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[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 3 (Thursday, January 8, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S188-S189]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

                           SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL

  Mr. KYL. Mr. President, I would like to speak to two subjects. The 
first deals with a resolution the Senate unanimously adopted this 
morning.

[[Page S189]]

  Mr. President, today the Senate approved a resolution recognizing the 
right of Israel to defend itself against terrorist attacks from Gaza 
and reaffirming the United States' strong support for Israel in its 
battle with Hamas.
  The first thing the resolution does is remind people why the State of 
Israel had to act.
  Israel has had to endure more than 6,300 rocket and mortar attacks on 
its citizens since it fully withdrew from Gaza in 2005. In fact, the 
town of Sderot, which is about 3 miles from the border of Gaza, has 
been suffering for over 8 years from these attacks.
  Is there any doubt that if the United States were suffering an attack 
from just across the border similar to what Israel is facing, that we 
wouldn't react to stop that from happening? I think there is no 
question that we would act to stop this terrorism, and this resolution 
expresses the United States' support of Israel's right to defend 
itself.
  The second point the resolution makes is that there is no equivalency 
between the terrorist actions of Hamas and the defensive actions of 
Israel. Israel conducts its military operations to spare innocent life. 
It has specifically targeted Hamas command centers, security 
installations, rocket-launching sites, weapons stockpiles, and weapons 
smuggling tunnels. It has tried very hard to avoid civilian casualties. 
Hamas, on the other hand, deliberately and maliciously fires rockets 
into civilian areas from civilian areas, thereby making it more 
difficult for Israel to target the terrorists and increasing the 
likelihood of civilian casualties when Israel does take action.
  Finally, this resolution speaks to calls for a cease-fire. Many 
voices in the international community have been heard pleading for an 
immediate cease-fire, although I think it is instructive that one never 
hears those voices condemning rocket attacks by Hamas terrorists.
  I believe the path to a halt in the violence is clear. A cease-fire 
is appropriate if, and when, it is durable and sustainable. A 
precipitous cease-fire, on the other hand, that would allow Hamas to 
rearm and rebuild its support in Gaza is not acceptable. Hamas cannot 
be given a cease-fire that only serves to provide it breathing room to 
regroup and then start firing its rockets and missiles again.
  By adopting this resolution, we have said to the Israeli people: ``We 
stand with you, and we support you in defending yourselves against 
terrorists.''
  In short, the resolution expresses strong support for the defense of 
Israel by its military action today in the Gaza Strip, the fact that it 
has been repeatedly attacked by Hamas terrorists from the Gaza Strip, 
and finally decided that the only way to stop those attacks on its 
citizens was to go into Gaza and try to remove the weapons and the 
launching sites and to try to arrest the terrorists who were involved 
in the launching of those rockets.
  This resolution expresses strong support for Israel. It reminds us 
all why Israel was forced to act. It makes the point that there is no 
equivalency between the action of the Israelis and the terrorist action 
of Hamas, which deliberately seeks to harm civilians. Finally, it 
speaks to the question of a cease-fire, noting that the position of the 
United States is correctly that a cease-fire could only be supported if 
it is durable and sustainable; in other words, it ensures that the 
conditions that created the controversy today are not simply repeated 
another 6 months from now when the Hamas terrorists have had an 
opportunity to rearm.
  I am pleased the Senate has spoken in such a timely fashion on this 
important issue. I commend my colleagues for supporting the resolution.

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