House and Senate ♥ Israel
Both the US House of Representatives and the US Senate passed resolutions this week supporting Israel and their fight against Hamas. Both Castle and Carper voted in favor of their chamber’s resolution.
The first four points of the House Resolution pretty much some up why Hamas will never get the support of the US Government.
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.
Whereas Hamas was founded with the stated goal of destroying the State of Israel;
Whereas Hamas has been designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization;
Whereas Hamas has refused to comply with the Quartet’s (the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations) requirements that Hamas recognize Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians
Full texts of both resolutions below the fold.
The House Resolution
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.
Whereas Hamas was founded with the stated goal of destroying the State of Israel;
Whereas Hamas has been designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization;
Whereas Hamas has refused to comply with the Quartet’s (the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations) requirements that Hamas recognize Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians;
Whereas in June 2006, Hamas illegally crossed into Israel, attacked Israeli forces, and kidnaped Corporal Gilad Shalit, whom they continue to hold today;
Whereas Hamas has launched thousands of rockets and mortars against Israeli population centers since 2001, and has launched more than 6,000 such rockets and mortars since Israel withdrew its civilian population and its military from Gaza in 2005;
Whereas Hamas has increased the range and payload of its rockets, reportedly with support from Iran and others, putting hundreds of thousands of Israelis in danger of rocket attacks from Gaza;
Whereas Hamas locates elements of its terrorist infrastructure in civilian population centers, thus using innocent civilians as human shields;
Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement on December 27, 2008, that `We strongly condemn the repeated rocket and mortar attacks against Israel and hold Hamas responsible for breaking the cease-fire and for the renewal of violence there’;
Whereas on December 27, 2008, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said, `For approximately seven years, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens in the south have been suffering from missiles being fired at them. . . . In such a situation we had no alternative but to respond. We do not rejoice in battle but neither will we be deterred from it. . . . The operation in the Gaza Strip is designed, first and foremost, to bring about an improvement in the security reality for the residents of the south of the country’;
Whereas the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including shortages of food, water, electricity, and adequate medical care, is becoming more acute;
Whereas Israel has facilitated humanitarian aid to Gaza with hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian assistance and numerous ambulances entering the Gaza Strip since the current round of fighting began on December 27, 2008;
Whereas on January 6, 2009, before the United Nations Security Council, Secretary Rice stated that: `The situation before the current events in Gaza was clearly not sustainable. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis lived under the daily threat of rocket attack, and frankly, no country, none of our countries, would have been willing to tolerate such a circumstance. Moreover, the people of Gaza watched as insecurity and lawlessness increased and as their living conditions grew more dire because of Hamas’s actions which began with the illegal coup against the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. . . . A ceasefire that returns to those circumstances is unacceptable and it will not last’; and
Whereas the ultimate goal of the United States is a sustainable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that will ensure the welfare, security, and survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders, and a viable, independent, and democratic Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the State of Israel: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives–
(1) expresses vigorous support and unwavering commitment to the welfare, security, and survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders, and recognizes its right to act in self-defense to protect its citizens against Hamas’s unceasing aggression, as enshrined in the United Nations Charter;
(2) reiterates that Hamas must end the rocket and mortar attacks against Israel, recognize Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence, agree to accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians, and verifiably dismantle its terrorist infrastructure;
(3) encourages the Administration to work actively to support a durable and sustainable cease-fire in Gaza , as soon as possible, that prevents Hamas from retaining or rebuilding its terrorist infrastructure, including the capability to launch rockets and mortars against Israel, and thereby allowing for the long-term improvement of daily living conditions for the people of Gaza;
(4) believes strongly that the lives of innocent civilians must be protected to the maximum extent possible, expresses condolences to innocent Palestinian and Israeli victims and their families, and reiterates that humanitarian needs in Gaza should be addressed promptly and responsibly;
(5) calls on all nations–
(A) to condemn Hamas for deliberately embedding its fighters, leaders, and weapons in private homes, schools, mosques, hospitals, and otherwise using Palestinian civilians as human shields, while simultaneously targeting Israeli civilians; and
(B) to lay blame both for the breaking of the `calm’ and for subsequent civilian casualties in Gaza precisely where blame belongs, that is, on Hamas;
(6) supports and encourages efforts to diminish the appeal and influence of extremists in the Palestinian territories, and strengthen moderate Palestinians who are committed to a secure and lasting peace with Israel;
(7) calls on Egypt to intensify its efforts to halt smuggling between Gaza and Egypt and affirms the willingness of the United States to continue to assist Egypt in these efforts;
(8) calls for the immediate release of the kidnaped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been illegally held in Gaza since June 2006; and
(9) reiterates its strong support for a just and sustainable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict achieved through negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in order to ensure the welfare, security, and survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders, and a viable, independent, and democratic Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the State of Israel.
The Senate Resolution
Whereas Hamas was founded with the stated goal of destroying the State of Israel;
Whereas Hamas has been designated by the Secretary of State as a Foreign Terrorist Organization;
Whereas Hamas has refused to comply with the requirements of the Quartet (the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the United Nations) that Hamas recognize Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians;
Whereas, in June 2006, Hamas crossed into Israel, attacked Israeli forces and kidnapped Corporal Gilad Shalit, whom they continue to hold today;
Whereas Hamas has launched thousands of rockets and mortars since Israel dismantled settlements and withdrew from Gaza in 2005;
Whereas Hamas has increased the range of its rockets, reportedly with support from Iran and others, putting additional large numbers of Israelis in danger of rocket attacks from Gaza;
Whereas Hamas locates elements of its terrorist infrastructure in civilian population centers, thus using innocent civilians as human shields;
Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement on December 27, 2008, that “[w]e strongly condemn the repeated rocket and mortar attacks against Israel and hold Hamas responsible for breaking the ceasefire and for the renewal of violence there”;
Whereas, on December 27, 2008, Prime Minister of Israel Ehud Olmert said, “For approximately seven years, hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens in the south have been suffering from missiles being fired at them. ….. In such a situation we had no alternative but to respond. We do not rejoice in battle but neither will we be deterred from it. ….. The operation in the Gaza Strip is designed, first and foremost, to bring about an improvement in the security reality for the residents of the south of the country.”;
Whereas, on January 2, 2009, Secretary of State Rice stated that “Hamas has held the people of Gaza hostage ever since their illegal coup against the forces of President Mahmoud Abbas, the legitimate President of the Palestinian people. Hamas has used Gaza as a launching pad for rockets against Israeli cities and has contributed deeply to a very bad daily life for the Palestinian people in Gaza, and to a humanitarian situation that we have all been trying to address”;
Whereas the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including shortages of food, water, electricity, and adequate medical care, is becoming more acute;
Whereas Israel has facilitated humanitarian aid to Gaza with over 500 trucks and numerous ambulances entering the Gaza Strip since December 26, 2008;
Whereas, on January 2, 2009, Secretary of State Rice stated that it was “Hamas that rejected the Egyptian and Arab calls for an extension of the tahadiya that Egypt had negotiated” and that the United States was “working toward a cease-fire that would not allow a reestablishment of the status quo ante where Hamas can continue to launch rockets out of Gaza. It is obvious that that cease-fire should take place as soon as possible, but we need a cease-fire that is durable and sustainable”; and
Whereas the ultimate goal of the United States is a sustainable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that will allow for a viable and independent Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the State of Israel, which will not be possible as long as Israeli civilians are under threat from within Gaza: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate–
(1) expresses vigorous support and unwavering commitment to the welfare, security, and survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders, and recognizes its right to act in self-defense to protect its citizens against acts of terrorism;
(2) reiterates that Hamas must end the rocket and mortar attacks against Israel, recognize Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to accept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians;
(3) encourages the President to work actively to support a durable, enforceable, and sustainable cease-fire in Gaza, as soon as possible, that prevents Hamas from retaining or rebuilding the capability to launch rockets and mortars against Israel and allows for the long term improvement of daily living conditions for the ordinary people of Gaza;
(4) believes strongly that the lives of innocent civilians must be protected and all appropriate measures should be taken to diminish civilian casualties and that all involved should continue to work to address humanitarian needs in Gaza;
(5) supports and encourages efforts to diminish the appeal and influence of extremists in the Palestinian territories and to strengthen moderate Palestinians who are committed to a secure and lasting peace with Israel; and
(6) reiterates its strong support for United States Government efforts to promote a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through a serious and sustained peace process that leads to the creation of a viable and independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside a secure State of Israel.
Oh this is so silly. Yglesias makes a great point here:
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=how_the_us_should_be_involved_in_gaza
It’s like everyone says “we support Israel” and no one ever evaluates what we are actually supporting. It’s unconditional love.
Money quote:
“Most Americans with strong feelings about Israel don’t actually have strong feelings about the details of Israeli policy. Had the Israeli government chosen to talk rather than start bombing back in December, Americans would have supported them. Had the Israeli government bombed for a few days and then agreed to a cease-fire, Americans would have supported that. But instead the bombing was followed up by a land invasion, so they supported that instead.”
Both sides should shoulder blame. Why not offer proportional support contigent on careful consideration and reflect rather than blind faith?
liz, MJ, where art thou?
Perhaps a more accurate way to look at it would be that most Americans don’t give a sh*t about Israeli policy. They instinctively back Israel because they hear about how Israelis are regularly targeted by suicide bombers and rockets, and think that everyone should have the right to defend themselves. But there’s not a lot of deep thinking going on here.
First Iraq, now Gaza. My disgust with my government’s actions continue. One-third of the killed and injured in Gaza are children. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/09/AR2009010900369.html?referrer=emailarticle
Just imagine if the situation were reversed and this were being done to Israel. Wow!
American politicians will never speak up against Israel, no matter what they do, because they get too many campaign contributions from Jewish supporters so there is no surprise that this resolution passed. It is beyond shameful.
June, if the brave Hamas fighters weren’t hiding behind women and children, women and children wouldn’t be getting killed. But when those brave, brave freedom fighters hide behind the skirts of their women and the toys of their children, then they ought not to be surprised when their women and children get killed.
If we didn’t put women and children off limits, they wouldn’t be hiding behind women and children.
According to a recent article in the New York Times, American taxpayers have give over $77 billion to the Jewish nation of Israel since 1967. This huge giveaway program of the American government actually amounts to about $16,500 for every Jew (man, woman, and child) in the nation. Much of this money comes as a result of the activities of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is the largest of the 80 odd Jewish lobbies in Washington. These lobbies are interested in getting congressmen and senators elected that will continue Israel’s favored nation status with the U.S. Government. For example, gifts to potential candidates for the 1989-1990 election amounted to $8 million according to Federal Election Commission reports. As a result of these bribes, Israel has been successful in obtaining approximately $10 billion dollars in aid last year alone. The U.S. government has virtually no say in how this money is spent. Any attempt to monitor the cash gifts is taken as an insult by the Israeli government which claims that as a sovereign nation, we should keep our hands off its internal affairs. Our hands have only one purpose–giving them more money. This one tiny nation of only four million people alone receives approximately one third of our foreign aid, and while foreign aid is actually decreasing to some central America and African nations, aid to Israel is on the steady rise.
I don’t know that Gazans have any choice. Israel has not allowed people to leave Gaza at all.
UI
“Israel has not allowed people to leave Gaza at all….” Oh, how they condemned the Berlin Wall, now, who are the wall builders…….It boggles the mind
Where am I? Where are the DLiberal bloggers. A ton of information has been delivered to both Jason and Geek? Where am I, went to the Catholic Church this am to see what they are doing…urging all their people to join Prayer Groups, l/2 vigils. Protested yesterday on Concord Pike…people are awake…horns blowing, people yelling out of windows in support, and peace signs galore.
The question is not where am I, the question is WHERE ARE YOU.
Dana. if you had a clue about anything of this horror it left your brain long ago. Where would you like the Gazans to go, they are surrounded by a huge wall on three sides, and Israelie gunboats in the harbor. US soldiers are guarding the Rafah crossing into Egypt…your stupid and idiotic belief that “hamas is hiding behind women and children” is insane.
When children are abused, they grow up to be abusers…the zionists are in charge! As Jewish groups around the world are demonstrating against them….they continue to put out their distortions and lies. Corporate media is owned and controlled in America, so we dont see the horror they impose on the Gazans…Not so in the rest of the world…which is why millions are in the streets….have you seen even one demo against this crap? Notice now that they have been exposed for using “chemical phospherous weapons”, they aren’t showing that anymore.
George WAR Bush just ordered the Pentagon to ship another boatload of weapons of mass destruction to the zionists…Its all being done in OUR name…and the blowback will be a BITCH.
June: the agreement between Bush/Cheney and their evil empire….gives Israel $10 billion a year, but the zionists have to use 2/3 of that money in weapons of mass destruction they purchase from the US….its an international ponzi scheme of epic proportions.
what is an l/2 vigil???
Anon: The coward. a l/2 hour vigil by parishoners to keep the vigil going.
Jerusaleum Post: British BP (oil co) and Israel freeze Hamas out of $4 BILLION GAS DEAL.
The two arrived at an understanding that will transfer funds intended for PLO Investment Funds to an international bank accoumt. BP will drill for gas 36 kilometers off the coast of Gaza, “an area designated to PLO in the Oslo accords”. The deal excludes Gaza. Do you see what is really behind this holocaust….a $4 billion gas deal.
Hamas, “so what have the zionists succeeded in doing. They have succeeded in cold blooded murder of women and children. They have grouped women/children in houses and then destroy the houses on their heads. They have kidnapped people and executed them in cold blood. What have they achieved except a holocaust in Gaza, that your leaders need in order to win an election in Feb. Palestinan blood is now a means for political achievement in your elections”. “What prevented the US from allowing Resolution 1860 to pass two weeks ago? They wanted to give Israel a chance to kill as many as possible and then claim victory.
“Resistance is all we have”.
Liz, right on
….its an international ponzi scheme of epic proportions….It works like this :
We give them $3 billion a year in “aid” with which they buy the “bunker busters” from us…EVERYBODY wins.
A Ponzi scheme? you bet !
(Before anybody corrects me this years “donation” was $2.75 billions)
However read on :
Large Jewish organizations go AWOL on Gaza
Posted: January 05, 2009, 3:00 PM by Kelly McParland
Full Comment
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/01/05/225474.aspx
The scheme has it’s cracks
and many of the Jewish organization do not support it.
Huge Rally in New York City Monday 5:00 pm.
WE ARE JEWS WHO SAY “NOT IN OUR NAME”.
We ask you to stand with us.
-an immediate end to the massacre of the Palestinan people.
-immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of all Israeli troops
-immediate end to the blockade of Gaza
-immediate steps taken to end the Israeli occupation of Gaza
We stand in solidarity with the Palestinan people, with our brothers/sisters in Israel who are bravely opposing the brutality of their government, and with those around the world calling for peace and justice in the middle east.
There will be no speakers. We will stand together holding our signs, our demands reverberating with a POWERFUL AND RESOUNDING SILENCE.
Now I wonder if the JCC Community Center in Wilmington, holding a Pro Israeli rally tonight will be making the same sane comments?
Jews calling on Israeli soldiers to stop their massacre of Palestinans.
http://tinyurl.com/8hdr52
Anyone stupid enough to believe that a majority of Jews are supporting the Holocaust are gravely mistaken. You tube is filled with Jewish comments against this Holocaust.
Just in
Bush Protested Planned Israeli Strike on Iran
President Bush reportedly revealed to the Israelis that he already had authorized a covert U.S. effort to sabotage Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
Jan 10 fox News read it
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/01/10/nyt-bush-protested-israeli-planned-strike-iran/
The people of Gaza are rather stupid in their toleration of weapons being fired from their area into Israel. Is there a phrase in Arabic for ‘counterbattery’?
We have a nation that some have vowed to destroy. Israel was founded by force of arms and the others should get used to reality. The entire region was part of the Ottoman Empire that was carved up by diplomats with maps, pens, and rulers. The did forget to create a Kurdistan but Palestine was promised to two claimants.
Israel exists. Get over it and stop whining. How many are going to take random incoming fire and do nothing about it?
Perhaps some enterprising soul will go to Gaza and sell some T-Shirts emblazoned with the Hamas logo on the front and the Arabic words for ‘Stop Snithin’ on the back. They could probably be made on the cheap in China.
Perhaps some enterprising soul will go to Gaza and sell some T-Shirts emblazoned with the Hamas logo
From what I’m reading they’d sell pretty well right here.
Why won’t Egypt or Jordan or Syria help their Arab brothers and sisters?
Liz, doesn’t Egypt have a wall around Gaza to keep the palestinians out? Why?
Hamas does not have the support of most Arab governments, why should we support them?