***From the desk of\...***

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**Congressman Steve King Iowa, Fifth District**

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**Israel, Palestine, Peace?**

**October 2, 2003**

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I recently visited Israel to witness first hand the people and the place
that has been the center of so much conflict throughout human history.
Israel has their back against the Mediterranean Sea and their face to an
historically freshly minted ethnic group, the Palestinians.

 

The State of Israel was established in 1948 by a UN resolution and a
bloody war. Survivors came as refugees from the Nazi Holocaust in Europe
and persecuting Arab countries to join the Jewish people who have lived
in the region since antiquity. Eleven minutes after its creation, the
United States became the first country to recognize Israel, and since
then the two countries have developed a relationship that goes beyond
partisan politics.

 

Israel and the U.S. share fundamental founding principles; our countries
are both rooted in the unshakeable tenets of democracy, human dignity,
individual rights, and religious freedom. In a region dominated by
authoritarian and military regimes, Israel stands alone as the only
democracy. All citizens of Israel enjoy equal rights, Jews and Arabs
alike.

 

On my journey through Israel it was clear that it would not be safe to
enter Palestinian communities. I saw fear in the eyes of my guide as I
pressed to visit Bethlehem and Nazareth. He said, \"I will not take
you.\" When I asked why not, he said, \"I would be killed.\" I also saw
Israeli Arabs living in harmony with Israeli Jews, serving along side
each other in the legislature, while at the same time watching the Arab
media networks and Palestinian schools continue to promote genocidal
hatred, Intifada, and Jihad.

 

We all want peace in the Middle East. Israel remains committed to
seeking a final negotiated peace agreement involving concessions from
both sides that balances Israel\'s security concerns with the legitimate
aspirations of the Palestinian people. Now, Israelis are prepared to
trade land for peace even though history provides little precedent for
such a successful trade.

 

And yet the bombings continue. Arafat, his leadership, and Palestinian
Islamic fundamentalist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad consistently
punctuate their opposition to Israel \' s existence in any form and
within any borders by suicide bombings and attacks on children. These
groups have also expressed their determination to use violence and
terrorism to achieve their anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic goals. To date,
forty-one Americans have been killed by Palestinian suicide bombers. One
American citizen has been killed accidentally by Israeli Defense forces.

 

The United States must continue to support Israel in the peace process.
The negotiations are a two-way street that require compromises from
Israel and Palestinians. The ultimate goal is to bring an end to the
Arab-Israeli conflict, not just provide Israel\'s adversaries with land
concessions that become bases for future terrorists and military
operations.

 

The solution is not going to be found in Oslo or Camp David. Or fences
or green lines or checkpoints. A solution can only be found when Arafat
is out of power and the Palestinian institutions that are teaching
genocidal hatred begin to teach the humanity of all.

 

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