I thank Mr. Wilson for presenting this bill before us today, and I rise in strong support of his bill, the Hamas Human Shields Prevention Act. I was proud to join Mr. Wilson and others as an original cosponsor. Three years ago, the House and Senate both unanimously passed a concurrent resolution that I authored which denounced the use of human shields by Hamas and, indeed, any other terror group. Using human shields is an unconscionable practice. It is a gross violation of international laws and norms. Yet, invariably, the use of human shields ends up being a winning strategy for Hamas. Why? Because the international community falls for its deadly ploy. This is despite the fact that Israel is unmatched in its efforts to avoid civilian casualties. We know Hamas forces Palestinians into becoming human shields, and the terror group is known for firing on Israeli targets from heavily populated areas or from places like schools or mosques. They do this on purpose. This disgusting practice underscores the fact that Hamas doesn't care at all about the well-being of the Palestinian people, and the sole purpose of Hamas is to try to force Israel into a situation in which it may harm civilians, hoping to turn the public sentiment against the Jewish State. Mr. Wilson's bill, therefore, puts down an important marker, Mr. Speaker.…
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