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Washington D.C.- The House of Representatives today passed H.Res. 951, a resolution condemning the ongoing Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli civilians by Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organizations. The bipartisan resolution, originally authored by the Republican Study Committee (RSC), was introduced by Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), RSC Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), and Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV). It supports the sovereign right of the Government of Israel to defend its territory against attacks.
More than 4,500 rockets and mortar shells, targeted primarily and intentionally at civilian communities, have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip by Hamas and other terrorist organizations since Israeli forces withdrew from there in 2005. Nearly a thousand of these rockets and mortar shells have been fired into Israel this year alone. The primary cities under siege have been Sderot and Ashkelon, where the terrorist rockets have hit homes, schools, hospitals, other buildings, roads, power lines, and other such infrastructure.
Congressman Scott Garrett issued the following statement:
“I am pleased that today the United States Congress stood up for the people of Israel by sending a message to terrorists, and those countries that aid them. Rocket attacks and intentional violence against innocent civilians will not be tolerated. Israeli communities like Sderot and Ashkelon have sustained egregious damages, and citizens have suffered from serious injuries and fatalities. Often times Palestinians who do not support violence are victims of the crossfire. It is time that the brutality comes to an end.
“Passing this resolution is a stepping stone to helping end the aggressive acts of Palestinian terrorists and ensuring that innocent civilians in Israel live together peacefully. Violent Palestinian groups and terrorist organizations must be held accountable for their horrific acts. Organizations like Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), need to understand that when they attack the people of Israel, the United States and other countries will not remain silent. Unjust actions must not go unpunished.
RSC Chairman Jeb Hensarling added the following comments:
“Rockets don’t grow on trees, and intelligence reports indicate that those used in the attacks on Israel are made in Iran and often smuggled into Gaza through Egypt. The launching of the rockets by Hamas and other terrorist organizations is enabled largely by technical expertise provided by the Iranian and Syrian Governments. We must therefore put responsibility for the rocket attacks—and for the necessity of the Israeli defensive reactions—squarely on Hamas and its enablers throughout the Middle East. We must reaffirm the strong and unyielding friendship between the governments and the people of Israel and the United States. This resolution sends a clear message to Israelis under attack that we stand with them.”
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