[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 33 (Friday, February 23, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E175]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONDEMNING RAPE AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE COMMITTED BY HAMAS IN ITS WAR 
                             AGAINST ISRAEL

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                               speech of

                           HON. RASHIDA TLAIB

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 14, 2024

  Ms. TLAIB. Mr. Speaker, on February 14, during Roll Call No. 44, I 
recorded my vote as Present. The reason for my vote is as follows:
  All acts of sexual violence are horrific. We should all be fighting 
to end it here at home and all over the world.
  So, while this resolution rightly denounces any sexual committed by 
Hamas, I am disturbed that it completely ignores and erases any sexual 
abuse and violence committed by Israeli forces against Palestinians, 
especially children.
  War crimes cannot justify more war crimes. We must stand up for 
everyone's safety and human rights, no matter their faith or ethnicity.
  There are numerous, well-documented reports of sexual violence, 
including rape, committed by Israeli forces against Palestinians in 
their custody. Children detained and stripped to their underwear in 
public, for the world to see.
  The UN and human rights groups have raised alarms for years--but 
Congress has never cared.
  We all have a responsibility to denounce sexual violence in all 
forms, regardless of who is responsible. This resolution falls well 
short of that responsibility.
  Mr. Speaker, outreach was made to the sponsor of H. Res. 966 on 
several occasions to support the inclusion of Palestinians who had been 
victims of sexual violence into the Resolution. However, the sponsor 
denied adding in any language that supports the well-documented fact 
that Palestinians have faced many atrocities similar to those described 
in the Resolution. Sexual violence is abhorrent and must be fully 
investigated and prosecuted. The intentional omission of Palestinian 
lived experiences in this resolution is dehumanizing and a disservice 
to survivors everywhere.

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