May 22, 2006- Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006

HON. MARCY KAPTUR
 OF OHIO
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MONDAY, MAY 22, 2006

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Ms. KAPTUR. Madam Speaker, I would like to thank thegentleman from Oregon, Mr. Blumenauer, for yielding me this time, andto thank Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, a staunch supporter of human rights, forcoauthoring this legislation with our dear, dear and respected colleague fromthe State of California, Congressman TOM LANTOS, who is the once and futurechair of this committee, I am sure, some day, and to say, as many others havestated this evening, we respect your life. Many of us love you and love yourfamily.

Perhaps some of us have a deeper understanding of some of the tribulationthat you have faced in your own life because our families have faced the same.We had relatives in what is now the nation of Ukraine,but in the Soviet Union, our uncles, who weresent to the gulag for over 20 years by Joseph Stalin. One died and onesurvived, miraculously, after 20 bitter years. So I think our family shares adeep personal understanding of what despotism and terror is.

I rise this evening because I have to say that this act, the PalestinianAnti-Terrorism Act, I fear will result not in less terrorism, but in more. I donot really believe it is in the interest of the UnitedStates, of Israel or the world to furtherradicalize elements in the Palestinian population, and I do believe this billwill do exactly that.

It is not in the interest of the government of the United States nor Israel nor the world to make itimpossible for Palestinians to become more educated and to learn how to governan emerging nation. Indeed, if our current policies as a world were sointelligent, they would not have yielded a Hamas to the point where it actuallywon an election and other elements of Palestinian society were so crippled andso inept and so disorganized that they were not able to govern in a way that anemerging nation state would.

I have asked myself during the gruesome Soviet period, what glimmers did wehave, what connections did we have, what elements were we able to nurture thateven provided a road forward?

I think of our family's East European heritage in Polandand enduring the most repressive times in Poland. This country found a way tosupport a non-governmental organization in the form of Solidarity, and therewere church groups working and there were other groups that provided just smallglimmers of light.

I remember a dear, dear friend, Reverend Martin Hernati born in the homelandof Congressman Lantos, who said to me, ``MARCY, I am walking through atunnel. It is very dark in the tunnel and I see no light at the end of thetunnel, but I must keep walking.''

I remember Cardinal Mindszenty in the nation of Hungary,locked up in the U.S.embassy for many years, as a single man, a single individual, as a symbol tothe West.

I thought about the ``Refuseniks'' in the Soviet Union, how we connectedwith them, helping them to publish their works, helping to hear a voice frominside a closed society, and I asked myself, in this situation, what are theparallels? What are the parallels?

In this bill, no one wants to support Hamas. All we are asking for is theright to amend this bill to find other non-governmental groups that we can helpto support, to help educate, to help inform, to help teach, in the hope, eventhough we are all walking through the tunnel and we see no light at the end ofthe tunnel, that we give the ordinary person, the moderate, and there are somemoderates, some hope, some ability to connect.

I read from the statement of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, whosay in opposition to the current form of this bill, ``A further deteriorationof the humanitarian and economic situation of the Palestinian peoplecompromises human dignity and serves the long-term interests neither ofPalestinians nor of Israelis who long for a just peace.

``Non-governmental organizations have a long history of helping the world'smost vulnerable people. Their humanitarian role should be respected. While thiswork is not easy,'' and surely the gentleman from Californiaknows it is not easy, surely the gentlelady from Florida knows it is not easy, ``it isessential. It deserves Congress' continued support.''

I would hope that with the Prime Minister of Israel coming here this week,that we would have a proposal that would take the Quartet and actually somehowhave discussions, even a resolution, to try to restart the failed peace processbetween Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Wouldn't that be a great moment?Wouldn't it be worth being here and serving here? We need resolutions that willnot radicalize, that will not divide, that will make peace possible.