[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16349]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    PALESTINIAN TERRORISM IN ISRAEL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, at least nine Israelis have been 
killed and many wounded in the latest wave of Palestinian terror.
  Nearly every day in the past few weeks, Palestinians have stabbed, 
shot, or run over innocent Israeli Jews. These terrorists do not care 
who their victims are. They want to kill as many Jews as possible.
  Earlier this month, Palestinian terrorists murdered an Israeli couple 
driving in the West Bank right in front of their terrified children. 
This level of hate violence has not been seen in this region since the 
suicide bombings in the 2000s.
  Why is this happening? What has caused this sudden outbreak of 
terror? The answer is really pretty simple: incitement by Palestinian 
leaders.
  Just last month, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas 
praised violent riots on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem; yet, the world 
press ignores his doctrine of murdering Jews. He called Palestinians 
killed in the clashes ``martyrs, fighting to keep the dirty feet of 
Jews out of the holy site.''
  The Temple Mount is the holiest place in the world for Jews, but 
according to Israeli law, only Muslims are able to pray there. Israel 
has no intention of changing the status quo on Temple Mount, but Abbas 
simply wants to create a charged atmosphere of violence. This 
incitement doesn't just come from his speeches.
  Get this, Mr. Speaker: Palestinian leaders have turned their schools 
into virtual incubators to raise children as terrorists. School 
textbooks in Palestinian schools routinely teach students that Jews are 
evil and have no right to live in Israel. They are not just taught to 
hate; they are even instructed specifically how to stab Jews in these 
school textbooks.
  As all of this incitement translates into real violence that kills 
Jews and injures Israelis, what has Israel done in response? Israel has 
reacted how any democratic country would react to defend its people. 
The policy is simple: if a terrorist is wielding a knife and is 
spotted, Israeli security is ordered to shoot that terrorist.
  Israel has also increased its arrests of terrorists in the West Bank, 
including the cofounder of Hamas, a terrorist group. To deter more 
murderous attacks, Israel has destroyed the homes of terrorists who 
have attacked its citizens. Perhaps these terrorists will think twice 
about killing people: women, children, and men.
  What exactly has our government said about this huge wave of 
Palestinian terrorism? When Israel is up against the wall, fending off 
daily attacks, the State Department says that Israel may be using 
excessive force. Is killing someone who tries to kill you considered 
excessive force? When did self-defense become excessive force?
  Secretary Kerry went as far as to blame the current Palestinian 
violence on Israeli construction in the West Bank. Mr. Kerry is totally 
uninformed about what the facts are on the ground. Does Secretary Kerry 
mean to say that Israeli civilians deserve to be murdered? That is 
tantamount to saying that 9/11 occurred because of America's foreign 
policy in the Middle East.
  This dangerous logic by the State Department only encourages more 
terrorist attacks. It does not stop the terrorism. Nothing can justify 
the killing of innocents.
  Instead of our government supporting our Israeli allies, we are 
turning our backs on them. Instead, we should be standing side by side 
with Israel, condemning the terrorists. We should be pointing our 
fingers at the Palestinian leadership who have instigated all of this 
violence; hold those who preach hate and violence accountable, not give 
them a pass. Instead of calling out Israel, the State Department should 
be highlighting the incitement to hatred and violence in the 
Palestinian curriculum, in their textbooks.
  We must stop making excuses for terrorists and stand up for the 
victims. We must stand up for all of our values and our friends and not 
betray them. That includes standing with Israel.
  And that is just the way it is.

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