[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 16929-16933]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING CONCERN OVER ANTI-ISRAEL AND ANTI-SEMITIC INCITEMENT WITHIN 
                       THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the resolution (H. Res. 293) expressing concern over anti-Israel and 
anti-Semitic incitement within the Palestinian Authority, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 293

       Whereas the 1995 Interim Agreement on the West Bank and the 
     Gaza Strip, commonly referred to as Oslo II, specifically 
     details that Israel and the Palestinian Authority shall 
     ``abstain from incitement, including hostile propaganda, 
     against each other and, without derogating from the principle 
     of freedom of expression, shall take legal measures to 
     prevent such incitement by any organizations, groups or 
     individuals within their jurisdiction'';
       Whereas the Oslo II agreement further states that Israel 
     and the Palestinian Authority ``will ensure that their 
     respective educational systems contribute to the peace 
     between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples and to peace in 
     the entire region'';
       Whereas Palestinian Authority incitement against Israelis 
     has continued unabated for many years despite periods of 
     negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority;
       Whereas this incitement takes on many forms, and has 
     included the glorification of terrorists who have murdered 
     Israeli civilians; advocating struggle against Israel despite 
     entering into negotiations with Israel; the demonization of 
     Jews and Israelis, including by the use of anti-Semitic 
     motifs; the denial of Israel's existence and its 
     delegitimization as evidenced by the absence of Israel on 
     official maps used in Palestinian Authority institutions; and 
     false claims that Israel or the Jews are endangering Muslim 
     holy sites, such as the Al-Aqsa mosque/Temple Mount in 
     Jerusalem;
       Whereas in June 2013, Abbas referenced Israeli acts which 
     ``indicate an evil and dangerous plot to destroy Al-Aqsa and 
     build the alleged temple'';
       Whereas on September 16, 2015, Abbas stated on Palestinian 
     television that ``we welcome every drop of blood spilled in 
     Jerusalem. This is pure blood, clean blood, blood on its way 
     to Allah. With the help of Allah, every martyr will be in 
     heaven, and every wounded will get his reward'';
       Whereas since mid-September 2015 there has been a wave of 
     Palestinian violence in Israel and the West Bank, including 
     stabbings, shootings, and other terrorist acts;
       Whereas this situation has been inflamed by statements made 
     by Palestinian President Abbas, other Palestinian officials, 
     clerics, and official Palestinian Authority media, and 
     frequently amplified on social media platforms;
       Whereas these statements have included repeated false 
     claims that Israel seeks to change the ``status quo'' on the 
     Temple Mount/al-Aqsa Mosque compound;
       Whereas despite the incitement-induced wave of terrorism, 
     the Palestinian Authority security forces and the Israel 
     Defense Forces have continued security cooperation;
       Whereas section 7038 of the Consolidated and Further 
     Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 states that ``none of the 
     funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act 
     may be used to provide equipment, technical support, 
     consulting services, or any other form of assistance to the 
     Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation'';
       Whereas section 7040(e) of the Consolidated and Further 
     Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 requires the Secretary of 
     State, if the President waives section 7040(a) of that Act, 
     to ``certify and report to the Committees on Appropriations 
     prior to the obligation of funds that . . . the Palestinian 
     Authority is acting to counter incitement of violence against 
     Israelis and is supporting activities aimed at promoting 
     peace, coexistence, and security cooperation with Israel''; 
     and
       Whereas the Palestinian Authority has not fully lived up to 
     its prior agreements with Israel to end incitement and should 
     do more to prepare the Palestinian people for peace with 
     Israel: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) expresses support and admiration for individuals and 
     organizations working to encourage cooperation between 
     Israelis and Palestinians;

[[Page 16930]]

       (2) strongly condemns the wave of violent attacks in Israel 
     and the West Bank;
       (3) reiterates the strong condemnation of anti-Israel and 
     anti-Semitic incitement to violence in the Palestinian 
     Authority as antithetical to the cause of peace;
       (4) calls on the Palestinian Authority to--
       (A) immediately discontinue incitement to violence in all 
     Palestinian Authority-controlled media outlets, and 
     officially and publicly repudiate attacks against Israelis 
     and engage in a sustained effort to publicly and officially 
     rebuke anti-Israel incitement to violence;
       (B) continue important security cooperation with Israel; 
     and
       (C) agree to unconditionally renew direct talks with the 
     Israelis, including the reconstitution of the Trilateral 
     Commission on Incitement;
       (5) encourages responsible nations to condemn in the 
     strongest possible terms incitement to violence by the 
     Palestinian Authority;
       (6) expresses support for the Government of Israel in its 
     fight against terror;
       (7) directs the Department of State to regularly monitor 
     and publish information on all official incitement by the 
     Palestinian Authority against Jews and the State of Israel; 
     and
       (8) calls on the Administration to continue publicly 
     repudiating and raising the issue of Palestinian anti-Israel 
     incitement to violence in all appropriate bilateral and 
     international forums.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and to include extraneous material on the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the esteemed chairman of our full 
committee, Chairman Royce, and Ranking Member Engel, who is before us 
today, for their leadership and for helping us to mark up and vote on 
this resolution at the subcommittee and at the full committee, thereby 
landing us right here on the floor this afternoon.
  I would also like to thank my friend and dear south Florida 
colleague, ranking member of the Middle East and North Africa 
Subcommittee, Mr. Deutch, for joining me in introducing this important 
resolution condemning the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incitement from 
within the Palestinian Authority.
  Sadly, Mr. Speaker, as we have seen over the past 2 months in Israel, 
violence and terror are on the rise, and hardly a day goes by when we 
don't hear about yet another attack against innocent Israelis.
  Since the most recent round of attacks began on the Jewish New Year 
in mid-September, there have been nearly 60 stabbing attacks, 5 
shootings, and 6 car-ramming attacks, resulting in 10 deaths and scores 
more injured.
  Let me repeat that again, Mr. Speaker: 60 stabbing attacks, 5 
shootings, and 6 car-ramming attacks, resulting in 10 deaths and many 
people injured, not to mention the psychological toll that these acts 
of terror have taken on Israelis.
  Today--today--Mr. Speaker, there were two separate stabbing attacks 
in two different cities. An 80-year-old woman was among the victims, 
showing that these random attacks can happen anywhere, at any time, to 
anyone.
  When Israeli citizens cannot walk out of their homes to go to work or 
they cannot walk out of their homes to go to the grocery store for fear 
of yet another terrorist attack, we must hold the Palestinian 
leadership accountable for its incitement and its unwillingness to ease 
tensions in the region.
  The resolution before us, Mr. Speaker, House Resolution 293, 
unfortunately is the consequence of the continued failure of the 
Palestinian leadership. Instead of working toward achieving lasting 
peace with Israel, what is Abu Mazen, the leader of the Palestinian 
Authority, doing? He is undermining the peace process.
  Instead of encouraging the Palestinian people and leading them toward 
a better future, Abu Mazen's divisive actions are tearing the 
Palestinians apart, leading them into despair, into hatred, into 
violence.
  Instead of calling for an emergency meeting with Palestinian leaders 
to discuss a way to walk back the rhetoric, a way to calm the tensions, 
no, Abu Mazen called for an emergency meeting at the United Nations 
Human Rights Council, the preferred platform to spew anti-Israel 
hatred.
  Why? In an effort to delegitimize the Jewish state where he further 
fanned the flames of violence once again, as he has been doing, Mr. 
Speaker, since he assumed leadership.
  Already the perpetrators of these acts of terror are being 
glorified--yes, glorified--hailed as heroes, hailed as martyrs.
  Last week, in fact, the Palestinian Authority named a street after a 
Palestinian terrorist. What did that person do? He fatally stabbed two 
innocent Israelis in Jerusalem.
  But where is the world's condemnation of this? What is the response 
from the international community? Silence. Too often we see attempts to 
place this false moral equivalence between the Israelis' actions and 
the Palestinians' because too many are unwilling to accept the truth, 
and that is that the Palestinian leadership is the problem, not the 
solution, to the peace process.
  We cannot allow Abu Mazen's words and Abu Mazen's actions to continue 
to go unpunished because, as we have seen over the past month and a 
half, they have consequences and innocent people have died.
  Today, Mr. Speaker, we have an opportunity to send a clear message to 
Abu Mazen, that his words and actions are unacceptable, that we condemn 
these actions, and that we hold the Palestinian Authority responsible 
for inciting these recent acts of terror against Israeli citizens.
  Palestinian leaders have been indoctrinating the Palestinian people 
with incitement against Israel for generations, and that is not 
something that is easily reversed.
  But by passing this resolution tonight, Mr. Speaker, we are sending a 
message to the Palestinian leader that this behavior will not be 
tolerated and it will not be unaddressed. This is an opportunity to 
start to hold Abu Mazen and the PA accountable for their words, 
accountable for their deadly actions.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in condemning anti-Israel and anti-
Semitic incitement in all of its forms.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in support of this measure.
  Let me start by thanking our former chair of the Foreign Affairs 
Committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for sponsoring this resolution. I agree 
with every word she just said.
  She has been a good friend to the state and people of Israel, and 
this measure, which I am happy to cosponsor, shows once again that 
support for Israel in Congress is not a partisan issue. Israel has much 
bipartisan support in this Congress, and we intend to keep it this way.
  As the Congresswoman has mentioned, the violence in Israel has gone 
from bad to worse in recent days. Day after day, we hear new reports of 
innocent Israeli victims of stabbings or shootings at the hands of 
Palestinian terrorists.
  I use the word ``terrorist,'' Mr. Speaker, because what they are 
doing are acts of terrorism. If random people, average citizens, have 
nothing to do with policy, have nothing to do with politics--they are 
just civilians that are walking in the street--if they are attacked by 
a knife or something else that harms them, that is a terrorist attack.
  Imagine if we had such things going on in the United States. It would 
have a chilling effect on what people can do, and whether they can move 
around or can't move around as a result of it.
  So this is not something that is random. It is not something that is 
confined. It can strike anybody at any time, any place, and it is 
terrorism.

[[Page 16931]]

  I have often said that while I support a two-state solution, if the 
Palestinians continue to use terrorism because they think it will get 
them closer to their state, they are wrong. It will prevent them from 
ever having a state if they don't renounce terrorism.
  That is what this is all about. It is the incitement. It is the 
encouraging of hatred for Israelis and the Jews and for the United 
States as well.
  This goes on time and time and time again, and then we wonder why we 
have these acts of violence, because you cannot fan the fires and be a 
leader in it and then suddenly look the other way and say, ``Well, you 
know, we are not encouraging it.''
  The Palestinian Authority has been irresponsible, and they have been 
irresponsible for many, many years. So, as it has every right to do, 
Israel has defended itself against these attacks, these stabbings and 
shootings. But this bloodshed must be brought to an end.
  I have no doubt, Mr. Speaker, that it could be in a hurry if 
Palestinian leaders would do the right thing: repudiate the violence 
and, most importantly, the ceaseless campaign of incitement that 
demonizes Jews and Israelis and glorifies terrorists.
  Chairman Royce and I will soon send a bipartisan letter signed by 
more than 350 of our colleagues in both parties. I am very, very happy 
with the overwhelming support we have gotten from our colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle for this letter.
  That is why Chairman Royce and I try to do things in a bipartisan 
manner: because something like this is bipartisan; support for Israel 
is bipartisan; support against terror is bipartisan.
  We have to stand together as Americans, regardless of party 
affiliation, and say: we will not countenance terror. And we are going 
to point fingers at the Palestinian Authority, who has been utterly 
irresponsible in this whole thing.
  So if Palestinian leaders would do the right thing and repudiate the 
violence and, most importantly, end the ceaseless campaign of 
incitement that demonizes Jews and Israelis and glorifies terrorists, 
this could stop.
  This letter that Chairman Royce and I have done, signed by more than 
350 of our colleagues, to Palestinian President Abbas urges him to take 
that course, but I cannot say that I have high hopes. After all, this 
type of rhetoric by Palestinians against Jews and Israelis and even 
just Americans, in general, is nothing new.
  In Palestinian books and newspapers, on the television and radio, we 
see and hear a constant message of hatred and incitement.
  From a young age, Palestinians are taught that the people of Israel 
are their enemies and those who use violence are heroes, and this is 
very, very infuriating.
  It is the fuel that fires the violence we are seeing today, and it is 
a roadblock, as I said before, on the path towards a two-state 
solution.
  Palestinians will never build their own state on the backs of 
terrorists. It is a dead end for them, and it is counterproductive. 
They ought to know it. They are doing their people a tremendous 
disservice.
  This resolution calls on Palestinian leaders to show real 
responsibility to reject the violence and end incitement and to return 
to the negotiating table with no preconditions, sit down and negotiate.
  It reaffirms our commitment to our Israeli allies and our desire to 
see peace for both Israelis and Palestinians.
  I urge my colleagues to support this measure.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Poe), who is the chairman of the Foreign Affairs 
Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida 
for yielding on this important resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians 
has reached new levels of terror. Over the past month, Palestinians 
have stabbed, shot, or run over innocent Israelis almost every day. The 
cause of these tragedies is simple: the incitement by Palestinian 
leaders.
  Of course, our government is on the wrong side of this issue. Our 
government stands by while Palestinian Authority President Abbas 
praises violent riots on the Temple Mount.
  But the problem is bigger than speeches. Palestinian leaders have 
turned their schools into terrorist breeding grounds that teach hate.

                              {time}  1700

  Israel reacted to this violence how any other country should react; 
but the United States State Department callously calls Israel's self-
defense executive force. Like I said, the State Department has got it 
wrong.
  The Palestinians should be called out for what they are doing: 
inciting violence and committing violence. They are responsible for 
their criminal acts, not the Israelis. We can stand side by side with 
Israel by condemning these terrorist acts, and the Palestinian leaders 
should be held personally accountable for inciting violence in the 
Palestinian community. The State Department and the world need to quit 
making excuses for Palestinian terrorists and hold them accountable for 
the crimes that they commit.
  I am glad to be an original cosponsor of House Resolution 293. I urge 
its passage so that America and the rest of the world understand that 
we stand by Israel and not by the terrorists.
  And that is just the way it is.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Deutch), the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs 
Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa.
  Mr. DEUTCH. I thank my friend, Mr. Engel.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel 
and their staffs for working to bring this bipartisan resolution to the 
floor. I want to thank my friend and colleague and neighbor, 
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for partnering with me on this 
effort.
  In the month of October, there have been more than 50 stabbings in 
Israel, there have been attempted stabbings, there have been shootings, 
there have been cars rammed into civilians. Terrorists have killed 11 
and have wounded more than 10 times that number. In a span of just 12 
hours today, there were 4 separate terror attacks.
  This resolution is important because these attacks aren't a protest 
or a political statement about holy sites or politics. It is terrorism, 
and it flows from incitement at the highest levels of the Palestinian 
Government.
  Now, I have said many times that all attacks on innocent civilians 
should be condemned and that they should be condemned regardless of who 
commits them. Yet I have to point out that, when a revenge attack 
occurs, committed by Israelis, the Prime Minister of Israel himself 
condemns that action on national television; but when there are 
attempted stabbings every single day for nearly 8 weeks, Palestinian 
leadership does not condemn even one single attack. Instead, we 
continue to see officials trying to justify acts of terror as an 
expected part of a religious conflict.
  False accusations about changes at the Temple Mount, when they have 
been repeatedly denied by Israeli leadership, send a very dangerous 
message that violence is necessary to preserve Muslim holy sites when, 
in fact, those holy sites are not threatened at all.
  Unfortunately, incitement from officials within the Palestinian 
Authority is not new. Despite statements from President Abbas that he 
is committed and has been committed for years to nonviolence, there are 
still countless examples in official textbooks, on social media pages, 
and in television speeches that call for an armed conflict and that 
depict Jews as dirty pigs.
  Mr. Speaker, Secretary Kerry was right when he recently said, 
``President Abbas has been committed to nonviolence. He needs to be 
condemning this loudly and clearly, and he needs to not engage in the 
incitement that his voice has sometimes been heard to encourage; so 
that has to stop.''
  If President Abbas remains committed to his stated vision of a 
peaceful, stable Palestinian state, living side

[[Page 16932]]

by side with a safe and secure Israel, then now is the time for real 
leadership. Now is the time to go on national television and condemn 
these attacks. Now is the time to accept the Jordanian plan for 
surveillance at the Temple Mount to ensure that religious freedom is, 
in fact, being protected.
  Now is the time to stop dangerous rhetoric, like when he said that he 
would ``welcome every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem'' or when he 
accused Israel of the ``summary execution of children'' when, in fact, 
the 13-year-old whom he referenced was receiving medical care in an 
Israeli hospital after he stabbed two Israeli teenagers.
  Even before these recent terror attacks, incitement within the 
Palestinian Authority has been well documented. If these are the 
messages that are sent to Palestinian youth, if they never see the 
State of Israel on a map in their textbooks or if they watch television 
programs that glorify attacks on Israelis and Jews, how can we ever 
expect him to be committed to peace?
  By passing today's resolution, the United States House of 
Representatives is sending a message. It is a very simple message to 
the world, that we stand with the people of Israel as they face this 
onslaught of terror and that incitement spurred by inflammatory, 
violent rhetoric will not be tolerated.
  We won't tolerate officials using religion as a means to spur 
violence, and we won't tolerate actions like the recent Palestinian-
backed resolution at UNESCO that attempted to rewrite history and 
inflame tension on the ground.
  Our resolution also expresses support for individuals and 
organizations that are working to encourage cooperation between 
Israelis and Palestinians. Unfortunately, President Abbas and his 
government are doing just the opposite.
  Mr. Speaker, there must be an end to this wave of terrorism. It is 
time to stop the spread of incitement. This resolution puts the House 
on record that incitement leads to violence, and it must end if there 
is to be a chance for peace.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to 
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Zeldin), who is a member of our 
Committee on Foreign Affairs.
  Mr. ZELDIN. I thank Ms. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for her inspiring 
leadership in bringing forth this bipartisan resolution.
  I am inspired as I listen to the words of Mr. Deutch and Mr. Engel as 
this is something that allows Americans to unite for a cause of 
strengthening our relationships with our friends, like Israel, ensuring 
that we treat our enemies as our enemies.
  Mr. Speaker, according to the Maariv daily, Palestinian Authority 
President Abbas said in a Ramallah address:

       We will not forsake our country, and we will keep every 
     inch of our land. Every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem is 
     pure. Every Shahid will reach paradise, and every injured 
     person will be rewarded by God.

  The Palestinian Authority President said he would insist that a 
future Palestinian state include East Jerusalem as its capital. He 
said:

       The Al-Aqsa Mosque is ours. The church is ours as well. 
     They have no right to desecrate the mosque with their dirty 
     feet. We won't allow them to do that.

  A top Hamas official in the Gaza Strip called on all of the 
Palestinians to turn their weapons against the Israelis, saying that 
Allah created man only to wage jihad and to plunge knives into the 
chests of the enemies.
  We hear a lot of talk about the pursuit of a viable two-state 
solution. It is not just about Israel and its recognizing the 
Palestinians' right to exist. It is also about the Palestinians and its 
recognizing Israel's right to exist. Yet the Palestinian Authority, by 
the day, is under more and more influence of an element that will not 
rest until the other side is wiped off the map.
  I was disturbed when the Secretary of State's spokesperson, John 
Kirby, said:

       Individuals on both sides of this divide are, have been 
     proven capable of, and, in our view, are guilty of acts of 
     terrorism.

  Last month the State Department claimed that the Temple Mount status 
quo was violated. I was just there a couple of months back. I was at a 
place called Decks Restaurant in Tiberias. It is right on the Sea of 
Galilee.
  The owner of the restaurant got on the microphone--the place was 
crowded with locals--and she started preaching about her love of 
America, about her appreciation of the strength of that bond between 
the U.S. and Israel.
  As she is saying this, a boat pulls in off the Sea of Galilee and 
starts setting off fireworks. As the fireworks start blowing off, they 
start playing ``God Bless America'' over the loud speaker. All the 
locals stood up and were singing along, and if they didn't know the 
words, they were lip-syncing it.
  It was such a proud moment. Where else in the world can you go where 
you will find a restaurant at which the owner will get on the 
microphone and start talking about her love of America?
  I value the relationship that we have with our friends, such as 
Israel. We didn't see the Israeli Prime Minister going on international 
TV trying to embarrass the President of the United States after there 
was a hospital strike, which the President took responsibility for.
  It is important that we don't embarrass our allies and that we stand 
with them in tough times. Right now we stand with innocent victims in 
Israel, who are being targeted by terrorist attacks through the 
incitement of violence by the leadership of the Palestinian Authority.
  That is why I am so proud to stand here today with Ms. Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen for, again, her consistent and strong dedication and 
leadership and for her determination in ensuring that this body stands 
united with Israel every single day.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  In closing, as you have heard from everyone who has spoken, the 
recent surge of Palestinian violence against Israel must stop. It must 
stop to save innocent lives. It must stop so that negotiations can go 
forward. It must stop because acts of terrorism are not to be 
tolerated.
  Any way you look at it, these are terrorist acts, and the only way we 
can have peace and the only way we can have a two-state solution is if 
both parties sit opposite each other, with no preconditions, and start 
negotiating.
  I do support a two-state solution--a Palestinian Arab state and an 
Israeli Jewish state--living together in peace and harmony; but it is 
not going to happen if the Palestinian leadership, which is bankrupt in 
more ways than one, refuses to teach its people the right thing, if it 
refuses to repudiate acts of terror.
  Mahmoud Abbas, or Abu Mazen--the leader of the Palestinians--is, I 
think, on the eighth year of his 4-year term. He is not really 
legitimate anymore. The more he talks with rhetoric and incitement, the 
less relevant he becomes.
  It is really a shame because I do think that the Palestinians deserve 
better and I do think that, ultimately, they deserve their own state; 
but they will not have their own state if they resort to terror. It is 
bankrupt, and it is a dead end for them.
  Instead of encouraging these kinds of acts of terror against innocent 
civilians, the leadership of the Palestinians ought to be dismissing 
it, ought to be condemning it, ought to be taking strong stands against 
it. We have yet to hear, and that is why this resolution is so 
important.
  This resolution sends the signal that Palestinian leaders have a 
responsibility to repudiate this violence and put an end to the 
horrific campaign of incitement against Jews and Israelis.
  Everyone who spoke today is saying the same thing. We are saying the 
same thing because it is clear as night and day what is going on over 
there. So I urge all of my colleagues to support this measure.
  The United States will always stand with the people of Israel, and 
the United States will always stand against violence and terrorism 
wherever it rears its head around the world.

[[Page 16933]]

  I again thank my good friend, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, for her leadership 
and Mr. Deutch for his leadership as well.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I want to thank the chairman of our committee, Mr. Royce, for his 
help in bringing this resolution to the floor after the markup in the 
subcommittee and the full committee.
  I want to thank Mr. Engel for his steadfast support of doing 
everything that is humanly possible to support efforts in getting peace 
in the Middle East and his support for the democratic Jewish state of 
Israel.
  I want to thank Mr. Deutch, who is my partner on the Middle East and 
North Africa Subcommittee. He has been a person who understands the 
many obstacles to peace that the Palestinians encounter because of 
their failed leadership, and the responsibility lies in that 
leadership. I have had the opportunity to travel to Israel with Mr. 
Deutch, and I am very thankful for his friendship and for his guidance.
  I also want to thank Mr. Poe and Mr. Zeldin--valued members of our 
Committee on Foreign Affairs--for their perspectives on how to reach 
peace, because, when all is said and done, this is what this resolution 
is all about.
  We are condemning the anti-Israel and anti-Semitic incitement to 
violence by the Palestinian Authority, but we do so because this is 
antithetical to the cause of peace, which is what this body is all 
about and what the United States' foreign policy is based on in the 
Middle East.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, securing a lasting peace between Israel and 
Palestine requires a commitment to humanizing the experiences of both 
peoples. Divisive rhetoric dehumanizes people and undermines the 
prospect of long-term peace. This resolution is divisive.
  Incitement by either party, including Palestinian Authority leaders, 
is a serious issue and deserves to be condemned. But when we denounce 
the Palestinians and leave no mention of divisive rhetoric by the 
Israeli government, we do a disservice to Palestinians and Israelis. 
Just two weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said 
``Hitler didn't want to exterminate the Jews at the time, he wanted to 
expel the Jews.'' He laid the blame for the Shoa at the feet of a 
Palestinian Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini. Al-Husseini 
was a virulent anti-Semite. But Prime Minister Netanyahu's blaming the 
idea of the Holocaust on a Palestinian, and by implication 
Palestinians, deserves to be condemned by this body just as Palestinian 
incitement does.
  I oppose this resolution, not because the Palestinians are not 
inciting, and not because I believe this incitement should not be 
condemned. I oppose this resolution because any resolution that attacks 
one side while ignoring the other can only further tension and 
violence.
  If Congress wants to be considered a legitimate arbiter of peace 
between Israel and Palestine we must pursue a balanced approach that 
calls for an end to incitement on both sides and both leaders to live 
up to their obligations under the Oslo Accords.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I stand in support of H. Res. 293, 
expressing concerns over anti-Semitic incitement within the Palestinian 
Authority.
  I continue to support the safety and security of Jewish people across 
the globe.
  Indeed, last week, I signed on to the Royce-Engel letter to President 
Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian National Authority to express my deep 
concern over the recent wave of violence in Israel and the West Bank.
  It is imperative that political leaders across the globe help to set 
the tone for peace by advocating non-violence.
  Over the past two months, news reports inform us that scores of 
attacks on innocent Israelis have occurred.
  This bipartisan legislation condemns these attacks and urges 
Palestinian Authority leaders to discontinue all incitement and exert 
political influence to discourage any form of violence by the 
Palestinian civil society.
  This legislation also expresses support for individuals and 
organizations working to encourage cooperation between Israelis and 
Palestinians.
  This legislation encapsulates the United States' unwavering support 
as Israel's strongest ally.
  Indeed, among other things, the 1995 Interim Agreement on the West 
Bank and the Gaza Strip, also known as Oslo II, asks all parties to 
abstain from incitement without derogation for the principle of freedom 
of expression to prevent incitement by any organization, groups or 
individuals within their jurisdiction.
  Moreover, Oslo II admonishes Israel and the Palestinian Authority to 
ascertain that their respective educational systems facilitate peace 
between Israeli and Palestinian peoples, working together towards peace 
in the region.
  This legislation encourages and recognizes the work of individuals 
and organizations focused on facilitating the cooperation towards peace 
between Israelis and Palestinians.
  Thus, I support and urge continued efforts to urge an end to language 
that incites any form of violence and I encourage efforts to help 
facilitate peace between all parties involved.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Harris). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the 
House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 293, as 
amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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