Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the slogan, "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" is antisemitic and its use must be condemned.

Madam Speaker, the 10-word slogan ``from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'' means different things to different people. For many well-meaning supporters of the Palestinian cause, it is a slogan calling for future Palestinian statehood and Palestinian dignity. I agree with those goals, and that is why I support a two- state solution.

To others, particularly to Israelis and Jews in the diaspora, the phrase is a threat, symbolizing the destruction of the Jewish people and the Jewish State of Israel, and I acutely understand that concern as well.

However, a basic truth is evident. If you consider the geographic area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea to be exclusively Palestine, you are taking the Jewish State of Israel off the map.

As clearly demonstrated by pro-Palestinian protesters following the horrific events of October 7, far too many people who boldly chant this phrase do not want Israel to exist. I know this because when asked, that is how they answer.

As someone steeped in America's civil rights movement, I clearly understand the First Amendment and the right of free speech. I support peaceful protest. I support what my dear friend and former colleague John Lewis taught us about good trouble. It is okay for supporters of the Palestinian cause or the Israeli cause to cause some good trouble.

When good trouble turns into calls for violence or, in this case, wiping the State of Israel off the map, the rhetoric has gone too far. It becomes dangerous, and it can cause people harm. That is why I support this nonbinding resolution critical of that phrase.

Let me be clear: There is absolutely nothing anti-Semitic about advocating for an independent Palestinian state. However, calling for the elimination of the Jewish state, praising Hamas who strives for Israel's destruction, or suggesting that the Jews alone do not have the right to self-determination is anti-Semitic.

I am a strong supporter of a two-state solution, which will result in the area between the river and the sea being the home to a Jewish State of Israel and an independent and prosperous Palestine. That is what we should be chanting for and what I will never give up hope for, a peaceful Middle East, two states side by side.

When I talked to some citizens of Israel right after intifada, all they said is they wanted to live in peace with their neighbors.

When I talked to some young Palestinians in the West Bank, all they said they wanted was to live in peace with their Israeli neighbors.

That is what we should be striving for.

While I am not really happy that we have to consider this resolution that I do believe, unfortunately, was brought here by my colleagues on the other side of the aisle in an attempt to divide this House, I also know the danger of the phrase in question. That is why the resolution actually has my begrudging support.

In this institution, at times you have got to do what you think is the best thing to do, the right thing to do, and that is why I support this resolution, and I encourage my colleagues to join in doing the same.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, as I stated during this debate, I am a strong supporter of a two-state solution, which will result in the area between the river and the sea being the home to a Jewish State of Israel and an independent and prosperous Palestine.

This is what we should all be chanting for. This is what we should all be hoping for. This should be what we all are working for. It is in the best interests of the Palestinian people, the Jewish State of Israel, and the United States of America. Let's end hate. Let's end anti-Semitism. Let's bring people together. That should be what we are all looking for. Let's not put forth things that hurt and divide.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H. Res. 883, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 883) expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the slogan, ``from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'' is antisemitic and its use must be condemned.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this measure.

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

Madam Speaker, I thank our colleague from New York (Mr. D'Esposito) for introducing this important bipartisan resolution to condemn anti- Semitic speech.

Hamas' horrific and murderous attack on Israel on October 7 massacred over 1,200 innocent people. Hamas terrorists committed brutal sexual assaults. They took over 250 people hostage and held them in wretched conditions.

October 7 was the deadliest day for people of Jewish faith since the Holocaust.

Since that awful day 6 months ago, we have seen a shocking rise in anti-Semitic attacks, symbolism, and speech, including a resurgence of the slogan ``from the river to the sea.''

This phrase, ``from the river to the sea,'' comes directly from the terrorist organization's covenant. Hamas is clear about their ultimate goal: the destruction of the State of Israel and the death of Jews around the world.

Article 7 of the August 18, 1988, Hamas Covenant calls for chasing every Jew behind trees and rocks until the last Jew is found behind a rock and is killed.

We must be clear. This rallying cry, and others like it, have no place in a peaceful and tolerant society. ``From the river to the sea'' refers to the land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. This language calls for entirely destroying the State of Israel and replacing it with the Palestinian state.

Slogans like this are clearly anti-Semitic and hateful. They inherently support the destruction of Israel and denying Jews their right of self-determination of any kind.

Promoting violence against Israel and Jews is anti-Semitism, and we have the responsibility in Congress to condemn such language.

With this resolution, we are condemning this hate speech and standing with our valued ally, Israel. We understand the chant of Tehran gruesomely in English, ``Death to Israel, death to America.''

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from New York (Mr. D'Esposito), chairman of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology and the author of this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to close.

Mr. Speaker, we must do everything in our power to condemn anti- Semitic speech and actions at home and around the world.

It is so sad that since October 7 instead of rallying around our Jewish friends, we have seen a disgusting rise in anti-Semitic attacks. We cannot allow hate speech to be normalized as so well and eloquently stated by Ranking Member Greg Meeks.

This resolution, so thoughtfully and capably introduced by Congressman Anthony D'Esposito, makes clear that this language is not normal. Calling for the destruction of the people of Israel is not normal. It is not acceptable, and today this House will reject this language.

I am grateful for the leadership that we see today of Foreign Affairs Chairman Michael McCaul and Ranking Member Greg Meeks. We have clear bipartisanship, working together for the safety of American families.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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

Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Res. 883. I rise today, as well, to thank House Republican leadership for bringing my resolution to a vote as part of their swift and necessary response to Iran's unprecedented attack on Israel. My resolution condemns the slogan ``from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'' because it is blatantly anti-Semitic.

Madam Speaker, it is no coincidence that this slogan has been embraced by not only the violent, barbaric leaders of Hamas, but also countless other terrorist organizations and adversarial nations like Iran. I remind my colleagues that this slogan was used by Iranian leaders responsible for the recent attacks on Israel. It is also no coincidence that this phrase has roots in Hamas' charter, a document which explicitly calls for the destruction of the State of Israel, the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people.

When anti-Semitic activists, masquerading as merely pro-Palestinian, spray-painted this slogan on the site of the 1972 Munich massacre of Israeli Olympians, we know and they know exactly what they are communicating. This slogan communicates one thing and one thing only. It is not human rights. It is certainly not peace. It is the violent destruction of the State of Israel and the Jewish people that live within it.

Madam Speaker, at a time in history when anti-Semitic attacks have surged nearly 400 percent following Hamas' brutal, unprovoked October 7 attack on Israel, we need this resolution now more than ever. When Jewish students throughout this Nation and in my home State of New York at universities like Columbia and Cooper Union speak up about the anti- Semitism they are facing, they cite phrases and slogans just like these. Too often, events that may have started as peaceful protests quickly cross the line and turn into anti-Semitic, anti-Jew rallies. Perhaps the most common denominator in these instances is the presence of this slogan. It is not simply a slogan; it is a threat. It is a threat to Israel. It is a threat to the Jewish people. It does not get us any closer to peace. It gets us further from it. To employ this slogan is to perpetuate the cause of hate and regional instability.

I remind my colleagues that the Anti-Defamation League regards the slogan as anti-Semitic and a cry for Israel to not exist. The ADL informs us that to use this slogan is to call for ``effectively erasing and destroying the entire Jewish state.'' I remind my colleagues that between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea sits America's strongest ally, the Middle East's only democracy, and the ancestral homeland of the Jewish people.

As the Representative of the most Jewish communities in this country, it is very clear that we need to act. Between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea sits Israel, a free, diverse nation, a safe haven for Jewish people formed in the wake of the mass murder of European Jews.

When the world witnessed the tragedies of the Holocaust, we said: ``Never again.'' Now is our chance to mean it and to reject anti- Semitic hate in all of its forms whenever and wherever it rears its ugly head.

Mr. Speaker, I will vote in support of H. Res. 883, a non-binding resolution that condemns the use of a slogan that has been used by some individuals and groups for antisemitic purposes, including as a rallying cry to deny the right to self-determination of the Jewish people or even to eliminate the State of Israel from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.

I believe the antisemitic use of this slogan should rightfully be condemned. For example, this slogan has been widely used by terrorist entities--including Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah--to encourage future attacks on Israel, the Jewish community and Jewish institutions. With antisemitism and antisemitic attacks on the rise in the U.S. and around the world, we must swiftly condemn antisemitism in all its forms.

However, this resolution should have been written better. For example, H. Res. 883, fails to acknowledge that some who use the phrase do so to advocate for Palestinian liberation and equality, and others-- including some members of the Jewish community--use the phrase to advocate for an end to the Israeli control and annexation of the West Bank and Gaza. The resolution should have noted that this slogan is not always intended to be used as antisemitic and not all who use the phrase are antisemitic.

As with other resolutions this Congress, H. Res. 883 also fails to condemn antisemitic acts from those on the far-right, including white nationalists who have increasingly promoted antisemitic conspiracy theories and have threatened the lives and livelihoods of Jewish Americans.

H. Res. 883 also treats the slogan ``from the river to the sea'' as one-sided. However, this phrase has also been used by right-wing Israelis--including by Prime Minister Netanyahu himself in January--to deny the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people.

Let me be clear: I believe that both Israelis and Palestinians have a right to their own state. That's why I strongly support a two-state solution where Israelis and Palestinians recognize each other's right to live in peace and have prosperity.

I also unequivocally condemn all forms of antisemitism, and I am appalled by the significant rise in antisemitism we've seen in recent years and especially after Hamas's October 7th terrorist attacks on Israel. If the House Republican majority were serious about tackling antisemitism, they would support President Biden's National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism, would quit trying to defund the Office of Civil Rights for Title VI enforcement which protects Jewish students, and would increase funding for the High-Risk Nonprofit Grant Program to secure Jewish institutions as a start. I urge House Republicans to prioritize real action to combat hate, rather than continue to waste time and resources on non-binding resolutions.

That's why I've cosponsored legislation that thoughtfully and powerfully condemns the rise of antisemitism in the United States and calls on Congress to support the above substantive actions to tackle antisemitism, which congressional Republicans have so far refused to do.

Mr. Speaker, I was unable to cast my vote for Roll Call Votes Nos. 124 through 134. Had I been present, I would have voted: ``Nay'' on Roll Call Vote No. 124, Motion on Ordering the Previous Question on H. Res. 1149; ``No'' on Roll Call Vote No. 125, H. Res. 1149; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 126, H.R. 6245; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 127, H.R. 6015; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 128, H.R. 5917; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 129, H.R. 4681; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 130, H.R. 6603; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 131, H.R. 5826; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 132, H.R. 3033; ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 133, H. Res. 288; and ``Yea'' on Roll Call Vote No. 134, H. Res. 883.