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“UNREST IN THE MIDDLE EAST” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H2429-H2430 on May 18.
The State Department is responsibly for international relations with a budget of more than $50 billion. Tenure at the State Dept. is increasingly tenuous and it's seen as an extension of the President's will, ambitions and flaws.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
UNREST IN THE MIDDLE EAST
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett) for 5 minutes.
Mr. BURCHETT. Mr. Speaker, what Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad are doing to Israel is nothing short of evil and barbaric. Even worse, some of my colleagues across the aisle and in the national media are excusing this violence against our closest ally in the Middle East.
It is a fact that Hamas and the PIJ, if they were to lay down their weapons, there would be peace. But if the Israelis laid down theirs, they would be exterminated. This is no secret because these two terrorist groups explicitly say their goal is to wipe Israel off the face of the map, and their actions back up their words, Mr. Speaker.
I think a history lesson and global current affairs update is in order for Members of Congress and media organizations taking the side of terrorists intent on exterminating Israel and the entire Jewish population.
For starters, nobody should forget that, in 1997, it was President Bill Clinton's State Department that placed Hamas and the PIJ on the United States' list of foreign terrorist organizations. Both groups are still on the list today and for good reason.
Israel removed their forces from the Gaza Strip in 2005, but in 2007, Hamas violently forced out Fatah, its rival Palestinian faction, and consolidated its control over the entire Gaza Strip. A terrorist organization controlling territory within mere miles of Jewish communities leaves Israeli civilians vulnerable to violent attacks, Mr. Speaker.
Israel's military blockade protects its rightful homeland from infiltration by radical jihadi terrorists. The blockade is important for preventing the transfer of weapons from Iran's Revolutionary Guard, which gives support to Hamas and PIJ. God only knows the devastation recent missile attacks would have inflicted if the Iranians were able to smuggle guided missiles into the Gaza Strip.
Despite the blockade, Hamas and PIJ still construct their terror tunnels and manufacture their rockets with dual-use materials like concrete, steel, chemicals, fuel, explosives, and many other things. These materials, which the Israelis allow to pass through their blockade, are meant for infrastructure in Gaza, only to wind up confiscated by the terrorists for their horrific attacks, Mr. Speaker.
If anybody questions the existence of the tunnels or their use, I recommend they go on the next codel to Israel to see for themselves. I have been there and stood in them. They are, in fact, 100 percent real.
This is a dilemma for Israel. They want to improve civilian life in Gaza by letting these important materials pass through its blockade, but they also know their enemies will steal these materials and try to harm Israelis.
The violence that began last week came as a result of protests regarding an ongoing Israeli court order to evict Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of Jerusalem. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who is serving his 16th year of what is supposed to be a 4-year term, Mr. Speaker, called for unrest in the streets. Not to be outdone, Hamas and the PIJ recognized a political opportunity to assume the mantel as protectors of all Palestinian people.
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These terrorist groups responded by gutlessly and indiscriminately firing over 3,000 missiles since last Monday at hospitals, schools, and other civilian population centers across central and southern Israel.
Thankfully, the United States provides Israel with generous military assistance for the Iron Dome and other missile defenses. This system has intercepted 90 percent of the missiles. However, there have been 10 Israelis killed, including two children.
Israel has the right to defend itself from unprovoked terrorist attacks from Hamas, PIJ, and anybody else. The Israelis responded forcefully, actively trying to limit civilian casualties by calling residents in targeted buildings and deploying ``knock on the roof'' warnings. This is a courtesy that terror groups like Hamas and PIJ do not and will never return.
Without these important measures, Mr. Speaker, hundreds more Palestinian civilians would be dead because Hamas and PIJ use commercial and residential buildings to house their military operations and ammunition depots. This disgusting tactic is the reason why the Palestinian death toll is higher and why the lives of dozens of innocent Palestinian children have been lost.
These terror groups are more than willing to use their own people as human shields for the sake of vilifying Israel. Unfortunately, the most radical Members of Congress and the American mainstream media have bought this narrative hook, line, and sinker, Mr. Speaker.
Hamas and the PIJ are no friends of ours and want the same fate for Israel that so many terrorists want for the United States: the complete and total destruction of democracy.
If you are going to blame Israel alone for the recent violence, you are being nothing more than a useful idiot and a publicity tool for the two terrorist organizations.
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