Frank Lautenberg: “I rise now to discuss the tense situation we are witnessing in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians. It…”

“I rise now to discuss the tense situation we are witnessing in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians. It has been said that governing is about choices. Right now, Hamas has to make a choice that can determine the future of the Palestinian people and the Palestinian state. Hamas is, at its roots, a terrorist organization. That has been established in the view of the United States and in the view of the European Union. So we can't kid ourselves about what it is that we see in front of us. They used a strategy to usurp power in the Palestinian territories. First, Hamas offered some social services among the Palestinian people by running social service programs even as it pursued its terrorist objective, to destroy Israel. But now Hamas has a choice. Does it really care about the Palestinian people or is it simply too dedicated to its terrorist ways? If Hamas is really concerned about the Palestinian people, they would release, promptly and safely, the Israeli soldier they now hold hostage. We have seen them brag--crow about the fact that they killed a young settler they abducted, 18 years of age. We see a new tactic being used by terrorists over the last few weeks--by terrorists in general. We saw what happened in Iraq when they kidnapped two of our soldiers, Private Kristian Menchaca and Private Thomas Tucker. They were mutilated and tortured before they were killed. So brutally handled by these terrorists in Iraq.…”