Tom Lantos: “Mr. Speaker, in the last 18 months we have watched while nearly 400 Israelis, mostly civilians, have died in the…”

“Mr. Speaker, in the last 18 months we have watched while nearly 400 Israelis, mostly civilians, have died in the violence in the Middle East. We have watched the escalation that has cost so many Palestinians their lives in a senseless intifada. We seek an end to violence and we ask for peace to all the people of the Middle East. The established Palestinian leadership cannot decide on which side of the line they stand, but this is a moral line that one cannot straddle in pursuit of political goals. Whether or not they ordered the terrorists into action or whether they turned a blind eye, it is they who are responsible for the violence that kills the innocent and kills the young people who are suicide bombers today. Israel is not perfect, but I believe that Israel does not wage war on innocents. Israel knows that there is no compromise with terrorism. America lost its innocence after September 11, and that caused us again to view and understanding of the forces of evil that can threaten our survival. There is no more important moment for solidarity. With only 6 million people in the preciously small place, Israel needs our voice. Our solidarity is borne of our common instinctive response to that September 11 attack. With this resolution, we renew the solidarity in a common cause.”