- Mr. Speaker, ``We love death more than the Jews love life.'' This Hamas propaganda phrase says it all. International outsiders cry ``peace, peace,'' but there can be no peace as long as Hamas refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist. No matter how many times leaders shake hands or how many agreements are signed, peace cannot be achieved if peace is not desired. The only reason Israel exists is because the Jews persist in surviving.
- In the morning hours of November 18, a group of Orthodox Jews gathered at a synagogue in Jerusalem to pray. In the middle of their prayers, at 7 a.m., two terrorists wielding guns, axes, and butcher knives attacked them. Odai Abu Jamal and his cousin, Ghassan Abu Jamal, killed 4 rabbis and one police officer and injured 8 others before they were shot by local police. Three of the four rabbis were American citizens.
- The men were members of the terrorist group known as the Popular Front for Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). While the group itself did not claim responsibility, it was quick to support the attack. Hamas, another terrorist group bent on the destruction of Israel, not only commended the attacks but called for more. Terrorist groups supporting terrorist attacks does not surprise me. But Hamas is not your typical terrorist group. It governs the entire Gaza Strip as a result of the 1.8 million Palestinians there voting them into power. And the reaction from some of the people of Gaza to the attack shows that they share its terrorist government's feelings. In the town of Rafah, the people celebrated by handing out sweets, carrying axes, and holding up posters of the terrorists. The religious elites joined in the celebration as well: loudspeakers at mosques in Gaza called out congratulations. Palestinian radio reports described the attackers as ``martyrs''. Undoubtedly, the terrorists' family will receive compensation from the government's ``terrorist fund'', which pays stipends to the families of terrorists who are imprisoned or who died during their attacks.
- When an elected government and the people it governs celebrate a brutal terrorist attack, it is a reminder of the challenges Israel faces as it works for peace in the region. For the last six years, this White House has pressured the Israeli government to make concession after concession for peace. The reaction of the people in Gaza to this latest attack should wake the White House up to the unfortunate reality that, no matter how many concessions Israel makes, many Palestinians do not want peace if it means Israel continues to exist. Palestinian acts of terrorism are not just a problem of a couple of lone rats or individual terrorist groups, but they are supported by an entire infrastructure throughout the Palestinian territories that has close ties to the senior Palestinian leadership. Instead of repeatedly twisting Israel's arm to make peace when peace can't be made, the United States should stand strong with our democratic ally against terrorists. The same attackers that want to destroy Israel also call the United States the Great Satan. They want to kill Americans too, as this latest attack that killed three Americans showed. Our first step should be to cut the funding we give to the Palestinian Authority (PA) until they take specific, verifiable, and significant acts to go after those who commit acts of terrorism. At the very least, the PA needs to stop paying reward money to the families of terrorists. Second, we should make sure that our funding to Israel is strong and robust, focused on ensuring Israel can beat back these terrorists. Finally, we need to stop publicly and privately insulting Israel. Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East and one of our strongest allies in the world.
- The right response to a terrorist act is not words of condemnation followed by continued pressure on the victims of terrorism. The right response is recognizing the evil for what it is and countering it with swift justice against the perpetrators and strong support for the victims.
- And that's just the way it is.