Peter Deutsch: “I would also mention, Mr. Speaker, just in terms of the discourse that occurred, on more than one occasion last Thursday…”

“I would also mention, Mr. Speaker, just in terms of the discourse that occurred, on more than one occasion last Thursday people mentioned the Israeli occupation, almost inferring that it was a justification for acts of violence. Obviously, it could never be a justification for the killing of innocents. The last incident before this one that occurred was literally a 5-year-old girl was shot, murdered, hiding underneath her bed. I think one of the facts that are important, that people should understand, is that the Israeli government offered to end the occupation. That is what the Camp David Accord was about, where the Israeli government effectively offered to give back 98 percent of the West Bank and Gaza, offered to end the occupation. So it is this demented sort of perspective that if the occupation causes frustration and violence, well, the Israeli government was willing to end the occupation, so then why did they not accept it?”