[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13932]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 ISRAEL

  Ms. LANDRIEU. Madam President, I come to the floor today in support 
of the State of Israel, our closest and most critical ally in the 
Middle East. The escalating violence between Israel and Hamas is 
extremely disheartening. At this time of extreme instability and 
conflict in the region, the clear and unyielding support of the United 
States for Israel is more critical than ever. While we all hope for a 
peaceful ceasefire and a return to negotiations between Israel and the 
Palestinian Authority, we cannot ignore the current situation.
  For weeks now, Israel has been responding to Hamas militants in Gaza 
whose clear mission is to exact a civilian death toll. It is an often-
used tactic of Hamas, a designated foreign terrorist organization, to 
launch rockets into Israel at civilian targets. In doing so, they not 
only harm innocent Israelis but put Palestinian civilians in danger as 
well. Hamas's exposure of their own population to danger is made worse 
when they use civilians in Gaza as human shields. When Hamas used 
cement for the construction of tunnels to attack and kidnap civilians 
instead of using it for the construction of peaceful infrastructure 
projects, they literally chose the path of conflict over the path of 
peace. Israel has the undeniable right to defend itself against these 
threats to their civilians, and we must stand by our friend and help 
protect innocent lives in any way we can.
  One thing we can do to continue to support Israel is to continue to 
support the Iron Dome missile defense system. The United States has 
provided financial support for this state-of-the-art defense system for 
years, and I, and many of my colleagues from both parties, have been 
strong and continual supporters since its inception. The technology is 
extraordinarily effective at stopping rockets fired at civilian targets 
in Israel from Gaza; according to some estimates, it has intercepted 
about 90 percent of rockets, which otherwise could have hit major 
population centers in Israel. Ultimately, the Iron Dome protects 
innocent lives, and I shudder to think of what this conflict's death 
toll in Israel might be without it. I am reassured that the Senate 
Appropriations Defense Subcommittee doubled the administration's 
funding request for the Iron Dome recently, and I commend my colleagues 
for this tangible show of support for Israel.
  I, along with many of my colleagues, am deeply committed to the 
security of Israel, and I am saddened by the loss of civilian lives on 
both sides of the current conflict. Too much innocent blood has been 
shed already.

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