Senate Must Stop Inhumanity of Police Brutality

Floor Speech

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Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Green is not just a passionate representative of the people of the Ninth District of Texas, he speaks for millions and millions of people across the country. It has been very moving to hear him talk about the problem of police brutality and violence, which threatens our social contract.

The whole purpose of the social contract is that we will be safer inside of it than we will be outside of it. And, yet, the social contract is not working for a lot of people in a lot of different parts of the country.

So I thank him for his passionate leadership on behalf of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and for having us address this central problem.

I appreciate your yielding to me. I wanted to spend a few minutes talking about what is going on in the Middle East. It has been a brutal week for Israeli and Palestinian civilians, as hundreds have been killed in the savage violence that is engulfing the Middle East now.

This week I had the opportunity to meet on Zoom with young Palestinians and Israelis who are part of a group called New Story Leadership, which is a peace-building group that, since 2009, has brought Israeli and Palestinian interns to come work on Capitol Hill.

I have had these interns work for me for, I think, 5 or 6 years, really ever since I arrived in the House of Representatives. They come to work, and they come to interact with each other. They come to learn about democracy and human rights from America, a country that was conceived with the dream of human rights and equality for everybody. Although that was not remotely the reality for a lot of people, but it has been the struggle for human rights and for equality that has defined the American ethos and the American spirit.

So I asked these young Israeli and Palestinian former interns for me and for other Members of Congress, as part of the New Story Leadership program, to write to me about what is going on in their lives. Because too often, of course, our sense of what is happening in a foreign land is filtered through media, and it is filtered through different kinds of party propaganda. I wanted to hear directly from them. I thought I would share with you some of the responses I got. I want to enter them into the Congressional Record.

Here is one from a Jewish Israeli citizen named Meshi: My name is Meshi. I am an Israeli American, currently living in Tel Aviv. I was born and raised in northern Israel, where my early childhood was spent under rocket fire from Hezbollah. Today, in my late 20s, I am under rocket fire from Hamas. In the last week or so, I have taken shelter in my building's old stairway. I have run for cover in the street. I saw the lynching of an Arab citizen by a Jewish mob on live TV. And I worried for my brother-in-law, who had to leave my sister and their newborn son at home after he was called into reserve duty.

Here's one from a Jewish Israeli citizen named Eran: My name is Eran Nissan. I was an intern in Congressman Raskin's office in 2019. I became a peace activist because of my military service, where I served as a combat soldier in the Israeli Special Forces. For 4 years, I was sent to countless missions to all of Israel's borders: Lebanon, Syria, but mainly the West Bank and Gaza Strip. I experienced combat. I lost friends and I lost classmates. These past 2 weeks have been the scariest and most depressing time of my entire life. I spent the last week monitoring rightwing groups on social media, where terrorist organizations planned and organized lynchings and riots throughout Israel. I did this as part of my digital activism, working with former intelligence officers turned progressive political activists. My neighborhood in Jaffa used to be a beacon of coexistence and cooperation between Jews and Arabs. Now it is a war zone. The sounds of exploding stun grenades from the nearby riots are only disturbed by the sirens sending everyone into the shelters and stairways.

This is from Marwa, who is a Palestinian on the West Bank: My name is Marwa Odeh. I am a Palestinian American from Hewara in Area C of the West Bank. I was an intern in Congressman Raskin's office in 2018. This year, a Muslim high holy day became a day of chaos and despair for my family. On the day of Eid, May 13, my cousin Yehya, who I used to play soccer with in my grandparents' backyard, was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet fired by an Israeli soldier. The rubber bullet tore open his left eyeball, leaving Yehya blind in one eye. After that military action, my mother and my baby sister Jena traveled to the hospital and were caught in a barrage of tear gas and rubber bullets. Jena, who is just 5 years old, explained to me the horror and fear that she went through: ``I was choking and my eyes were burning. We were just going to see Yehya. We did nothing,'' she told me in a FaceTime call that night.

Here's one from Lujayn, a Palestinian who lives in East Jerusalem: My name is Lujayn. I am a Palestinian living in East Jerusalem, in a small village called Beit Hanina, which is surrounded by settlements. One of the most basic human rights is to feel safe and secure, but my family and I cannot feel safe in East Jerusalem. We can't feel safe because settlers under the protection of Israeli soldiers are chanting ``Death to Arabs'' and attacking Palestinians in my neighborhood. I can't feel safe because an Israeli soldier threw a stun grenade at my father as we walked out of Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan. I can't feel safe walking to the market and even sitting in my own house. During the past few days, I have been telling my sisters and parents to turn off the lights at home so that no one will think we are there. When I traveled to my university a few days ago to get my diploma, I felt like a walking target because I was constantly afraid I would be attacked just because I am a Palestinian.

Here's one from Danni, a Jewish Israeli: My name is Danni, and I am a Jewish Israeli. I am engaged to an Israeli combat soldier, and we live in Haifa, which is known as the city of coexistence. In Haifa, I study and work with Arabs and Jews alike. Last week, our city was hit by a wave of violence by citizens against citizens. Violent extremists have roamed the streets, terrorizing people and vandalizing people. Dear American people, I know that you understand how dangerous it is to stay silent when you see discrimination, oppression, and violence. It is simply unsustainable. We need to move past the status quo so that I can marry my fiance instead of him going to war, only to return to a broken city.

Here's one from Tasnim, who lives in the Gaza: My name is Tasnim, and I am a Palestinian from Gaza. My family and I left Gaza during the 2008 war. Unfortunately, when we moved, my sister was separated from her children and they stayed in Gaza. Today, my two nieces, Iama and Heba, who are young and dream of traveling the world, still live there in Gaza. Since the airstrikes have started, we have been calling them every single day to check to see if they are still alive. We hear of constant attacks where kids are being buried under the rubble of their own houses, along with their dreams. We are constantly afraid that the next time we call them, we will not be able to reach them. The fear and stress that come with trying to connect with my family in Gaza is unimaginable.

Mr. Speaker, forgive me, how much time do I have remaining?

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Mr. RASKIN. This is from Baha, a Palestinian from the West Bank: My name is Baja Ebdeir, and I am from the occupied village of Beit Nattiff. Now I live in Beit Jala. This past Ramadan, Israel refused to issue permits for Palestinians to observe prayers at Al-Aqsa Mosque. However, my father was one of the few luckiest to be issued a permit for a medical appointment he had at the hospital in East Jerusalem. It was not the medical appointment itself that got my father all excited and happy, but the fact that he could use it to observe the holiest night of Ramadan, Laylit Al-Qadr, the night of decree, at Al-Aqsa Mosque, where our destiny is determined by God for the whole year. Before he left, my father told us, ``After all, I have a permit, what could happen?''

Actually, a lot happened in the two days my father spent at Al-Aqsa. As the evening went by, an army of Israeli soldiers began to increase in number. As soon as the Imam uttered ``Allah Akbar,'' God is the greatest, to start off the holiest night prayer, Israeli soldiers threw gas canisters at worshipers. As a result of the excessive amount of gas my father inhaled, his severe coughing continues until today and his eyes are as red as blood.

Usually my father never shares his fears with me, but this time he opened up and I listened with awe. With every cough, my father vividly remembers Al-Aqsa Mosque as a war zone where Israeli soldiers shot rubber bullets and threw gas canisters at Palestinians. Hundreds were injured and many of the elderly lost their lives on the holiest night.

Here is one from Doron, a Jewish Israeli citizen: My name is Doron, and I am an Israeli who has lived in Jerusalem for the last decade. Since 2009, I have participated in peaceful protests in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah every week. I was touched to see how during the recent few months, these protests have gained support and momentum in Israel, Palestine, and internationally. Suddenly, activists in the region and around the world demanded justice for the residents of Sheikh Jarrah, who have been evicted from their homes. Unfortunately, everything was disrupted by the recent escalation, which was orchestrated to undermine the local movement in Jerusalem before it was able to achieve any gains. Jerusalem is the home of Israelis and Palestinians, and it should be equal, free, and safe for all its inhabitants. Residents of Sheikh Jarrah should not be afraid to be evicted from their homes at any moment.

Here is one from Diala, a Palestinian citizen of Israel: My name is Diala, and I am a Palestinian citizen of Israel from Nazareth. During the past few weeks, I have protested alongside many Palestinian women against evictions in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah in Jerusalem. I am a feminist and I strongly believe that the struggle for gender equality is deeply connected to this struggle. As the police cracked down on us, a group of peaceful protestors consisting primarily of women, an Israeli police officer kicked me and pushed me to the ground. As I lay on the ground, he continued to kick me, aiming at my legs and ribs. Throughout my life, I have been told repeatedly that I have full and equal rights as a citizen of Israel. However, this week, I have witnessed the oppressive brutality at play against me and my people.

Mr. Speaker, we owe these young people a different future. In Israel and in the West Bank and in Gaza, we owe them a future of peace and justice and prosperity, where rockets are not raining down on the people of Israel or the people in the West Bank or the people in Gaza. We owe them a future where every young person can cultivate his or her own creative talents and dreams for the future. We owe them a future of mutual security for all sides and human rights for all people.

Everyone knows that the first casualty of war is the truth. We want to make sure that the stories that people are living on the ground are not consumed in any kind of party propaganda.

I urge my colleagues to listen to the voices of young Israelis and young Palestinians suffering through this brutal cycle of violence and ethnic conflict and systemic injustice. We owe it to them to call openly and loudly on Prime Minister Netanyahu and on Hamas to accept an immediate cease-fire and an end to all violence against civilians. This is the precondition for moving forward to real peace and respect for the human rights of all.

I applaud President Biden and his administration's commitment to ending this violence. I hope that America will, again, with the new administration, be able to resume a forward-looking and constructive role in addressing all of the problems that beset the people in Israel and the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Texas for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, this week I met on Zoom with young Israelis and Palestinians who are part of New Story Leadership, a peacebuilding group that, since 2009, has brought dozens of Palestinian and Israeli youth to work as summer interns on Capitol Hill and to share their stories with Members of Congress. Here are a few of the stories my former interns and other participants sent me about the horrific events of the last few weeks: Meshi--Jewish Israeli

My name is Meshi, I'm an Israeli American, currently living in Tel- Aviv. I was born and raised in northern Israel where my early childhood was spent under rocket fire from Hezbollah, and today, in my late twenties, I'm under rocket fire from Hamas. In the last week or so I've taken shelter in my building's old stairway, run for cover in the street, saw the lynching of an Arab citizen by a Jewish mob on live TV, and worried for my brother-in-law that had to leave my sister and their newborn son at home after he was called into reserve duty. Eran--Jewish Israeli

My name is Eran Nissan. I was an intern in Congressman Jamie Raskin's office in 2019. I became a peace activist because of my military service, where I served as a combat soldier in the Israeli special forces. For four years I was sent to countless missions to all of Israel's borders--Lebanon, Syria, but mainly the West Bank and the Gaza strip. I experienced combat, I lost friends and classmates.

These past two weeks have been the scariest and most depressing time of my life. I spent the last week monitoring Right Wing groups on social media, where Jewish terrorist organizations planned and organized lynching and riots throughout Israel. I did this as part of my digital activism, working with ex-intelligence officers turned progressive political activists. My neighborhood in Jaffa used to be a beacon of coexistence and cooperation between Jews and Arabs. Now it is a war zone. The sounds of exploding stun grenades from the nearby riots are only disturbed by the sirens, sending everyone to the shelters and stairways. Marwa--West Bank Palestinian

My name is Marwa Odeh, I am a Palestinian American from Hewara in Area C of the West Bank. I was an intern in Congressman Jamie Raskin's office in 2018.

This year, a Muslim high holy day became a day of chaos and despair for my family. On the day of Eid, May 13th, my cousin, Yehya, who I used to play soccer with in my grandparents' backyard, was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet fired by an Israeli soldier. The rubber bullet tore open his left eyeball, leaving Yehya blind in one eye. After that military action, my mother and my baby sister, Jena, traveled to the hospital and were caught in a barrage of tear gas and rubber bullets. Jena, who is just 5 years old, explained to me the horror and fear she went through. ``I was choking and my eyes were burning. We were just going to see Yehya, we did nothing,'' she told me in a FaceTime call that night. Lujayn--Palestinian East-Jerusalemite

My name is Lujayn and I am a Palestinian living in East Jerusalem in a small village called Beit Hanina, which is surrounded by settlements.

One of the most basic human rights is to feel safe and secure, but my family and I cannot feel safe in East Jerusalem. We can't feel safe because settlers under the protection of Israeli soldiers are chanting ``Death to Arabs'' and attacking Palestinians in my neighborhood. I can't feel safe because an Israeli soldier threw a stun grenade at my father as we walked out of AI-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan. I can't feel safe walking to the market, and even sitting in my own house. During the past few days, I have been telling my sisters and parents to turn off the lights at home so that no on will think we are there. When I traveled to my university a few days ago to get my diploma, I felt like a walking target because I was constantly afraid that I would be attacked, just because I am a Palestinian. Danni--Jewish Israeli

My name is Danni, and I am a Jewish Israeli. I am engaged to an Israeli combat soldier, and we live in Haifa, which is known as the city of coexistence. In Haifa, I study and work with Arabs and Jews alike. Last week our city was hit by a wave of violence by citizens against citizens. Violent extremists have roamed the streets terrorizing people and vandalizing property. Dear American people, I know that you understand how dangerous it is to stay silent when you see discrimination, oppression, and violence. It is simply unsustainable. We need to move past the status quo, so that I can marry my fiance instead of him going to war, only to return to a broken city. Tasnim--Gazan

My name is Tasnim, and I am a Palestinian from Gaza. My family and I left Gaza during the 2008 war. Unfortunately, when we moved, my sister was separated from her children, and they stayed in Gaza. Today, my two nieces, lama and Heba, who are young and dream of traveling the world, still live in Gaza. Since the air strikes have started, we have been calling them every single day to check if they are still alive. We hear of constant attacks where kids are being buried under the rubble of their own houses along with their dreams. We are constantly afraid that the next time we call them, we will not be able to reach them. The fear and stress that come with trying to connect with my family in Gaza is unimaginable. Baha--Palestinian from the West Bank

My name is Baha Ebdeir and I am from the occupied village of Beit Nattiff, but now I live now in Beit Jala.

This past Ramadan, Israel refused to issue permits for Palestinians to observe prayers at AI-Aqsa mosque. However, my father was one of the few luckiest to be issued a permit for a medical appointment he had at the Hospital in East Jerusalem. It was not the medical appointment itself that got my father all excited and happy, but the fact that he could use it to observe the holiest night of Ramadan, Laylit AI-Qadr (The Night of Decree), at AI-Aqsa mosque, where our destiny is determined by God for the whole year.

Before he left, my father told us: ``After all, I have a permit, what could happen?''

Actually, a lot happened in the two days my father spent at AI-Aqsa.

As the evening went by, an army of Israeli soldiers began to increase in number. As soon as the Imam uttered Allah Akbar (God is the Greatest) to start off the holiest night prayer, Israeli soldiers started throwing gas canisters at worshipers. As a result of the excessive amount of gas my father inhaled, his severe coughing continues until today and his eyes are as red as blood.

Usually, my father never shares his fears with me, but this time he opened up and I listened with awe. With every cough, my father vividly remembers AI-Aqsa mosque as a war zone where Israeli soldiers unapologetically shot rubber bullets and threw gas canisters at Palestinians for merely being Palestinians. Hundreds were injured and many of the elderly lost their lives on the holiest night. Doron--Jewish Israeli

My name is Doron and I am an Israeli, who has lived in Jerusalem for the last decade. Since 2009, I have participated in peaceful protests in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah every week. I was touched to see how during the recent few months, these protests have gained support and momentum in Israel, Palestine and internationally. Suddenly, activists in the region and around the world demanded justice for the Palestinian residents of Sheikh Jarrah, who have been evicted from their homes by Jewish Settlers. Unfortunately, everything was disrupted by the recent escalation, which was orchestrated to undermine the local movement in Jerusalem, before it was able to achieve any gains. Jerusalem is the home of Israelis and Palestinians and it should be equal, free and safe for all its inhabitants. Residents of Sheikh Jarrah should not be afraid to be evicted of their homes at any moment. Moe--Palestinian from the West Bank

My name is Moe and I am a Palestinian from the West Bank, I interned with Congressman Jamie Raskin in 2019.

Seven months ago I got married. This year, my wife and I celebrated our first Ramadan together. We were so excited to celebrate it together with both our families, but her family was unable to travel to see us, because all the roads had been closed and settlers have been patrolling the streets between the cities ready to attack Palestinian travelers. We can't see our family and we can't travel anywhere.

I have heard about the danger that awaits us if we travel outside of our village and I am terrified. I am worried for the safety of my three brothers and father, who have jobs that require them to travel to Israel. Now, they are stuck at home, unable to travel because they have been warned that if they try to cross the border between the West Bank and Israel, their lives would be in danger. DIALA--PALESTINIAN CITIZEN OF ISRAEL

My name is Diala, and I am a Palestinian citizen of Israel from Nazareth.

During the past few weeks, I have protested alongside many Palestinian women against evictions in the neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah in Jeruslaem. I am a feminist and I strongly believe that the struggle for gender equality is deeply connected to this struggle.

As the police cracked down on us, a group of peaceful protestors consisting primarily of women, lsraeli supremacy translated into direct violence against Palestinian women. An Israeli Police officer kicked me and pushed me to the ground. As I lay on the ground, he continued to kick me aiming at my legs and ribs.

Throughout my life, I have been told repeatedly that I have full and equal rights as a citizen of Israel. However, this week I've witnessed the oppressive sexist and racist police brutality at play against me and my people.

Mr. Speaker, everyone knows that the first casualty of war is the truth. The facts of people's lives are consumed in propaganda. I urge my colleagues to listen to the voices of young Israelis and Palestinians suffering through this brutal violence, ethnic conflict and systemic injustice. We owe it to them to call openly and loudly on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and on Hamas to accept an immediate ceasefire and an end to all violence. This is the precondition for moving forward to real peace and respect for the human rights of all.

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