Expressing Concern over Anti-Israel and Anti-Semitic Incitement within the Palestinian Authority

Floor Speech

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Mr. ZELDIN. I thank Ms. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen for her inspiring
leadership in bringing forth this bipartisan resolution.

I am inspired as I listen to the words of Mr. Deutch and Mr. Engel as
this is something that allows Americans to unite for a cause of
strengthening our relationships with our friends, like Israel, ensuring
that we treat our enemies as our enemies.

Mr. Speaker, according to the Maariv daily, Palestinian Authority
President Abbas said in a Ramallah address:

We will not forsake our country, and we will keep every
inch of our land. Every drop of blood spilled in Jerusalem is
pure. Every Shahid will reach paradise, and every injured
person will be rewarded by God.

The Palestinian Authority President said he would insist that a
future Palestinian state include East Jerusalem as its capital. He
said:

The Al-Aqsa Mosque is ours. The church is ours as well.
They have no right to desecrate the mosque with their dirty
feet. We won't allow them to do that.

A top Hamas official in the Gaza Strip called on all of the
Palestinians to turn their weapons against the Israelis, saying that
Allah created man only to wage jihad and to plunge knives into the
chests of the enemies.

We hear a lot of talk about the pursuit of a viable two-state
solution. It is not just about Israel and its recognizing the
Palestinians' right to exist.

It is also about the Palestinians and its recognizing Israel's right to
exist. Yet the Palestinian Authority, by the day, is under more and
more influence of an element that will not rest until the other side is
wiped off the map.

I was disturbed when the Secretary of State's spokesperson, John
Kirby, said:

Individuals on both sides of this divide are, have been
proven capable of, and, in our view, are guilty of acts of
terrorism.

Last month the State Department claimed that the Temple Mount status
quo was violated. I was just there a couple of months back. I was at a
place called Decks Restaurant in Tiberias. It is right on the Sea of
Galilee.

The owner of the restaurant got on the microphone--the place was
crowded with locals--and she started preaching about her love of
America, about her appreciation of the strength of that bond between
the U.S. and Israel.

As she is saying this, a boat pulls in off the Sea of Galilee and
starts setting off fireworks. As the fireworks start blowing off, they
start playing ``God Bless America'' over the loud speaker. All the
locals stood up and were singing along, and if they didn't know the
words, they were lip-syncing it.

It was such a proud moment. Where else in the world can you go where
you will find a restaurant at which the owner will get on the
microphone and start talking about her love of America?

I value the relationship that we have with our friends, such as
Israel. We didn't see the Israeli Prime Minister going on international
TV trying to embarrass the President of the United States after there
was a hospital strike, which the President took responsibility for.

It is important that we don't embarrass our allies and that we stand
with them in tough times. Right now we stand with innocent victims in
Israel, who are being targeted by terrorist attacks through the
incitement of violence by the leadership of the Palestinian Authority.

That is why I am so proud to stand here today with Ms. Ileana Ros-
Lehtinen for, again, her consistent and strong dedication and
leadership and for her determination in ensuring that this body stands
united with Israel every single day.

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