Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I appreciate both of my colleagues from New York, the distinguished gentlemen, Mr. Zeldin and Mr. Engel, for their strong leadership in standing up against this BDS movement. I think we all know what it is designed to do. It is designed to delegitimize Israel as a Jewish state and to undermine their economy, which ultimately goes to the heart of trying to bring down Israel by people who have been against a Jewish state and expressed anti-Semitism for decades. We all need to stand up against that, and so this resolution is incredibly important. As my other colleague just mentioned, our nations had a rich history of using boycotts to promote freedom. There are other boycotts that have been displayed to undermine freedom, and that is really where the BDS movement is in a very different category. I think we all need to make that distinction. If a boycott is being used to advance freedom, that is one we should support; but if a boycott is being used to undermine the very freedoms that exist in the only real elected democracy in the Middle East, we all need to rise up against that as people who respect that great tradition, that great love between the United States and Israel, an unbreakable bond, one that brings Republicans and Democrats together. We need to continue that tradition. But I would also add, Mr. Speaker, that, as we are talking about why we need to oppose the BDS movement with this resolution, words are hollow if we don't follow it up with action.…”