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NEWS: Ros-Lehtinen to Speak Sunday at Miami Rally in Support of Israel
January 9, 2009
NEWSHouse Foreign Affairs Committee
U.S. House of Representatives
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Republican
CONTACT: Sam Stratman, (202) 226-7875, January 9, 2009
Alex Cruz, (202) 225-8200
http://foreignaffairs.republicans.house.gov
For IMMEDIATE Release
Ros-Lehtinen to Speak Sunday at Miami Rally in Support of Israel
(MIAMI, FL) – U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will express her support for Israel's defensive actions in Gaza during scheduled remarks at a Sunday afternoon rally in Miami Beach. Participants in the 4 p.m. rally will gather at the Holocaust Memorial, 1933 Meridian Avenue in Miami Beach.
"Hamas militants expressly deny Israel’s right of existence. These Islamist extremists, with the support of their state sponsors, have launched thousands of rockets and mortars against Israel since 2001. Their goal is the complete destruction of the Jewish state," said Ros-Lehtinen.
“Like any sovereign nation, Israel has the right to defend itself in the face of such ongoing, orchestrated attacks by Hamas, Hezbollah, and other violent Islamist militants. I have been to Sderot, and I have watched as air raid warnings force the entire population to hide from an incoming round from Gaza,” Ros-Lehtinen said.
Ros-Lehtinen will urge strong U.S. backing for Israel. “We have a saying in Spanish about the close alliances that describes the U.S.-Israel friendship perfectly: We are the two wings of one bird,” she continued. “We depend on each other for our security, and we are both engaged in a broader conflict against world-wide Islamist extremism.”
Ros-Lehtinen co-authored H. Res. 34, a measure “recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, reaffirming the United States’ strong support for Israel, and supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.” The resolution was passed overwhelmingly by the House of Representatives on Friday.
“Responsible nations must work together to ensure that Hamas is prevented from achieving their goal of destroying the Jewish state,” Ros-Lehtinen said. “For more than 60 years, Israel has stood with us, and America must and will continue to stand with Israel as it confronts the threats from Islamist extremists.”
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