Issues

Palestine

H.Res. 34 - January 9, 2009: Selected Statements

Posted on Friday January 9, 2009

On January 9th, 2009, C-SPAN broadcast speeches on the floor regarding HR34, the House Resolution regarding Israel’s right to defend itself. AAI transcribed select speeches; you can also watch the entire proceedings on C-SPAN by clicking here.

Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA)

Madame Speaker, I will vote for this resolution today, but I am disappointed that we are doing once again what we have done so often. Of course, we all condemn Hamas and support Israel, but we should saying and doing so much more. I applaud the statements by the chairman and our speaker, and I wish they were a part of the resolution. We must call for greater US engagement to achieve a durable and to restart the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. We all know the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will never be settled militarily. My fear, this action by Israel, justified as it is, and provoked by Hamas, will not enhance Israel’s security, but only further endanger it. Achieving peace in the Middle East is in Israel’s best interest, and is in America’s best interest, but the violence that now permeates Gaza only puts off the serious and difficult work of diplomacy that is a predicate to peace, and it obscures the remarkable progress, which is even now being made in the West Bank. In the meantime, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has grown to unspeakable proportions and millions of innocent Palestinians and Israelis are suffering. I urge my colleagues to not only make statements of support for Israel, but to call for a cease fire, and to press for peace.

Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-CA)

I rise today in support of Israel’s right to self defense and a broader US diplomatic role on the Middle East. The Israeli government has a right and responsibility to defend Israeli citizens, and we have an obligation to support our ally in times of crisis. But this body also has an obligation to advance the dialogue beyond the conflict of today toward how we can achieve a stable peace in the future. This conflict shows that the United States cannot manage the situation from the sidelines. This approach only serves Iran and radical elements in the region. Rather, we must maintain a high diplomatic presence that allows responsible parties to capture every opportunity for peace. I believe the new administration and the new Congress represent an opportunity to regain our position as an honest broker in the region and for this to happen a tone coming from Washington must be in sharp contrast to the last eight years. Congress, help set that tone, which is why I hope my colleagues will use this tragedy as an opportunity to call for an end to this conflict and a border American diplomatic presence in the region.

Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN)

Madame Speaker, I come to the floor today torn about this resolution. Though I welcome resolutions by the Congress to show support for the people of Israel and Gaza at this difficult time…Diplomacy is necessary to save lives and yield a lasting peace with security. The United States must play a more active role in pursuing peace in the Middle East.

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)

In Gaza the United Nations gave the Israeli army the coordinates of UN school and the school was then hit by Israeli tank fire, killing about 40. The UN put flags on emergency vehicles, coordinating the movement of those vehicles with the Israeli military, and the vehicles came under attack killing emergency workers. The Israeli army evacuated 100 Palestinians to shelter and then bombed the shelter killing 30 people. Emergency workers have been blocked by the Israeli army from reaching hundreds of injured persons.

Today’s Washington Post, one hundred survivors rescued in Gaza from ruins blocked by Israelis. Relief agencies fear more are trapped days after neighborhood was shelled. Today the US congress is going to be asked to pass a resolution supporting Israel’s actions in Gaza. I’m hopeful that we don’t support the inhumanity that has been repeatedly expressed by the Israeli army. The US abstained from a UN call for a cease fire. We must take a new direction in the Middle East, and that new direction must be mindful of the inhumane conditions in Gaza.

Ron Paul (R-TX)

I rise in opposition to this resolution, not because I am taking sides, or picking who the bad guys are or the good guys are, but I’m looking at this war from the angle of being a United States’ citizen and an American, and I think resolutions like this really do us great harm. In many ways what’s happening in the Middle East, and in particular with Gaza right now Gaza, we have some moral responsibility for both sides in away, because we provide help and funding for both Arab nations and Israel. So we definitely have a moral responsibility, especially now today, the weapons being used today to kill so many Palestinians are American weapons and American funds are essentially being used for this. There’s a political liability, which I think is something we fail to look at, because too often there’s blowback from our intervention from areas we shouldn’t be involved in. You know, Hamas, if you look at the history, you’ll find out that Hamas was really encouraged and really started by Israel, because they wanted Hamas to counteract Yasser Arafat. And you say, well, that was better then, and served its purpose, but we didn’t want Hamas to do this. Then, we as Americans say well we have such a good system, we’re going to impose this on the world, we’re going to invade Iraq and teach people how to be democrats. We want free elections. So we encourage the Palestinians to have a free election. They do and they elect Hamas. So we first, indirectly and directly through Israel, help establish, then we have an election, then Hamas becomes dominant, so we have to kill them. You know, it just doesn’t make sense, in the eighties, we were allied with Osama bin Laden and contending with the Soviets. It was at that time that our CIA thought it was good if we radicalized the Muslim world. So we finance the madrasa schools to radicalize the Muslims in order to compete with the Soviets. There’s too much blowback, there’s a lot of reasons why we should oppose this resolution, it is not in the interest of the United States and not in the interest of Israel either.

Congressman Nick Rahall (D-WV)

Madame Speaker, I am saddened by the recent escalation in fighting over the past few weeks in the Middle East, I condemn the Hamas attacks and recent air strikes from southern Lebanon into Israel. I hope that all sides can take a step back and deescalate the fighting and to work together to renew the cease fire agreement that expired on December 19th. At the same time, humanitarian aid and assistance should be allowed to reach those in the region who need it the most, particularly the civilian victims of the conflict. Military action alone is not going to be a solution to the problems in the Middle East, we all know that. Working towards a lasting peaceful solution to this conflict by addressing the root causes is in the best interest of the United States. The current fighting is not in the best interest of the United States. Only the extremists on both sides are the winners. Those moderates in the middle, both in Israel and the Palestinian side, are the real losers in the current fighting. Make no mistake about; this campaign was planned sometime ago, not just at the expiration of the cease fire in December. Recent events in Israel show that prime minister elections coming up in February show that they have been a major factor in these air strikes. Witnessing meteoric rise of Defense Minister Ehud Barakto almost nothing in the polls for now leading as prime minister of Israel. Make now mistake about; there are a variety of factors, on all sides, that come into play. There’s no political will on the Palestinian side, there’s no political will on the Israeli side, to reach a real agreement and addressing of the root causes. This resolution, while there’s nothing in it that can be denied, is not in my opinion in the best interest of resolving this conflict.