Firearm Lockbox Protection Act of 2023

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this extraordinarily important resolution written with my friend and colleague, Chairman McCaul.

Mr. Speaker, 18 days ago, the State of Israel suffered the greatest mass murder perpetrated against the Jewish people since the Holocaust, when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel by land, sea, and air.

Behaving just like ISIS, Hamas terrorists murdered and beheaded soldiers and civilians alike. Babies were shot and burned in their cribs and reduced to smoldering piles of ash--babies.

Children were murdered. Teenagers were murdered. Men and women were murdered. Elderly people, including Holocaust survivors, were murdered.

Hamas has also taken 200 of those who survived into Gaza as hostages, including unaccompanied children, Holocaust survivors, and many American citizens.

Mr. Speaker, Hamas' attack was truly unprecedented. When you consider the size of Israel's population, proportionately it would be like 30,000 people dying in New York on 9/11. Just let that sink in a little.

We must all acknowledge that Hamas is a cutthroat terrorist organization that exists solely to destroy Israel. Hamas' terrorism does not help the Palestinians. In this moment, it is critical for Israel to know that the United States of America stands firmly by its side in this battle against Hamas.

Mr. Speaker, what I am about to say next is also very important. There are innocent Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank who seek normal and free lives and want nothing to do with Hamas or other terrorist organizations.

We cannot lose sight of this. We must keep them--many of whom are also children--and their safety and well-being in mind. In the immediate term, we must find a way to ensure the safety of those innocents who are in Gaza's war zone, and I support the Biden administration's efforts toward that goal.

The United Nations estimates that thousands of Palestinians have been killed since the terrorist attacks on October 7. We don't know for certain how many of those killed were civilians, but here is what we do know: We know that Hamas terrorists used Palestinians as human shields. We know that every single one of them would be alive today if Hamas had not launched its terrorist attack.

We must be aware and do all that we can to stop this war from expanding beyond its current scope. The administration and our allies are working around the clock to send messages and warnings to Iran and Hezbollah to stay out. President Biden underscored this message during his recent travel to Israel.

Do not test America's will. This Congress will have Israel's back as it degrades and eliminates Hamas' terrorist infrastructure. We know that it won't take a day. It will be difficult.

For too long, too many have been willing to contribute to the delegitimization of the State of Israel.

It is deeply concerning that even global leaders are already whitewashing one of the worst terrorist attacks in history while Hamas and its allies blanket cyberspace with misinformation about this war.

Just yesterday, Turkish President Erdogan said: ``Hamas is not a terrorist organization, it is a group of mujahideen defending their lands.''

This from the mouth of a NATO ally who has his own concerns about terrorists as an existential threat to his country.

President Erdogan's rhetoric is dead wrong. It is rank with hypocrisy, and its timing is extraordinarily dangerous.

The resolution before us is a bright spot of bipartisanship today during a very difficult time in American politics.

Mr. Speaker, 425 Members of this House of Representatives have cosponsored this resolution. There is no question in my mind that it will pass overwhelmingly, Democrats and Republicans alike. Most importantly, the American people believe in the Jewish state and believe in its survival.

In the days, weeks, and months ahead, I know the United States will continue to stand steadfastly with Israel to assure its defense and its long-term security.

We will also, as President Biden has outlined, remain committed to ensuring that civilians in Gaza have access to safe areas and continue to have access to food, water, medical care, and other assistance without diversions by Hamas.

We must also stay keenly focused on working to get United States citizens and their immediate family members to exit Gaza safely.

I conclude, Mr. Speaker, by raising an issue that the United States and Israel must address: What does a successful ground operation in Gaza look like, and how do we achieve the goal of leaving Gaza to a responsible Palestinian Government if Israel's effort to remove Hamas is successful?

One thing is for certain--the path to peace will require more Arab States to recognize that Israel has the right to exist and that we hold firm and will make sure that we could thereby have a two-State solution.

If you say Israel does not have the right to exist, you are saying that you do not want peace. I urge our Arab friends to join the Abraham Accords and acknowledge Israel's right to exist because that is the pathway to peace in the Middle East.

To the people of Israel, I hope you learn of the passage of this resolution today and know that the United States Congress and the American people have your back.

We mourn beside you and are working to provide the resources your government needs to defend you. We have deployed powerful military resources to the region to demonstrate just that support.

We are working all of our diplomatic channels to assure your success, and we are in this together. We will not waver. We will not quit. We will stand with our ally Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Manning), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the former majority leader of this distinguished body.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Maryland.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Sherman), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Schneider), a strong member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Costa), another strong member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Connecticut (Ms. DeLauro), the former chair of the House Appropriations Committee and the current Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. David Scott), the former chairman of the Agriculture Committee, the current ranking member.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from the great State of California (Ms. Pelosi), the Honorable Speaker Emerita.

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire how much time is remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Thanedar).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel).

Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Davis).

Mr. Speaker, let me start off by thanking my friend and colleague, the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr. McCaul, for his friendship and for working collectively together to make sure that the world knows that there is no daylight between us when it comes to us standing with our friend and our ally the State of Israel, and I appreciate you.

When we first started this, after this horrendous attack on October 7, we had a conversation. We said, let's make sure that we put out a statement collectively, us giving our opinions as chair and ranking member of this committee. Then immediately thereafter, we went to work on a resolution so that the world would know where the United States' House of Representatives stood.

We thought we would get it done earlier, but we knew that the first bill, the first resolution that would come to the floor after the House resumed its business, would be this bill because this bill is so significantly important to state that we have the back of our friend and ally, and we want to make sure that Hamas does not exist.

Mr. Speaker, I have had the privilege and the opportunity to visit Israel several times. I have been in some of those tunnels. I have talked to the people, and when I have talked to the people of Israel, all they say is that they want to live in peace. When I talk to the Palestinian people in Gaza or in the West Bank, they say they want peace, but the Hamas terrorist organization when you look at their mandate, they say they want the destruction of Israel.

You cannot have peace. You can't even negotiate peace if one side says you should not exist. How can you say that you want a better relationship if you are saying that Israel should not exist?

You can't forget the horrific terrorist ISIS-like atrocities that were committed on October 7. You cannot be silent. You can't sit back and make believe that it didn't happen because it did.

Mr. Speaker, I say, as we end this debate, thank you to the American people for standing with our friend and ally, the State of Israel.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 771) standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to extend debate for each side by 10 minutes, and I also ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, October 7, Israelis awoke to rockets raining down on them from Gaza, and gunmen broke down their doors and invaded their homes.

Hamas terrorists killed babies and toddlers. They killed elderly grandmothers and grandfathers. They killed moms and dads. They killed teenage kids in their homes. No one was spared from their brutality.

Following World War II, my father's war, I never believed the world would bear witness to the slaughter of the Jewish people as we have seen at the bloody hands of Hamas. October 7 was the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

Additionally, Hamas is holding 220 hostages, including Americans. This is a flyer with a picture of a mother and son taken hostage by Hamas, #bringthemhomenow.

They are using them as human shields and threatening to execute them. They must all be released unconditionally now.

This is one of the darkest moments in the history of the State of Israel.

I was in one of the kibbutzim right on the border of Gaza last year, meeting with members of the community. I saw their daycare center. That very same kibbutz was overrun by 70 Hamas terrorists. Many of the residents I met were slaughtered.

Most viciously, the babies and the children I visited in the daycare center were slaughtered, shot to death, beheaded, and burned alive.

When the press says it didn't happen, they are just wrong. It did because I have seen the pictures of the burned babies and the decapitated children and the blood that you see here in the babies' cribs.

For God's sake, what is going on in this world today?

In one of the most horrific stories to emerge, a pregnant woman had her baby cut out in front of her very eyes as they murdered her baby before her and before they shot her in the head.

Simply put, Mr. Speaker, they are monsters.

At a music festival to celebrate peace, chaos, gunfire, and explosions ripped through the air, piercing hundreds of bodies with bullets and shrapnel. While the attendees attempted to flee the area, gunmen surrounded them from every direction. In total, 260 attendees assembled in peace to enjoy music were massacred.

Among others, atrocities we have heard reported include children with their hands bound, shot in the back of the head execution style; women who were raped and slaughtered, one of whom was dragged through the streets of Gaza; families, including babies and young children, burned alive in their homes in front of their parents; the beheading of Israeli soldiers; and parents gunned down as they shielded their children before the onslaught of gunfire.

This is sheer terror. It is evil. It cannot stand in this world.

We are witnessing in real time Hamas carrying out their covenant that outlines their goal of eradicating Israel through jihad. In fact, their covenant states: ``Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.''

They specifically discuss jihad, noting: ``The day that enemies usurp part of Muslim land, jihad becomes the individual duty of every Muslim. In face of the Jews' usurpation . . . , it is compulsory that the banner of jihad be raised.''

Mr. Speaker, it was indeed raised on October 7.

To be completely clear, despite repeated efforts by Israel to secure peace, the ``Hamas Covenant'' states: Peace ``initiatives, and so- called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement. . . . There is no solution for the Palestinian problem except by jihad.''

This declaration calling on the annihilation of the Jewish state must be confronted with zero equivocation.

That is why I worked with my good friend, Ranking Member Meeks, to introduce this bipartisan resolution.

It condemns in the strongest possible terms the atrocities of Hamas and reiterates Israel's right to defend herself, along with America's unwavering support for the State of Israel.

All roads lead back to Iran. Their fingerprints are all over this attack. They have consistently funded Hamas and other Palestinian groups to the tune of $100 million per year.

This resolution condemns Hamas and Iran for its support of terrorist groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic jihad while also calling for all sanctions on Iran to be fully enforced.

I urge my colleagues to support this important resolution. It will send a clear message across the world that terrorists and their sponsors will be held to account for their atrocities, their crimes against humanity, their crimes of genocide.

On December 7, 1941, in response to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt said it was ``a date which will live in infamy.'' So, too, will October 7, 2023, live in infamy.

Mr. Speaker, I urge support, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Missouri (Mrs. Wagner), the vice chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson), the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim), the chair of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Indo-Pacific.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), the majority leader.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Jackson), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Kentucky (Mr. Barr), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from Kentucky.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Kean), the chair of the Subcommittee on Europe.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Kustoff).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Moran), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Rose).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Idaho (Mr. Fulcher).

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, Mr. Meeks, as well.

Mr. Speaker, that is how the Foreign Affairs Committee operates. The fact that this is the most bipartisan resolution in modern history with 425 cosponsors, over 97 percent of this body, speaks volumes. It sends a strong message to the people of Israel that the United States Congress and the American people stand firmly behind you.

The Hamas Covenant states, ``Ranks will close, fighters joining other fighters, and masses everywhere in the Islamic world will come forward in response to the call of duty, loudly proclaiming: `Hail to Jihad.' This cry will reach the heavens and will go on being resounded until liberation is achieved, the invaders vanquished, and Allah's victory comes about.''

In response to this, we will strengthen our resolve to stand with our ally Israel. This resolution sends a clear and unequivocal message that the United States House of Representatives and the American people condemn the barbarity of the genocide and war crimes perpetrated by Hamas. We want to make it clear that Israel has the right to defend herself to prevent an event like this from ever happening again.

We assure you that the United States will be shoulder to shoulder with Israel supporting her right to self-defense.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

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 5,761--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 will vote ``no'' on this resolution, I urge every colleague who will vote today for H. Res. 771, to join me in bringing H. Res. 786 to the floor for a Ceasefire Now.

UNRWA Situation Report #14 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the

West Bank (including East Jerusalem)

All information valid as of 24 October 2023 at 18:00 (local time)--Day

17 of hostilities

1. Key Points

More than 613,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) are

sheltering in 150 UNRWA facilities across the Gaza strip.

In the last 24 hours, another three UNRWA staff members

have been killed, bringing the total to 38 staff killed since

7 October. Two have been injured, one of whom is in a

critical condition.

One school in Rafah, sheltering 4,600 IDPs, sustained

severe collateral damage due to a close proximity strike. One

IDP was killed and 44 more were injured, including nine

children.

Fuel is urgently needed to continue the UNRWA lifesaving

humanitarian operations. If fuel is not received into Gaza,

UNRWA will be forced to significantly reduce and in some

cases bring its humanitarian operations across the Gaza Strip

to a halt. The coming 24 hours are very critical.

2. Overall Situation

The Gaza Strip

According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, 5,791 people

have been killed since 7 October, including 2,360 children,

1,292 women, 295 elderly, and 16,298 were injured. This is in

addition to the 1,550 reported missing, presumably under the

rubble of destroyed buildings, including 870 children.

Overall, nearly 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals have

been killed in Israel, according to the Israel authorities,

the vast majority on 7 October (OCHA).

In the West Bank, 95 people have been killed and nearly

1,900 injured since 7 October.

Overcrowding conditions in UNRWA shelters remain a serious

concern, as the current facilities can no longer provide

dignified living conditions. Some shelters are currently

hosting 10 to 12 times more people than their designed

capacity.

3. Humanitarian Access & Protection of Civilians

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 771, the bipartisan resolution condemning the heinous October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas that have resulted in the senseless deaths of Israelis, Palestinians, and more than 30 American citizens. Hundreds remain missing and many are held hostage--including women, children, and even infants.

Savage attacks killing innocent civilians are never justified, and the Hamas attacks of October 7 were perpetrated against Israeli communities for the goal of annihilation. These crimes cross a red line and must be unequivocally condemned as they are clear violations of international human rights law.

Israel has a right to defend its citizens from this Hamas terrorism. But Israel's response must be proportional and consider the innocent Palestinian lives at stake in Gaza. In the past two weeks, we have seen an escalating wave of violence across the region. It is clear that a broader conflict must be prevented. That is why I have publicly called on President Biden to work with all involved parties on negotiating an immediate regional ceasefire to avoid the loss of more innocent lives. A one-sided ceasefire is not sustainable and will fail. It must include Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and other parties, with the support of the international community.

The international community must also continue working together to facilitate critical humanitarian aid to Gaza--the population of which is nearly half children--so Palestinians have access to food, water, medicine, and fuel.

I also recognize that this violence is not just a far-away matter; it is hitting close to home. Many families here in the United States and overseas are living in unimaginable fear while mourning those they have lost. I am hearing from many Jewish constituents and community leaders who are in pain and who have loved ones among the injured, killed, or missing. I commend the U.S. State Department for their work bringing Americans home from Israel, but more work needs to be done--there are American citizens in Gaza who seek to come home and have been prevented from doing so.

I am deeply saddened and outraged about the brutal murder of an innocent six-year-old boy in Illinois, because he happened to be Palestinian-American. The violent, hate-filled targeting of Wadea AI- Fayoume or anyone else based on ethnicity or religious affiliation is unconscionable and should be condemned by everyone. Hate has no place in America, and Antisemitism and lslamophobia must not be tolerated.

It is my hope for the future that every Israeli child and every Palestinian child to be tucked into bed at night by their parents without fear of bombings and perpetual violence. All people deserve safety and security, and the only sustainable path forward is one where international human rights and international law are at the forefront and democratic ideals are upheld.

Mr. Speaker, and still I rise, cognizant of the urgency of the situation in the Middle East and the spirit in which this resolution has been put forth.

As we conscientiously denounce the horrific crimes against humanity committed by Hamas, let us remember our ultimate goal of peace, the need for diplomacy, as well as our commitment to a two-state solution. I regret that the vision of peace between Israel and Palestine by way of a two-state solution is not referenced in the resolution. I sincerely believe that this non-inclusion risks conveying an incomplete representation of our nation's long-standing position on this pressing matter at a critical time in our history. The situation in Israel and Palestine is highly sensitive, and our response should denounce the violation of human rights, while supporting Israeli and Palestinian victims. Omitting such judicious principled concepts from our resolution could inadvertently give the erroneous impression that we have abandoned the Palestinians as well as the two-state solution to peace. I called these issues to the attention of the Foreign Affairs Committee in a letter delivered to the committee on October 12, 2023.

To this end and because I had no hand in drafting the resolution, I propose that we amend the resolution under consideration to include the following: ``Whereas the U.S. House of Representatives desires lasting peace between Israel and Palestine.'', ``Whereas the two-state solution has and continues to be the best path to lasting peace.'', ``Whereas we mourn the deaths and suffering of babies as well as innocent Palestinian and Israeli people of all ages.'', ``Whereas our support for humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian babies and innocent civilian Palestinian people is a necessity.'', and ``Resolved that the House of Representatives desires a two-state solution that leads to peace between Israel and Palestine.''

The resolution without these principle points will lead me, as a matter of conscience, to not vote ``yea.'' I realize that on this vote I may stand alone. However, on votes of conscience I believe it is better to stand alone than not stand at all.

As we witness the calls for war, let us remember our moral imperative to stand for peace at the genesis of war. Doing so will make clear our unwavering commitment to not only Israel's defense but also to the ultimate vision of peace that we all wish to see materialize in the region.