[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16348]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to express strong 
support for the people and nation of Israel and to wholly condemn the 
horrific acts of violence targeting innocent civilians.
  My heart goes out to the families of the victims. All people have the 
right to live in peace and security, and every nation has the right to 
take actions to protect its citizens.
  As chaos envelopes Israel from all borders, we must stand stalwartly 
with our strongest ally in the region. Over the past month, unprovoked 
Palestinian attacks against Israeli civilians, including children, 
police officers, and members of the IDF, have increased to shocking 
levels.
  Perhaps even more disturbing are the Palestinian leadership's recent 
incitements to violence. In a September 30 address, Palestinian 
Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the United Nations, saying 
that Palestinians would no longer be bound by their commitments to the 
Oslo Accords. One day later, Palestinians ambushed two Jewish Israelis, 
Rabbi Eitam and Naama Henkin, murdering them in front of their 
children. Since then, barbaric terrorist attacks against civilians, 
including stabbings, rock throwing, and deliberate car crashes, have 
become all too commonplace.

                              {time}  1030

  We have seen a 15-year-old teenager stabbed in Jerusalem, two rabbis 
stabbed and killed in the Old City, five people attacked with a 
screwdriver in Tel Aviv, and a driver intentionally hitting civilians 
at a bus stop, then getting out of the car with a sharp object and 
causing more bloodshed and destruction in broad daylight.
  These are only some of the innocent victims of this deplorable 
violence. Rather than showing leadership and calling for common 
civility, President Abbas and other Palestinian leaders have chosen to 
further incite violence.
  President Abbas has perpetuated false accusations about the Israeli 
Government's treatment of Palestinians and undermined the Israeli 
Government's assurance that it seeks to maintain the status quo on the 
Temple Mount.
  Mr. Speaker, I continue to support the United States' longstanding 
policy of supporting our partners for peace in the region to reach a 
two-state solution. However, the Palestinian Authority's words and lack 
of action to quell the violence calls into question those partnerships.
  I call on the international community to speak out against these 
brutal terrorist attacks. In addition, we must put pressure on those 
who are taking inflammatory actions that deliberately fuel tensions.
  Just yesterday six countries submitted a resolution to UNESCO with 
the sole intention of delegitimizing Jewish history in our own Holy 
Land. This is disgraceful. I applaud the efforts of this administration 
to oppose this harmful and incendiary resolution.
  We must unequivocally condemn terrorist attacks and actions wherever 
and whenever they take place. These violent attacks against Jews in 
Israel are part of growing anti-Semitism around the globe. Tragically, 
over the past few years in particular, we have seen a rise in anti-
Semitism from the streets of Paris to the streets of Miami Beach in my 
district.
  Around the world, we have seen the spread of a violent and depraved 
ideology aimed at crushing the values that we hold dear: the freedom to 
practice and celebrate our own diverse religions and cultures; the 
right to express ourselves in print and in speech; the right to live in 
our homelands and walk in our streets with dignity, respect, and 
safety. We must stand up and speak out whenever these rights are 
threatened.
  As a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign 
Operations, and Related Programs, I am proud to advocate for strong 
funding and cooperation with Israel on matters of mutual interest.
  As our strategic and democratic ally, we must bolster efforts to 
ensure that Israel has the necessary resources she needs to be secure 
and confront the violent threats against her. The rise in violence in 
Israel and of anti-Semitism more broadly is deeply troubling to me, as 
a lawmaker who values and respects the strong U.S.-Israel relationship; 
but it also impacts me more personally, as a Jew who feels a 
significant and historic connection to the land of Israel.
  No nation on Earth can be expected to sit back and take these kinds 
of attacks on her citizens without responding.
  President Abbas and Palestinian leaders must take clear and 
meaningful steps to stop this violence and encourage unity and a return 
to the path toward a peaceful two-state solution. There is absolutely 
no justification for violence against innocent civilians under any 
circumstances, and I call for those responsible for these vicious 
terrorist attacks to be brought to swift justice.
  I proudly and firmly stand behind Israel's right to defend herself 
against malicious, brutal terrorist attacks from outside her borders 
and from within, and call on others here and around the world to do the 
same.

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