Washington, DC--Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN), chairman of the House Republican Conference and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, held a press conference to express bipartisan support for Israel in the wake of the Flotilla situation. As Co-Chairs of the Congressional Israel Allies Caucus, Engel and Pence, expressed their support for Israel's right to self defense and opposed an international investigation into its actions.
In addition, Engel and Pence expressed their disappointment with Turkey’s involvement and its increased adversarial stance against Israel. Turkey is a NATO ally and has been an ally of the U.S. for a long time, but it is precisely that relationship which makes this situation all the more disturbing. Turkey’s growing relationship with Iran adds to the concerns, especially in light of its vote against U.N. sanctions against Iran for their nuclear program last week.
“As a sovereign, democratic nation, Israel has the right to control its borders and halt shipping to prevent the entry of weapons into the territory of a belligerent neighbor. I wonder how other nations would react if they were threatened by many of their neighbors determined to wipe them off the face of the earth. I would imagine each and every country would take the appropriate measures needed to protect their people and their right to survival. The U.S. should support its ally, Israel, as it acts in its own self-defense, just as we would expect our allies to support us,” said Rep. Engel, a senior member of the House Foreign Relations Committee.
“The United States knows no greater friend in the Middle East than Israel, and Israel has a right and a duty to defend her people against attacks by a terrorist group that has repeatedly targeted innocent civilians. The American people support Israel and expect our government to reject this U.N. investigation. It is not enough for the administration to say, ‘If a vote came up before the Security Council, we would vote no.’ The administration should actively oppose and make it clear that the United States will not take part in a biased U.N. investigation of Israel, nor any attempt by the U.N. to undermine Israel’s sovereignty and its right to defend itself,” said Pence.
Engel and Pence also called for the United States to oppose any U.N.-mandated international investigation into the situation. They expressed their doubts that the U.N. could conduct an impartial investigation into Israeli actions without a bias against them. The recent Goldstone Commission report proves that the U.N. holds Israel to a different standard than other countries when it comes to national security.
“I find it disingenuous for anyone to call for a United Nations-run investigation into the flotilla incident. The U.N. has shown over the years with numerous, one-sided and unfair resolutions against Israel for every matter under the sun, that it is unable to be impartial. Meanwhile, forgotten in the debate is the real threat to the Middle East peace process - Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. We must not become distracted by a few violent protesters when Iran’s nuclear program could cause the deaths of hundreds of thousands if not millions of people worldwide,” added Rep. Engel, who presented a petition signed by over 18,000 people to the State Department urging the denial of visas to flotilla passengers with connections to terrorism who are seeking entry into the U.S.
Joining Reps. Engel and Pence at the press conference to voice their support were Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV), Rep. Peter King (R-NY), Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX). Rep. Engel’s comments at the press conference can be viewed at - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuYjgsqRtnY
