MS. ESHOO.  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of this Resolution which condemns Hezbollah and Hamas, the terrorist attacks against Israel and the full support of the U.S. for Israel to defend herself and live in peace among her neighbors. 

As I support this Resolution, I believe it is deficient in not expressing this body’s strongest desire for all parties involved in the current conflict to exercise military restraint in order to spare the lives of innocent Israeli and Lebanese civilians.

While the Lebanese people have been making laudable strides toward a more positive future and a peaceful coexistence in the region, terrorists have sought continuously to ignite conflict.  The Government of Lebanon has paid a price for their stand against Hezbollah and Syria, enduring assassinations, political and social turmoil, and now the wide-scale destruction of civilian lives and critical infrastructure. 

As a result the people of Lebanon are alongside our friends in Israel in being victimized by Hezbollah and Hamas in the current crisis.  Both sides are enduring extraordinary hardship from air and rocket attacks and hundreds of civilians have been killed during the current military campaign.  The terrorists have succeeded in creating a humanitarian crisis which the international community, including the United States, has yet to respond to.  The escalating conflict is nearing full-scale war and terrorists and their state sponsors are realizing their goal of scuttling the Roadmap to Peace and pushing regional leaders away from the negotiating table. 

I believe the United States has the responsibility and the power to be the voice of reason and put an end to brinkmanship.  The region is desperate for restraint on the part of all parties.  The Resolution is silent on this. 

It should be our goal today to protect the civilian lives and critical infrastructure that have been targeted in the current fighting, and work to bring about restraint to resolve the crisis without further bloodshed.

We need a policy in the Middle East that does not begin and end with military force.  A political solution must be structured and the U.S. can and should take a decisive role through diplomacy and negotiations to shape a solution to the conflict.

It is regrettable that the above is not addressed in House Resolution 921.