Russ Feingold: “I am proud to cosponsor today's amendment expressing solidarity with Israel. Like many Americans, I have a very personal…”

“I am proud to cosponsor today's amendment expressing solidarity with Israel. Like many Americans, I have a very personal connection to the Israeli people and to the State of Israel. And it is with a heavy heart that I join my colleagues today in mourning the innocent lives lost in the recent terrorist violence in Israel. The U.S.-Israeli relationship is one of the strongest and most important of all of our bilateral relationships. Within that context, it is my sincere hope that this amendment will send a clear signal by expressing the overwhelming sense of the Senate that America is now and always will be firmly committed to a future in which the state of Israel can live in security and peace with all of its neighbors. It is my greatest hope that our ongoing commitment to these principles, and through them to peace in the region, will demonstrate our country's respect for the dignity and future of the Israeli people, while establishing the basis for a political settlement to the conflict. I also want to state clearly, and for the record, that I supported President Bush's decision last month to send Secretary Powell to the Middle East to help bring the current crisis to a close and to bring Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table. Intense U.S. engagement remains an essential ingredient in the resolution of the crisis, although nothing will be accomplished without the added leadership and foresight of the Israeli and Palestinian people.”