OFFICE OF THE MAJORITY LEADER

TRANSCRIPT

Gaza Strip Conflict Resolution on House Floor
January 9, 2009

... AT THIS POINT AND THEY ARE HELPING PROVIDE THE ROCKETS. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE GENTLEMAN'S TIME HAS EXPIRED. THE GENTLEMAN FROM CALIFORNIA. MR. BERMAN: MADAM SPEAKER, I'M PLEASED TO YIELD ONE MINUTE TO THE MAJORITY LEADER FOR THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THE GENTLEMAN FROM MARYLAND, MR. HOYER. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: THE GENTLEMAN FROM MARYLAND IS RECOGNIZED FOR ONE MINUTE. MR. HOYER: I ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO REVISE AND EXTEND MY REMARKS. THE SPEAKER PRO TEMPORE: WITHOUT OBJECTION, SO ORDERED. MR. HOYER: I THANK THE GENTLEMAN FROM CALIFORNIA. I THANK THE GENTLELADY FROM FLORIDA. FOR BRINGING THIS RESOLUTION TO THE FLOOR. TODAY THE HOUSE WILL STAND IN SUPPORT OF ISRAEL AS IT FACES ENEMIES BENT ON ITS DESTRUCTION. FOR EIGHT YEARS HAMAS AIDED BY IRAN AND OTHERS HAS SENT DEADLY ROCKETS AND MORTARS INTO ISRAEL. SO MANY HAVE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT THAT. IN 2005, ISRAEL DISMANTLED ITS SETTLEMENTS AND WITHDREW ITS MILITARY FROM GAZA. AND STILL THE ROCKETS CAME. MORE THAN 6,000 AS HAS BEEN RELATED SINCE ISRAEL'S WITHDRAWAL. I WAS IN ISRAEL ON AUGUST 15 OF 2005 WITH A DELEGATION. MEETING WITH SHARON. IT WAS A COURAGEOUS ACT THAT THE ISRAELIS TOOK. IT WAS A CONTROVERSIAL ACT THAT THE ISRAELIS TOOK. IT TOOK GREAT POLITICAL COURAGE TO DO WHAT THE ISRAELIS DID. AND THERE WERE MANY CITIZENS IN THAT DEMOCRACY THAT DEMONSTRATED AGAINST THAT ACTION BECAUSE THEY FEARED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IS WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW. EACH ONE OF THEM, THE ROCKETS THAT HAVE BEEN SENT, THOSE 6,000, INTENDED TO KILL THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CIVILIANS AND FALLING INDISCRIMINATELY ON SOUTHERN ISRAEL'S CITIES AND TOWNS. THAT WAS A WAR CRIME BY ANY DEFINITION. MR. ROYCE SPOKE OF THAT AS TO WHAT OUR RESPONSE WOULD BE IF MEXICO OR CANADA, WHICH OBVIOUSLY HAS NOT CONSO -- DONE SO NOR WOULD THEY, BUT IF THEY DID THAT WHAT OUR OWN CITIZENS WOULD DEMAND OF US. MEXICO WOULD NOT EXIST, NOR WOULD CANADA. QUITE SIMPLY PUT. WE WOULD NOT TOLERATE AND NO AMOUNT OF CRITICISM LEVELED ON US WOULD IN ANY WAY MODIFY OUR RESPONSE. THE HARM OF THESE MISSILES IS UNDENIABLE. I HAVE SEEN IT FIRST HAND. WHEN I TRAVELED TO THE SOUTHERN ISRAEL TOWN I MET FAMILIES WHOSE CHILDREN HAD LOST THE ABILITY TO SPEAK. WHO NO LONGER HAD CONTROL OF THEIR BODILY FUNCTIONS. THAT IS THE PROFOUND AND EVER PRESENT FEAR THAT COVERS MUCH OF ISRAEL TODAY. LET US BE QUICK TO INTONE, HOWEVER, OUR SYMPATHY FOR THE CHILDREN AND FOR THE FAMILIES OF THE PALESTINIANS LIVING IN GAZA. LET US NOT FORGET THAT THE PROBLEM WITH THESE CONFLICTS IS THAT IT IS THE INNOCENCE -- I KNOW SENT -- INNOCENTS WHO SUFFER THE MOST. HOW TRAGIC IT IS, I BELIEVE, THAT FOR OVER SIX DECADES THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE HAVE BEEN LED BY THOSE WHO RATIONALIZE THE USE OF TERROR AND RATIONALIZE THE PREMISE OF THE DESTRUCTION OF ISRAEL. ESTABLISHED BY THE UNITED NATIONS OF THE WORLD. HOW TRAGIC IT IS THAT THE PALESTINIANS HAVE NOT HAD AMONG THEIR NUMBER A GANDY -- A GANDHI, A MANDELA, A MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WHO SAID THE WAY TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM IS NOT THROUGH TERROR AND VIOLENCE. BUT THE WAY TO SOLVE THIS PROBLEM IS THROUGH REASON AND APPEAL TO MORAL SITUATION IN THE WORLD COMMUNITY. HOW TRAGIC IT IS THAT THE PALESTINIAN CHILDREN AND THE ISRAELI CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES, MEN, WOMEN, OLDER PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED TO THE TERROR SOLD BY HAMAS, HEZBOLLAH, AND OTHER TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS. BUT THE REALITY EXISTS TODAY THAT HAMAS IS IN CONTROL AND IS THREATENING. AND THAT IS THE DANGER THAT ISRAEL NOR ANY NATION, NOR ANY NATION COULD ENDURE. AS SECRETARY RICE SAID LAST WEEK, AND I QUOTE, HAMAS HAS HELD THE PEOPLE OF GAZA HOSTAGE ...