Mark Pocan: “Today's Special Order hour is not just about the violence that has occurred in the last week in Israel and Palestine. It…”

“Today's Special Order hour is not just about the violence that has occurred in the last week in Israel and Palestine. It is not about the activities of the last month, including the displacement of Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah, that have been largely overlooked in this region. But, in many ways, it is about what has happened over the last year, the last decade, the last several decades that has dehumanized and violated the human rights of too many people in this important region. No one should have to face the reality of missiles shot at them. Hamas is causing great danger to the very people it purports to want to protect in Gaza by doing so, and those missile attacks should be condemned. But that doesn't make it a ``both sides'' issue. We must acknowledge and condemn the disproportionate discrimination and treatment that Palestinians face versus others in this region. No one should suffer the loss of life, liberty, or dignity that the Palestinian people have suffered under the Netanyahu and previous administrations in Israel during the 50-year occupation of the West Bank.…”