[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12628]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               SUPPORTING ISRAEL'S RIGHT TO SELF DEFENSE

  (Mr. MESSER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, each of us, as Americans, has a God-given 
right to defend ourselves. Those rights should apply to all people 
everywhere, including Israel.
  I visited Israel last year and saw, firsthand, the life-and-death 
reality ordinary Israelis face every day. Prime Minister Netanyahu 
impressed upon us the very real possibility that Israel could cease to 
exist if it failed to respond forcefully to violence and threats from 
those that seek its destruction.
  That is why I rise today to share my support for Israel's efforts to 
defend itself from the existential threat it faces from Hamas. History 
has shown that Israel has been America's most steadfast ally in a very 
dangerous part of the world.
  Let's pray for peace and for the innocent lives lost on both sides of 
this conflict. But let's never waver from supporting our friend and 
ally, Israel, in its fight for freedom.

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