[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9137]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 ISRAEL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Williams) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WILLIAMS. Mr. Speaker, on Monday, our Commander in Chief admitted 
that, in the fight against the Islamic State, the U.S. does not have 
``a complete strategy.''
  It is hard to believe that it has been 1 year since the Islamic State 
of Iraq and Syria--ISIS, ISIL, or whatever you want to call them--began 
making headlines in American newspapers. It is hard to believe that it 
has been nearly 1\1/2\ years since the Director of the Defense 
Intelligence Agency told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee 
that it was ``likely ISIL will attempt to take territory in Iraq and 
Syria.''
  But it goes back even farther. In January 2014, the U.S. Ambassador 
to Iraq said the Islamic State is ``capable of taking and holding 
ground and causing a lot of trouble.'' In November 2013, a State 
Department official testified before a House Foreign Affairs 
subcommittee and specifically cited the ineffectiveness of Iraq's 
military.
  Then Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iraq and Iran said: 
``ISIL has benefited from a permissive operating environment due to 
inherent weaknesses of Iraqi security forces.''
  Mr. Speaker, all of these warnings occurred after Iraq's Prime 
Minister made an appeal to President Obama to help defeat the growing 
threat to his country. That was 2 years ago; so here we are.
  In June 2015, the leader of the free world tells an international 
conference in Austria that the United States does not have a complete 
strategy to defeat an enemy he once called a JV squad. Well, that JV 
squad is responsible for the horrific murders of American citizens.
  That JV squad has overtaken territory fought so hard for by American 
troops, territory that nearly 4,500 American servicemen and -women died 
to protect in the most violent battles witnessed by U.S. troops since 
the Vietnam war. That JV squad waves black flags while driving stolen 
military equipment through streets where Americans made the ultimate 
sacrifice.
  From overlooked redlines to bypassed deadlines, the Obama 
administration will serve as a case study in how not to conduct foreign 
policy for future world leaders.
  Today, the President wants us to believe that his administration's 
negotiations with Iran are in Israel's best interests. Ironically, 
Israel's Prime Minister made a direct appeal to the American people 
expressing the contrary.
  This past March, Prime Minister Netanyahu petitioned Congress from 
the podium right behind me because he, like so many, has lost faith in 
the abilities of our Commander in Chief.
  He is right; he is right to be skeptical about the State Department's 
``trust above all else'' policy with Iran, whose leaders have publicly 
proclaimed their desire for Israel to be wiped off the map. Mr. 
Netanyahu has rightly questioned America's once unwavering commitment 
to his homeland, Israel--our partner, our ally, but, most importantly, 
our friend.
  As I have said before, for those who do not believe in the United 
States' moral obligation to protect Israel, I remind them about the 
United States' strategic obligation. Israel benefits from a secure 
America, just as America benefits in having a secure, stable, and 
trustworthy ally in a very volatile and dangerous region of the world.
  The Obama administration's inability to realize this twofold bond 
between the United States and Israel illustrates their lack of 
understanding. I suggest to the President and his advisers that, if 
they really want to salvage any remaining trace of foreign policy 
competence for their history books, they walk away from this deal.
  I urge our President to pause and reflect on America's role in the 
world. Mr. Speaker, I urge him to reassess our courses of action 
abroad. The President must start by determining what is important for 
America. Only then will he be capable of developing a strategy, let 
alone the right one.
  In God we trust.

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