Our office here in Strasbourg, France is busy preparing for a visit from the United States Ambassador to the European Union, Boyden Gray. I have had the pleasure of working with Ambassador Gray on a number of judicial appointment issues over the past six years. He will be addressing our students from Regent University who are studying in our program here in Strasbourg. John Ashcroft and I, as well as members of our ACLJ and ECLJ team will be meeting with Ambassador Gray on the current situation in the Middle East. We are continuing our work in developing support for the State of Israel in their ongoing conflict with Hezbollah and Hamas.
It was gratifying to see that the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution with a vote of 410 to 8 which supports the State of Israel in its current confrontation. The House resolution could not have been stronger and could not have come at a more important time. House leadership cited Israels unique relationship with the United States as a reason to support this swift action in the U.S. House of Representatives. The United States Senate passed a similar resolution on Tuesday.
What is most gratifying for the State of Israel is that from an international perspective, things have clearly moved in their direction. Even Kofi Annans statements from the United Nations recognized Israels right to defend itself. As we pointed out in our legal memorandum:
It is a fundamental principle of international law that a nation may engage in legitimate self-defense. That principle is enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter and is also recognized as part of customary international law.
Israel's current military activities are aimed against Hamas and Hezbollah, two radical Islamic terrorist groups, the former in Gaza and the West Bank and the latter in Lebanon, in response to their unprovoked attacks on Israel and its citizens and armed forces.
In my meetings with leaders of the European Parliament, there has been a decisive shift in support of Israel. The fact that the Arab countries are not united presents an unprecedented opportunity to remove and neutralize the threat of Hezbollah and Hamas. Specifically, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia have not come to the aid of Hezbollah or Hamas. The government of Lebanon will be making a significant mistake if it sides with Hezbollah terrorists. I view this military action of Israel as an attempt to liberate the people of Lebanon from an ongoing terrorist threat.
Importantly, Israel has opened up humanitarian channels so that aid can be given to civilians who have been impacted by this action. The Israeli government has also continued a build-up of tanks and troops at the Lebanon border. To remove the threat of Hezbollah, ground action may well be necessary. Now is not the time for a cease-fire. While we all hope for ultimate peace in the region, it is not realistic to have Israel see the success that it has militarily and then pull back, thereby allowing Hezbollah to rebuild. This terrorist threat must be neutralized once and for all. President Bush has done an outstanding job in backing our loyal ally, Israel. At this critical time, it is important for all of us to stand united in this most significant battle. On our radio broadcast today, we will have former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft giving his input on the situation in the Middle East. General Ashcroft was in Israel as the conflict was developing.
I would encourage you to view our photo gallery, which includes photographs from our current conference going on here in Europe. Also, continue to stand with Israel and sign on to our Proclamation for Solidarity by clicking here.
