Entire Party Rallies: Additional Support for Israel
As we've noted below, at a time when Israel again finds itself under attack from forces outside of its borders, Democrats and the National Jewish Democratic Council are standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel in support of its right to defend its borders and people from terrorist and militant attacks.
Additional statements that we have compiled come from key Democrats such as Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois:
We will stand with the government and people of Israel as they defend themselves and we join the world in condemning these newest acts of terror that threaten to destabilize the region.
The attacks on Israeli soil and the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, first by Hamas and now by Hizballah, constitute acts of terror that no state could tolerate. These terrorist organizations must release the captured Israeli soldiers immediately and unconditionally.
I echo the President’s demand that all parties in the region fulfill their obligations under U.N. Security Council resolutions 1559 and 1680, and cease all support for Hizballah. I urge the President and Secretary of State to work with countries in the region to help forge a solution to the escalating tension and increasing scope of the crisis.
Other powerful statements come from key leaders such as Bill Nelson (FL), who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Alcee Hastings (FL), a co-chair of the Democratic Israel Working Group, and Jerry Nadler (NY), one of the pro-Israel stalwarts in Congress.
Nelson's statement is powerfully descriptive of what's going on now:
Mr. President, I rise today to condemn Hamas’s and Hizballah’s unprovoked acts of war against Israel and to express strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself.
On July 12, Hizballah attacked an Israeli military unit patrolling the Israeli border south of Lebanon, and two Israeli soldiers were taken hostage. Hizballah’s leader, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, has admitted that this was a calculated act, which Hizballah had planned for five months. Analysts agree that this act is a sign of support for the Hamas kidnapping of another Israeli soldier on June 25. It is also a sign that two of the regions most recalcitrant terrorist organizations have no interest in the peace and security of the people they supposedly now represent in elected governments in Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories.
Both of these attacks were clear acts of war – attacks on Israeli soldiers guarding undisputed Israeli territory. The Hizballah attack was also a blatant breach of Security Council resolutions 1559, 1655, and 1680, which certified Israel’s full withdrawal from Lebanese territory, called for the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon, and called for an end to attacks across the Israel-Lebanon border.
Despite these resolutions, Hizballah remains an armed militia group with unrestrained activity in Lebanon and has not been pressured by the Lebanese government to disarm. In fact, Hizballah is a part of the Lebanese government now with twenty-three seats in the Lebanese parliament and two ministers in the government. According to the Department of State, Hizballah receives $30-40 million a month in cash, aid and arms support from Iran. Additionally, Syria is still a strong partner with Iran in supporting, sheltering and funding Hizballah to the detriment of the people of Lebanon
Mr. President, I believe it is critical that the U.S. Senate recognize Israel’s right to defend itself, and call on the government of Lebanon to immediately and unconditionally release the abducted Israeli soldiers. The same holds true for the soldier held by Hamas in Gaza. At the same time, we must insist that Iran and Syria immediately cease interfering in the internal affairs of Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories by ending all support for Hizballah and Hamas.
I will shortly be introducing legislation to increase pressure on the government of Lebanon to do the right thing and disarm Hizballah. The Lebanese people surely deserve better than to have their fate determined by this terrorist organization. But for now, Israel deserves our unwavering support as it aims to protect its people from these unprovoked attacks.
Hastings' July 12th statement on the floor was evocative:
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to condemn yesterday’s brutal attack by a terrorist group on Israel, which took the lives of eight Israeli Defense Forces soldiers and captured two others, on the Israel-Lebanon border.
The actions of the terrorist organization, Hezbollah, against Israel are unconsciousable. Instead of working towards peace, Hezbollah has chosen to perpetuate the violence. Terrorist attacks such as these are cowardly actions that resolve nothing. From the South, Israel has been attacked by the terrorist organization Hamas with Kassam rockets and had one of her soldiers kidnapped. Hezbollah’s current terrorist assault from the North does not further any legitimate peace process. The timing of these aggressions only serves to enhance the existing tensions in the region.
Israel has complied with the UN charter and has completely withdrawn from Lebanon since May 2000. Now it is time for the Lebanese government to abide by the UN’s rules. In refusing to disarm Hezbollah as required by U.N. Resolution 1559, the Lebanese government is choosing to openly ignore the decree of the international body.
I call upon Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora to accept responsibility and take immediate action against the terrorist group which Lebanon harbors.
Let us not be misled into believing these attacks arise from a single source. The terrorist organizations, Hezbollah and Hamas, are unquestionably sponsored and guided by the Iranian and Syrian governments. The United States Congress must not allow the Iranian government to use bloodshed as a deflecting tactic against U.S. attention from their unrestricted nuclear program. The Syrian and Iranian governments should be condemned along with the terrorist groups they harbor.
In response to these brutal attacks by terrorists, Israel must have the right to defend herself. Like the United States and other sovereign nations, Israel is justified in reestablishing its deterrent posture.
I express my condolences to the families of the attacked soldiers, and offer a prayer for the safe return of the two kidnapped soldiers from the Lebanon border and the soldier kidnapped in Gaza. I pray for the ultimate end of the cycle of violence in the Middle East.
Nadler's strong statement follows:
Congressman Jerrold Nadler released the following statement today in support of Israel’s ongoing efforts to protect her citizens and soldiers from terrorist violence:
“Hezbollah’s cold-blooded, unprovoked attacks are a vivid illustration of the ongoing danger that Israel faces from the terrorist regimes that surround it. Like any other country, Israel has the right and the obligation to defend her citizens from attack no matter what the circumstance.
In this case, Israel has fallen victim to violent, premeditated attacks launched for political gain. At a press conference in Beirut yesterday, Hezbollah’s leader bragged that the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers had been in the works for five months, and was intended to force Israel’s hand in releasing convicted and suspected terrorists from prison.
Israel will not bow to brutality, nor should she be expected to do so. Her only option is to move swiftly and judiciously to neutralize the terrorist elements carrying out these attacks.
While the clash we are seeing today is the work of Hezbollah extremists, it is also the product of years of inaction by the Lebanese government. Israeli forces pulled out of southern Lebanon eight years ago on the condition that Lebanon would prevent the borderland from being used to stage attacks against Israel. The failure of that promise is self-evident. The United Nations has passed a resolution calling for Lebanon to disarm Hezbollah. Lebanon has not acted. More action by Israel will most certainly be a consequence if Lebanon does not immediately become a partner in the effort to combat terrorism.
Israel continues to show admirable restraint in dealing with her hostile neighbors, even in the face of increasing rocket attacks, kidnappings, and threats to her people. I support her actions in defense of her people, and I pray for a swift and just conclusion to the fighting.”
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