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Israel, Soldiers’ Families Have Waited Long Enough

by Fla. GOP Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen - 01/30/07 10:04 AM ET

Last July, Israel’s sovereign border was violated by terrorists linked to Hamas who killed two Israeli soldiers and kidnapped Corporal Gilad Shalit.

Days later, terrorists linked to Hezbollah crossed into Israel and killed three, wounded two, and kidnapped soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev.

All three have been held captive since without medical attention from humanitarian groups like the Red Cross. No information is known on the fate of the soldiers.

As proxies of the Iranian and Syrian regimes, Hezbollah and Hamas have continued to attack Israel despite Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 and Gaza in 2005.

Rather than view Israel’s withdrawal as an act of good faith to further the cause of peace, Hezbollah and Hamas viewed these measures as signs of weakness to be exploited.

Hamas and Hezbollah, which have representatives in the Palestinian and Lebanese Cabinets, believe that terrorism, murder and kidnapping are appropriate means of achieving political objectives, and have proposed negotiations to exchange these hostages for convicted terrorists now serving time in Israeli jails.

I am proud to be a cosponsor of this resolution, which declares that the House of Representatives stands with the State of Israel and its right to self-defense, and against the barbarity perpetrated by Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist groups and the rogue regimes that sponsor them.

This resolution demands that Hamas and Hezbollah immediately and unconditionally release Mr. Shalit, Mr. Goldwasser and Mr. Regev, and that they provide all three with access to medical attention.

The resolution also holds Iran and Syria accountable for making terrorist acts like these possible.

We cannot afford to be complacent about those Islamist extremists who would seek to kill free people, violate borders with impunity and threaten the security of the Middle East and the world.

As Dr. Martin Luther King noted, “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

I thank my good friend and colleague, Chairman Ackerman, for introducing this resolution and doing so much to advance the cause of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers.

This resolution is about seeking what is needed most: justice for the innocent and accountability for the guilty.