Congressman Carson on H. Res. 771 and Addressing Lives Lost in Israel and Palestine
Mr. Speaker, I want to make it clear: I have condemned Hamas for their heinous attacks on civilians and call for an immediate release of the Israeli hostages. I continue to call for the safety of all civilians in the Middle East.
Unfortunately, today’s resolution H. Res. 771 is horribly one-sided. By failing to acknowledge the growing loss of Palestinian lives or that all Palestinians are not Hamas, this resolution creates further division and spurs harmful rhetoric.
We must defend our Jewish brothers and sisters from Antisemitism. Muslims must also be defended from Islamophobia, and not have their patriotism questioned because they believe in justice for Palestinians.
As a senior Member of the Intelligence Committee and through my work on the Counterterrorism, Counterintelligence, and Counterproliferation Subcommittee -- and having spent many years working in law enforcement -- I am concerned that these kinds of one-sided resolutions have become and will continue to be recruitment tools for extremists.
This is why I am co-leading H. Res. 786, the Ceasefire Now Resolution, which I believe is the best way to prevent further tragic loss of life to Palestinian civilians and simultaneously ensure the safe return of hostages. Only then can we begin to move towards a long-term, two-state solution that includes both Palestinians and Israelis living in peace and liberation, side by side.
This resolution rightly mourns the nearly 1,400 Israelis and Americans killed and wounded. But it completely ignores the mounting deaths of innocent Palestinian civilians in Gaza since October 7th, which has reached an estimated 7,000 as of October 26, 2023– including over 2,360 children killed and over 870 children missing under the rubble of destroyed buildings. Provided below, for the Record, are updated assessments about the destruction and deaths that civilians have suffered.
Pain and grief know no boundaries. The United States fails in our duties as an international leader if we do not wholeheartedly condemn all violations of international law, whether it is committed by Hamas or the Israeli government.
The United States urgently needs a new approach to this decades-long conflict. The roots of these problems existed long before October 7th. The Israeli government’s 16-year blockade on Gaza has been identified by major human rights organizations as collective punishment and a war crime – and it has resulted in poor health, social, educational, physical, and political infrastructure throughout Palestine.
Although I voted NO on this resolution, I urge every colleague who voted today for H. Res. 771, to join me in bringing H. Res. 786 to the floor for a Ceasefire Now.
Thank you, I yield back the balance of my time.