The Long-Term Problems Between Israel and Palestine

Floor Speech

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Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ. Mr. Speaker, I know this has been a very difficult week for us as a global community, as communities that are concerned for human rights, all human rights in general, and in particular, the rights of Palestinians and Israelis alike that have been impacted by the fear and violence of this week.

Now, what I think is, you know, important is that--I will start with a story. As a little girl, my family comes from the island of Puerto Rico, and I grew up visiting my family on the island of Vieques, communities on the island of Vieques, where the United States bombed its own territories, its own communities.

And I would go to sleep as a little girl to the sound of U.S. bombs detonating. Practice is what it was called at the time. Practice. And when I saw those air strikes that are supported with U.S. funds, I could not help but wonder if our communities were practice for this.

This is our business because we are playing a role in it. And the United States must acknowledge its role in the injustice and human rights violations of Palestinians. This is not about both sides. This is about an imbalance of power.

When I first got here in 2019, the Israeli Government refused to admit two Members of the United States Congress, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, into the country. They banned Members of this very body because of who they were. They said it was a sign of weakness.

We have to have the courage to name our contributions, and sometimes I can't help but wonder if the reason we don't do that, if we are scared to stand up to the incarceration of children in Palestine, is because maybe it will force us to confront the incarceration of children here on our border.

If by standing up to the injustices there, it will prompt us to stand up to the injustices here. We have a responsibility. And if we have historically said and committed to a role as an honest broker, then we must fulfill that role. That means we have to be honest with ourselves, with what our aid supports. We have to be honest and ask ourselves questions like why we are using our veto power on the U.N. Security Council in preventing statements from being released about concerns for this violence alike.

The President and many other figures this week stated that Israel has a right to self-defense, and this is a sentiment that is echoed across this body. But do Palestinians have a right to survive? Do we believe that? And, if so, we have a responsibility to that as well.

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