Israel

Floor Speech

ISRAEL -- (House of Representatives - September 06, 2007)

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Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in great concern over the ongoing Qassam attacks on the southern city of Sderot, Israel. Sderot is a community that has been plagued with frequent and intense firing on its inhabitants and infrastructure since Hamas's takeover of Gaza. These Palestinian militants are attempting to destroy an entire population and bring everyday life there to a halt.

Even today, two Qassam rockets landed in the vicinity of Sderot. One of these rockets was aimed at and landed near a kindergarten, on the first week of the new school year. Imagine the dilemma parents in this region face--they don't know if their children on any given day are safer at school, or at home given the continued rocket firings.

These homemade rockets cannot aim solely at military targets because they do not have any degree of precision. They are primitive, short-range, home-made rockets that do not have the technical capability to be guided, and consequently, strike innocent civilians. They have indiscriminately destroyed the economy and physically and psychologically devastated family life.

The current situation is unacceptable--the terror organization Hamas is clearly violating Israel's sovereignty and overriding Israel's right over its land and people.

A city of no more than 24,000, Sderot is less than a mile from the border with Gaza, where Israel withdrew its troops in the summer of 2005. Since then, thousands of these rockets pummeled this city and terrorized men, women and children on a daily basis. Sderot citizens are unable to go about their normal lives and should not be expected to live under this permanent threat.

Israel has shown considerable restraint and patience in dealing with those terrorist firing, despite the severity of the situation and the casualties and injuries they have taken. However, Israel has the complete right to defend itself against these intolerable attacks. No belief, however misguided, can justify the victimization of innocent people.

I would like to express my solidarity not only with the citizens of Sderot, but with victims of terrorism around the world. We need to do everything we can to bring an end to this unjust situation and help create a lasting peace so that the citizens of Sderot can go about their lives.

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