**U.S. Congressman Mike Pence**

Indiana's Sixth Congressional District

1605 Longworth House Office Building • Washington, DC 20515

[\<http://mikepence.house.gov/\>]{.underline} • Phone: (202) 225-3021 •
Fax: (202) 225-3382

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Matt Lloyd

July 15, 2004 202-225-3021 (office)

202-225-4184 (cell)

# **PENCE RESOLUTION PASSES HOUSE**

# ***U.S. House Overwhelmingly Condemns International Court*** 

# ***Ruling on Israel Security Fence***

Washington, D.C.- The U.S. House overwhelmingly passed, on a 361-45
vote, a resolution today authored by U.S. Congressman Mike Pence that
condemns the action by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for its
opinion on the legality of Israel's security fence and for its 14-1
decision that it violates international law and must be dismantled.
Pence, a member of the House International Relations Committee, authored
H. RES. 713 with Reps. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
(R-FL).

**"Today the people of the United States have spoken, America stands
with Israel and her unalienable right of self-defense,"** said Pence.
**"By condemning the ruling of the International Court of Justice,
Congress has given voice to the compassion and commitment that the
American people feel toward our precious ally Israel. The unjust
decision at the Hague has been met with the justly deserved rebuke of
leaders in both parties in the 'People's House.'"**

Pence's statement on the floor of the House last night follows:

"**I rise today urging my colleagues to support H. Res. 713, and I find
myself very humbled by the power and the eloquence that has preceded me.
So I will simply speak with words of gratitude from my heart and perhaps
an explanation of why this Midwestern Evangelical Christian finds
himself carrying this timely and important resolution before the
Congress.**

**"My motivation is very simple. In January of this year a dream of my
life came true. I traveled to that ancient country of Israel with my
beautiful wife, Karen, and in the midst of that inspiring experience, we
engaged in security briefings and we found ourselves along a chain-link
fence. In the two hours that we toured the security fence, the guards
who escorted and protected us received three notices of attempted
terrorist incursions.**

**"I came back to this blue and gold carpet with a burden on my heart to
help tell that story. I went alongside Chairman Henry Hyde (Chairman of
the House International Relations Committee), Ranking Member Tom Lantos
(Ranking Member of the House International Relations Committee), the
gentlewoman from Nevada, Rep. Shelley Berkley and said we have to get
the story out of what the people of Israel are dealing with and the
necessity for the fence. And I came back and authored the resolution
that will be considered in the Congress tomorrow.**

**"The truth is that without question, the fence saves lives. Evidence
is resplendent. We have heard it tonight. Hundreds of suicide attacks
throughout Israel but only one from Gaza where Hamas and Islamic Jihad
are actually based, the area completely surrounded by a fence. In the
north of Israel, where a section of the fence has been completed, there
has not been a single suicide attack in more than eight months. Before
the first stage of the fence became operational in July of 2003, the
average number of attacks was 8.6 per month. In the past 11 months, that
has dropped to 3.2 attacks.**

**"I hesitate to use statistics because we are talking about families.
We are talking about men and women and one terrible tale after another
of teenagers and small children made subject of terrorist suicide
bombings. So we ought not to get lost in the numbers. We ought to
remember the fence saves lives.**

**"So last week when the International Court of Justice, by a 14 to 1
decision, violated many of its own rules of jurisdiction where it
ordinarily would have recognized the authority of the Supreme Court of
Israel to decide such matters. The court did just that very recently
with great equity towards the interests of Israelis and Palestinians.
The government of Israel has literally moved the fence some 20-mile
stretches, and recently the Supreme Court of Israel ruled in favor of
Palestinians in ordering the fence to be moved.**

**"But, nevertheless, the International Court of Justice ignored the
sovereign interests of Israel, calling Israel an occupying power and
calling portions of that sovereign nation occupied Palestinian
territory. And that is a disgrace.**

**"I close simply with the words that I pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
I believe, as millions of Americans do, that still to this day He will
bless those who bless her. And it is my hope that tomorrow this Congress
will stand and speak as near as we ever can with one voice that we
condemn the International Court of Justice, this act of disgrace, and we
stand by our precious ally Israel in this her most difficult hour."**

**[Background]{.underline}**

Among the provisions of the resolution:

 Reaffirms the United States' steadfast commitment to the security of
Israel and its strong support of Israel's inherent right to
self-defense.

 Condemns the Palestinian leadership for failing to carry out its
responsibilities under the Roadmap and under other obligations it has
assumed, to engage in a sustained fight against terrorism, to dismantle
the terrorist infrastructure, and to bring an end to terrorist attacks
directed at Israel.

 Calls on Palestinians and all states, in the region and beyond, to
join together to fight terrorism and dismantle terrorist organizations
so that progress can be made toward a peaceful resolution of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

 Deplores the misuse of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) by a
plurality of member nations of the United Nations' General Assembly for
the narrow political purpose of advancing the Palestinian position on
matters Palestinian authorities have said should be the subject of
negotiations between the parties.

*Pence is a member of the Middle East and Central Asia Subcommittee and
the International Terrorism, Nonproliferation and Human Rights
Subcommittee.*

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