Israel

Floor Speech

Mr. REID. Mr. President, this resolution is sponsored by me, the Republican leader, Senator Menendez, Senator Corker, and others.

I want the record to reflect that Senator McConnell and I have talked about this personally and we have agreed, without any hesitation, about this legislation.

I have always been a supporter of the United Nations my whole career.

What I saw last week disgusted me. As the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva voted to adopt a resolution accusing Israel of human rights violations in the ongoing Gaza conflict, the resolution was so incredibly one-sided and anti-Israel biased that it makes zero--none--mention of Hamas and the atrocities Hamas has committed by indiscriminately barraging Israel and using Palestinian civilians as human shields.

Hamas perpetrated this conflict. They wantonly fire rockets, and they don't care where the rockets go. Hamas has fired almost 3,000 missiles during a 3-week conflict.

In fact, the very day the U.N. Human Rights Council exonerated Hamas, it fired dozens of rockets into Israel the same day.

These aren't firecrackers. These are very violent, powerful weapons. They have a number of rockets. It is estimated they have 10,000 of them.

They have something called WS-1E. It is a Chinese rocket, but they got the blueprints--Iran did from the Chinese--and, of course, they shipped these surreptitiously into Gaza. They will travel some 30 miles and they carry about 40 pounds of explosives.

They have another one called the Fajr-5. This is an Iranian rocket. It is the most prestigious weapon of Hamas.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard gave Hamas the technology to manufacture those. They carry a warhead of 400 pounds. They will travel about 55 miles. I repeat, these aren't firecrackers.

They have another missile in their arsenal. It is called a Khaibar M-302. It is a Syrian-made missile with a range of some 12 miles. They carry a 300-pound warhead and, of course, it goes far enough that they believe that with the Fajr and this one, Tel Aviv is within their sights.

The one they have the most of is called the Qassam-1 manufactured in Gaza, with no guidance system, a 3-mile distance, and a 10-pound warhead; the Qassam-2 has 9-mile distance and a 20-pound warhead.

They have something called a Grads. They have lots of weapons--lots of them--and they indiscriminately fire into Israel. These aren't grenade launchers; these are missiles, huge weapons. These rockets are professionally engineered from Iran, Syria, and other countries. They are smuggled into Gaza. They manufacture a few of their own, as I have indicated. These are serious weapons of war.

Hamas also continues to try to construct and use its sophisticated tunnels into Israel, which as one Member of Hamas recently bragged, allow Hamas fighters to invade Israel and kill Israelis.

Hamas's responsibility in the Gaza clash is a fact, but the U.N. Human Rights Council didn't make a single mention of this terrorist organization.

How many of these nations, such as Venezuela, China, Vietnam, and other nations--I wonder how this organization feels about their human rights. How many of these nations which condemned Israel would allow their own citizens to suffer through endless rocket fire--endless rocket fire.

I talked to one American doctor who goes to Israel, as he does often, and all night long there was one air raid siren after another. It has been going on there for weeks. This U.N. resolution that was passed does not mention a single word, nothing.

What is Israel supposed to do?

We all lament the loss of life. It is heartrending. But what else is Israel to do after rocket after rocket after rocket plunges into its territory.

I met with a man today who owns an oil company, oil exploration. They do oil exploration in Nevada. It is called Noble Energy. They are the ones who helped develop gas and oil fields in Israel. This is relatively new, but they say there are rockets dropping all over.

As I mentioned earlier this morning, Iron Dome doesn't protect all of Israel. They need more Iron Domes. Everyone, no matter what they are doing, they can be out in Gaza working in the oil fields and missiles are flying all over from Hamas.

I condemn Hamas's terrorism. We should. Their terrorism is not only against Israel; it is against their own people. As I heard the Republican conservative columnist in the New York Times David Brooks say in the NewsHour--I am paraphrasing, but this is what he said: This is the first conflict I have known where the enemy says: Kill more of us.

I join my friend the Republican leader in doing what other nations refuse to do: condemning the United Nations Human Rights Council's biased resolution. We in this resolution condemn Hamas. The countries that have voted for this are Venezuela, Cuba, China. I repeat, how would they like to look at their human rights violations?

In this resolution, we as a country support in this conflict a lasting peace which can only be realized through the demilitarization of Gaza.

They talked about tunnels. These are not tunnels; these are major operations costing millions of dollars to dig a hole in the ground.

Why? To go into Israeli settlements and kill innocent people.

In offering the resolution before the Senate we stand with Israel and its right to defend itself, its security, and most importantly its people.

I said earlier I am disgusted--as someone who has been a supporter of the United Nations ever since I have been in government--and the United Nations better take a look at this organization. This is ``disgusting''--I use it for the third time, as I mean it.

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