The Long-Term Problems Between Israel and Palestine

Floor Speech

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Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Mr. Pocan, for his kind remarks and for being one of the organizers for tonight's Special Order.

Tonight, I am here to condemn violence. I am here to speak out in support of human rights, political rights, and peace. For days, Hamas and extremists in Gaza have been firing rockets into Israel that have caused death, destruction, and fear among Israeli citizens.

I condemn Hamas' actions. These attacks must stop.

For 54 years, Israel has been enforcing a brutal military occupation in the West Bank that has terrorized Palestinian families. And I condemn Israeli's occupation of Palestine. Israel's occupation must end.

What we are witnessing in Israel, East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank are the bitter fruits of discrimination that has empowered Jewish extremists and Palestinian extremists. People seeking justice, equality, and peace, and opportunity are sidelined, silenced, and dismissed.

We are witnessing the all too familiar cycle of violence between Israel and Hamas. And, today, we are witnessing Israeli cities at war. Israeli citizens are attacking each other. Israeli citizens, who are Jewish and Palestinian, are fighting each other. Adding to this hatred is Israel's nation-state law and other structural policies of discrimination that treat Palestinians as second-class citizens.

Now, I want to be clear. Israel has the right to have their security, and it must be able to defend itself against rockets. But Palestinians have universally recognized human rights, rights that are not recognized under Israeli military occupation.

Palestinians have become people without a nation. Palestinians have no government to defend them when they seek justice when their children are abused or tortured by Israeli military security forces. Palestinian families cannot defend themselves when Israeli bulldozers destroy their homes and turn their land over to Jewish settlers.

Israel is an ally of the United States, and Congress supports Israel by providing military aid. And I vote for that aid package. The Iron Dome missile defense system that is stopping Hamas rockets is funded out of the Committee on Appropriations' Defense Subcommittee, which I chair. And I support funding for Iron Dome and it will be in the bill that I write this year.

However, Congress sends $3.8 billion to Israel in the form of military aid to be unrestricted and unconditioned. No limits. Proponents of this unrestricted aid to Israel wrote to the Committee on Appropriations: ``U.S. support of Israel makes the region safer and bolsters diplomatic efforts at achieving a negotiated two-state solution, resulting in peace and prosperity for both Israelis and Palestinians.''

To those who support that statement, here are the facts: There are no diplomatic efforts to achieve a two-state solution. The Prime Minister of Israel has repeatedly stated he is committed to annexing Palestinian lands. There is no peace for Palestinians in East Jerusalem or the West Bank. There is an Israeli military occupation that abuses and tortures Palestinian children, demolishes Palestinian homes, and steals Palestinian land.

The unrestricted, unconditioned $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military aid enables--it gives a green light to Israel's occupation of Palestine because there is no accountability and there is no oversight by Congress. This must change. Not one dollar of U.S. aid to Israel should go towards the military detention of Palestinian children, the annexation of Palestinian lands, or the destruction of Palestinian homes.

I support everyone's universal human rights, including Palestinian rights, to live in freedom; to live with equality, with security, with opportunity. I want peace for the people of Israel and the people of Palestine, and I am willing to do my part to work for justice.

Rockets fired from Gaza must stop. The eviction of Palestinian families from East Jerusalem must stop. The burning of synagogues and Arab businesses must stop. And the rightwing extremists that chant ``Burn the Arabs,'' well, that must stop, too.

There is enough hate and there is enough blame to go around. And this conflict will not end until there is responsible leadership on both sides. Peace will not take root until the United States stands up for human rights and security for all people, and that includes human rights and security for the Palestinian people.

The Biden administration must work for peace and direct some tough love to the Israeli Government and to the Palestinian Authority. End the violence. End the discrimination. End the occupation. Israel deserves security, and Palestinians deserve self-determination and freedom.

Tonight, no child should go to bed under the constant fear of violence. We should all want every Israeli and every Palestinian child to live with peace, opportunity, hope for the future. And that is what I am working to achieve with my colleagues.

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