 
that Israel has no obligation to lift the blockade, and that it is 
Hamas and its terrorist allies who are responsible for the situation in 
Gaza.
  Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join my colleagues in strongly expressing 
my support for Israel.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.

                          ____________________