Bill Pascrell: “Mr. Speaker, I must remind my brother from Indiana that the Mideast is in reality a dream for Jews, Christians, and…”

“Mr. Speaker, I must remind my brother from Indiana that the Mideast is in reality a dream for Jews, Christians, and Muslims; and that is the approach. I am going to vote for this resolution probably, but I would like to take the opportunity to speak about what people in my area, my district, and abroad should take from the resolution. The conflict in Israel is the axis on which much of Middle East politics spins. Let us not forget that what we do and say here has major implications all across the globe. The United States is strongly committed to the security of Israel as a Jewish state. That is not debatable. There is no question that our friend and ally has every right to defend itself against terrorists who oppose freedom and democracy. This resolution takes a strong stand on that issue. But equally important, this resolution stands in favor of a peaceful two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Read it carefully. A vital first step to a peaceful solution is the proposed withdrawal from Gaza, as the Prime Minister has planned and President Bush has endorsed. But we must not forget that this withdrawal should be a precursor to the restart of negotiations.”