Middle-East News Update

Pelosi Statement on House Resolution on Gaza

Speaker Nancy Pelosi

9 Jan 2009 17:09 Africa/Lagos

Pelosi Statement on House Resolution on Gaza

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke on the House floor this morning in support of H.Res 34, which recognizes Israel's right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, reaffirms the United States' strong support for Israel, and supports the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Below are the Speaker's remarks:


"Mr. Speaker, the resolution before the House underscores the more than 60-year commitment of the United States to the security of Israel.


"I proudly sponsor this resolution and I thank the other original co-sponsors of this legislation, including House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman, Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Republican Leader John Boehner, as well as the many Members who have voiced their support for this measure and for the State of Israel.


"Today, we reaffirm that Israel, like any nation, has a right to self-defense when under attack. The rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza, which were increasing in frequency and range, constituted an unacceptable security threat to which Israel had a responsibility to respond.


"All of us regret the loss of life, injury, and destruction of property of innocent civilians that has occurred on both sides of the conflict. When I spoke with Prime Minister Olmert last week, I made clear our concerns about the loss of life among civilians. We must do all we can to relieve the pain of the innocents and to bring about a real peace that will avoid further loss of life on both sides.


"If we are to achieve a real peace, we must begin with a ceasefire to the current conflict, which is why this resolution calls for the Bush Administration to work toward that end. But a ceasefire must do more than just end the current fighting -- it must address some of the root causes of the conflict so we may attain a peace that is, in the words of this resolution, 'durable and sustainable.'


"Security for Israel and an improvement in the lives of the people of Gaza cannot be achieved as long as Hamas uses that impoverished land as a launching pad for attacks against Israelis.


"The goal of any ceasefire must be more than a return to the status quo; it must be a positive and measurable step toward a final, just resolution of the differences between Palestinians and Israelis. Our goal must be to achieve an agreement between Palestinians and Israelis that results in a secure Israel living side-by-side with a viable and independent Palestinian state -- and with both finding peace and prosperity.


"The cycle of violence that feeds the fury of despair must be broken; the hard work of negotiation must be done; and the difficult but necessary decisions made so that such an agreement can be achieved.


"The United States must be an active, constant, and engaged partner in this effort. With the new energy and fresh thinking of the new Administration, we pray that an enduring settlement can be reached.


"From the moment in 1947 that President Harry Truman took the bold step of recognizing the state of Israel to this very day, America has stood and will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our democratic ally in the Middle East."


Source: Office of the Speaker of the House

CONTACT: Brendan Daly, Nadeam Elshami, or Drew Hammill of the Office of
the Speaker of the House, +1-202-226-7616




Have you read
The Day Barack Obama Made Me Shed Tears?

Welcome to 2009: Watch Your Wallet

by Newt Gingrich (more by this author)
Posted 01/06/2009 ETUpdated 01/06/2009 ET

Welcome to 2009. Now watch your wallet
With the economy in the deepest crisis since the Great Depression, higher taxes are precisely what we don’t need to restore jobs and growth. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that President-elect Obama seems to understand this and is proposing tax cuts as part of his stimulus package. That’s the good news. The bad news is that some of the nation’s governors don’t seem to get it. They’re still eager to take more of your money, recession or no recession.If you live in New York, Governor David Patterson (D) wants new taxes on everything from the soda you drink to the clothes you buy and the movies you see.New York is proposing to nickel and dime its tax-payers with a total of 137 new taxes and so-called “fees.” For a complete list, go to http://www.americansolutions.com/.

The New York Times (Still) Wants to Raise Your TaxesIf you live in California, your politicians are proposing a whopping 39 cents per gallon gas tax, more than doubling the already staggering tax Californians pay when they fill up.And of course, not to be outdone, the New York Times (still) wants Washington to raise your taxes. In an editorial last weekend, the Times lamented that President-elect Obama seems to be having second thoughts about raising taxes in the midst of the economic crisis. The newspaper urged the incoming President to stick to his original plan to tax the “rich,” if not this year, then soon.Some things never change.

Albany, Sacramento and Washington Need Reform as Much as General Motors and ChryslerBut here’s a fact that Governor Patterson, Democrats in the California legislature, and the editorial writers of the New York Times might find hard to swallow: The governments in Albany, Sacramento and Washington, that are eager for more of our money, need reform at least as much as General Motors and Chrysler need reform. More tax-dollars to these monstrosities is throwing good money after bad.Our state and federal governments need to be smaller and more effective, not larger and less efficient. As I’ve argued before and will argue again big government isn’t just expensive and inefficient; it’s corrupting. Add to the recent Rod Blagojevich (D) and Ted Stevens (R) scandals this latest news: House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) asked the taxpayer-rescued insurance giant AIG for a donation to a school being built in his honor at the same time his committee was considering legislation that would save AIG millions of dollars a year.Like I said, big government breeds big corruption.

The Four Things to Look for in the Stimulus Package

As Congress and the President move forward to pass an economic stimulus package later this month, here are four things to watch for:

1. How does it affect small businesses and the self-employed? Small businesses are the job creation engines of our economy. Any stimulus package should focus first and foremost on them.

2. How are entrepreneurial start-ups supported and encouraged? We should have our economic eye on the General Motors of the next thirty years, not the last thirty years.

3. Does the plan maximize the rate of investment in U.S. companies? By making the United States the best place to invest, we will make it the best place to create new jobs.

4. Does the package encourage growth in productivity? Making American workers more productive not only increases our ability to compete with foreign competitors, it also increases incomes.Will Congress Display Lincoln’s Bible in the Capitol Visitors Center When Obama’s Done With It?

I was happy to hear that President-elect Obama is planning on using Abraham Lincoln’s Bible to take the oath of office when he is sworn-in as president. Barack Obama placing his hand as president on Abraham Lincoln’s Bible is a wonderful symbol of how far our nation has come in the ensuing 148 years.

It’s ironic to note, however, that Congress has refused to include the very same Bible in its display in the new Capitol Visitors Center.

As Rick Tyler of Renewing American Leadership notes in his ground-breaking report on the new Visitors Center, although the designers of the center include in their display the table that Lincoln used to hold his Bible, the Bible itself is conspicuously absent.Will Congress return Lincoln’s Bible to its place in the Capitol Visitors Center?

Or is President-Elect Obama more respectful of religious belief than the members of the House and Senate?

What Would You Do If Someone Was Firing Missiles Into Your Neighborhood?

I want to end today by asking those who are criticizing Israel for attacking Hamas terrorists in Gaza this simple question:What would you do if someone were firing missiles into your neighborhood?

Those critics who claim that Israel’s response to years of sustained missile launches deliberately aimed at its civilians is “disproportionate” have it exactly wrong. The problem is not that Israel is doing too much; the problem is that it’s doing too little.No peace is possible -- no diplomatic solution is reachable -- as long as Hamas maintains its capacity to launch missiles at Israeli civilians. And anyone who is not willing to demand that Hamas immediately and permanently stop this aggression has no moral standing to judge Israel.

Just ask yourself: What would you do?

Your friend,

Newt Gingrich

P.S. Speaking of the Stimulus Package -- Will Democrats Honor “No Earmarks” Pledge?: Obama economic advisor Larry Summers has declared that there will be no pork barrel earmarks in the upcoming economic stimulus bill and on “Fox News Sunday” this weekend, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said he agreed. So the gauntlet has been laid down: Will congressional Democrats honor this commitment and not turn the stimulus bill into a festival of pork? For House Republican Leader John Boehner’s take on the stimulus, see here.

P.P.S. Also on the Agenda: Taking Away Your Secret Ballot: Hoyer also confirmed on Fox that Democrats will press ahead with legislation to take away the right to a secret ballot in union elections. It’s hard to imagine that the first African-American president in American history would go along with taking away the right of American workers to vote in free and fair elections. Still, it’s time to take this threat seriously.

For more information, go to http://www.employeefreedom.org/.

RNC: Obama's Troubling Instincts

22 May 2008 13:28 Africa/Lagos


RNC: Obama's Troubling Instincts

WASHINGTON, May 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following Op-Ed was released today by the Republican National Committee. It was written by Karl Rove and is from The Wall Street Journal.


(LOGO: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080519/RNCLOGO)


Barack Obama is ambling rather than sprinting across the primary-season finish line. It's not just his failure to connect with blue-collar Democrats. He has added to his problems with ill-informed replies on critical foreign policy questions.


On Sunday at a stop in Oregon, Sen. Obama was dismissive of the threats posed by Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba and Syria. That's the same Iran whose Quds Force is arming and training insurgents and illegal militias in Iraq to kill American soldiers; that is supporting Hezbollah and Hamas in violent attacks on Lebanon and Israel; and that is racing to develop a nuclear weapon while threatening the "annihilation" of Israel. ...


Mr. Obama seems to believe charisma and smooth talk can fundamentally alter the behavior of Iran, Syria, North Korea, Venezuela and Cuba.


But what might work on the primary campaign trail doesn't work nearly as well in Tehran. What, for example, does Mr. Obama think he can offer the Iranians to get them to become a less pernicious and destabilizing force? One of Iran's top foreign policy goals is a precipitous U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. This happens to be Mr. Obama's top foreign policy goal, too. Why should Iran or other rogue states alter their behavior if Mr. Obama gives them what they want, without preconditions?


On Wednesday, Mr. Obama said in Florida that in a meeting with the Iranians he'd make it clear their behavior is unacceptable. That message has been delivered clearly by Republican and Democratic administrations in public and private diplomacy over the past 16 years. Is he so naive to think he has a unique ability to make this even clearer?


If Mr. Obama believes he can change the behavior of these nations by meeting without preconditions, he owes it to the voters to explain, in specific terms, what he can say that will lead these states to abandon their hostility. He also needs to explain why unconditional, unilateral meetings with Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad or North Korea's Kim Jong Il will not deeply unsettle our allies.


If Mr. Obama fails to do so, voters may come to believe that he is asking them to accept that he has a "Secret Plan," and that he is hopelessly out of his depth on national security.


To View The Entire Article, Please Visit the : Wall Street Journal.


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Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080519/RNCLOGO
Source: Republican National Committee

CONTACT: Republican National Committee, +1-202-863-8614


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