Regarding the Security of Israel and the Principles of Peace in the Middle East
REGARDING THE SECURITY OF ISRAEL AND THE PRINCIPLES OF PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST -- (House of Representatives - June 23, 2004)
Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 460) regarding the security of Israel and the principles of peace in the Middle East.
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Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to join my colleagues in expressing support for the vision for peace that President George Bush outlined in his letter to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on April 14, 2004. Today we are considering a resolution that affirms many of the principles laid out in the President's letter. These principles include recognition that the United States remains committed to the peace and security of the Israeli people. We believe that peace cannot be achieved until all states in the region, and the Palestinians themselves, join in the fight against terrorism. And we believe that Israel has a right to defend itself against terrorism.
But this resolution falls short of fully expressing the President's vision as it was articulated in his letter. Along with assurances to Israel, the President's letter also acknowledges that peace is not possible without a Palestinian state. As the President himself said, this state must be "viable; contiguous, sovereign, and independent, so that the Palestinian people can build their own future." President Bush, as President Clinton did before him, understands that a lasting peace cannot be achieved if the Palestinians are consigned to live in cantons and denied basic rights as citizens of a nation state.
This resolution makes only a passing reference to a Palestinian state, thereby missing a critical aspect of the formula for peace. Without the hope of a Palestinian state or the promise of democratic opportunity for the Palestinian people to live in their own country, lasting peace cannot be achieved. The true hope for peace lies in a Palestinian right to self-determination.
President Bush wisely recognized that, in order to prevent the Palestinian "Right of Return" to the Israeli state, Palestinian refugees must be able to return to their own homeland. Without their own state, millions of Palestinian refugees around the world will remain stateless people. As long as this is the case, peace will remain elusive.
Mr. Speaker, I appreciate this opportunity to recognize the progress that President Bush has made toward a just and lasting peace.