We Need Peace Between Israel and Palestine

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. POCAN. Mr. Speaker, I have been attending town halls and meetings across my district for the last 2 weeks in smaller communities in Wisconsin like Edgerton, Sauk City, Monroe, Mazomanie, and Darlington. These are communities with hardworking people that have a strong work ethic and upper Midwestern values like fairness and compassion.

At those meetings, Mr. Speaker, I have heard a common thread: They don't like what they are seeing in Gaza and Israel. The vast majority recognize that the attack on October 7 was horrific and Israel had a right to respond, but they didn't have a right to collectively punish 2.3 million people stuck in Gaza.

They know that 1,200 people are dead in Israel from the attack and over 130 people are still being held by Hamas. However, they also know that nearly 34,000 people are dead in Gaza, 70 percent of which are women and children, clearly not members of Hamas.

They know that 2 million people have been displaced in Gaza and the majority of the buildings and infrastructure have been demolished or damaged by Israeli bombs. They know that the people are dying of starvation because almost every entry point to Gaza is through Israel and not enough supplies and aid are getting through.

They understand that the United States is trying to help with aid, but we have to drop it from the air or bring it in by sea because our friend Israel won't allow us to bring it in through easier, safer ways like by truck and transport.

They know that aid workers are being killed, 200 plus to date, including some from Chef Jose Andres' World Central Kitchen. The limited food, water, and supplies that are being let in have to be distributed, but aid workers are too often killed in the process of delivering humanitarian aid, making alleviating suffering even more difficult.

They don't understand how we can provide both armaments and aid to the same area, as that doesn't make sense to people with Midwestern sensibilities.

They tell me it looks like punishment for being Palestinian. They tell me it appears Benjamin Netanyahu wants people to leave Gaza for good. They tell me it looks too much like what genocide would look like, and that concerns them greatly.

The bombings of the World Central Kitchen workers, the seemingly targeted and repeated bombings, despite the Israeli military knowing their location and purpose, has been one more step too far by the Netanyahu government's handling of this war.

Enough is enough.

The indiscriminate killing must stop. The aid must flow. The hostages must be released and a cease-fire must hold to protect every child in Gaza and Israel.

The devastation has been severe, far more severe than it ever needed to be. The world would have understood a response going after Hamas killers, but the Netanyahu government has gone too far, way too far in its response.

That is why I helped lead a letter signed by 56 Members of Congress to the President to stop any additional offensive arms transfers to Israel without a thorough investigation of the World Central Kitchen killings and a plan for aid and assistance to get to starving Palestinians.

The United States has long supported two nations existing side by side in peace, a two-state solution, but Benjamin Netanyahu doesn't support that reasoned path to peace. And that, along with his punishing innocent Palestinians while allegedly going after Hamas, has made it time to get a divorce from Benjamin Netanyahu.

I support the overwhelming majority of Israelis who want peace. They want to live safely without bombs raining on them from extremists in Gaza. They too don't like the direction and mistakes of the Netanyahu administration, and they want the hostages returned immediately.

The overwhelming majority of Palestinians want peace, as well. They just want to live their lives with dignity and independence as they should, but they need to be treated as equals with human rights, which too often they are not.

I urge our government to do more to help distribute aid, utilizing great groups like the World Central Kitchen, UNWRA, and so many others that are doing this work. Our government must stop supplying any offensive weapons or equipment that damages Gaza further, especially in regard to any invasion of Rafah.

Let's take this awful, current situation and make some good out of it. We need to double down on a two-state solution that recognizes the many, many good people of Israel and Palestine that want to live in peace. It is achievable, and the United States is crucial to that peace. That is what I am hearing in my district.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source