Expressing the Sense of Congress Supporting the State of Israel

Floor Speech

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Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this resolution, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, tomorrow, we welcome Israel's President Herzog to the United States of America.

For my entire career of 25 years in the House, and in recent weeks, I have stood on this floor and spoken on the importance of the State of Israel. The need for Israel to remain both Jewish and democratic is without question.

Mr. Speaker, Israel cannot remain both Jewish and democratic unless we have peace and if it does not live side by side in peace with the Palestinian people. Both sides have to want peace. That is why I stand strongly behind a two-state solution for Israelis and Palestinians.

As the resolution before us states, Israel is not a racist state. I concur.

As the resolution before us states, Congress rejects all forms of anti-Semitism and xenophobia. I concur.

Finally, as the resolution before us states, the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel. I concur.

I look forward to hearing the address of Israel's President Herzog tomorrow. The President is a rare symbol of unity in a polarized society and a true asset to Israel. He has been working diligently to bring all parties in Israel together to find consensus on judicial reform, something that is necessary to preserve Israel's democratic character, in my view. I encourage him to keep up this important work and wish him much success.

Without question, the Democratic Party, my Democratic Party, supports the long-term viability of the Jewish state and knows its true character and importance. In fact, I, along with Leader Jeffries and others, was in Israel recently to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Jewish state and was moved by the events we witnessed.

Mr. Speaker, I support wholeheartedly and encourage all of my friends on both sides of the aisle to support this resolution.

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Mr. MEEKS. Manning).
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Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, in the 117th Congress, when I became the chair of Foreign Affairs Committee, my first stop was in Israel celebrating the Fourth of July.

I said then what I will say now: Israel and the United States stand together because we have and share the same values. We believe in democracy.

We know that Israel is a nation that at its foundation is not only Jewish but democratic.

Its existence is crucial for the future of the Jewish people. We know that this Congress will continue to expressly reject all forms of anti- Semitism and xenophobia as this resolution before us states.

We stand together, and I would hope that all Members of this august body welcome President Herzog tomorrow as we listen and continue to work with our strongest ally in the Middle East.

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Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time I have remaining.

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Mr. MEEKS. Tlaib).

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