Rich Neal: “I rise this morning to condemn in the strongest possible terms the deadly bombings that have terrorized the people of…”

“I rise this morning to condemn in the strongest possible terms the deadly bombings that have terrorized the people of Israel for the past 9 days. In Jerusalem, in Ashkelon, and most recently in Tel Aviv, suicide bombers representing the Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas have taken more than 50 innocent lives, injured hundreds, and placed the mideast peace process in jeopardy. In this time of mourning and reflection in Israel, I extend my own personal condolences to the families of those killed in these senseless acts of violence. Just 2 years ago, Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat stood on the south lawn of the White House and signed the declaration of principles which set the historic peace process in motion. This morning, in the wake of the bombings, that peace seems as distant and elusive as ever. At this critical hour, we in the United States Congress must reaffirm our commitment to the goal of bringing peace to the Middle East, and pledge to vigorously support efforts that will swiftly bring to justice those who seek to undermine that peace through cowardly acts of violence.”