Marco Rubio

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I ask to be recognized as if in morning business.

Mr. RUBIO. Thank you, Madam President. I come to the floor today to discuss the ongoing situation in Israel. We all watch with great concern the images of the loss of life, young children, innocents who have lost their lives over the last few days, and also the men and women who served in the defense forces of Israel who have lost their lives in this operation. Our hearts also go out to the men and women who live in the nation of Israel who are living under the constant threat of rockets that are coming over from Gaza. I came to the Senate floor a week ago to express not simply my concerns with this but also my solidarity--and I believe that of almost everyone in this body--with our ally Israel, and I received a response, a pretty heated letter from the Palestinian Ambassador in Washington, DC. He expressed outrage that I and my colleagues had not expressed the same level of concern for Palestinians as we had for the Israelis. He particularly pointed to the case of the three murdered Israelis but said we had not expressed similar feelings for the young Palestinian who lost his life. I responded to his letter by pointing out a number of things. The first is that I believe that I and all my colleagues wish and pray and will do all we can to further the ideal that the Palestinian people could live peacefully side-by-side with their Israeli neighbors. It is a sentiment I expressed when I visited the Palestinian officials in the West Bank a year and a half ago. But I also expressed that there was a significant difference between the way Israel and the Palestinians reacted to these two horrible incidents. The Palestinian Authority had to be basically nudged into expressing any sentiment about the three young people who were missing at the time. In fact, when the bodies were discovered, it led to street demonstrations. It led to celebrations on the streets of the West Bank and Gaza. In Israel, the discovery of the death of the young Palestinian led to strong statements by the Prime Minister and condemnation. It led to a phone call from the Prime Minister to the family of the Palestinian. It led to visits by Israelis to the family of the Palestinian. It led to real outrage. There was a difference there, although both are horrible tragedies. But I think there is something now emerging that is not being talked about. We have all seen the images of people being killed, civilians who are losing their lives in Gaza, and some are beginning to say that this is all Israel's fault, that this is Israel's fault. In fact, earlier today--or maybe it was last night--the Prime Minister of Turkey said that what the Israelis are doing in Gaza is worse than what Adolf Hitler did to the Jews. It is, of course, a ridiculous statement, but it gives an indication of where this is headed. There is a story here that is not being told and that the Palestinian Ambassador himself has ignored, as I point to in my response to him. The first thing he ignores is that we have never in the modern history of the world seen any organization use human shields like Hamas is using human shields today. In fact, the reality behind it is unbelievable. I would like to read from some press accounts with regards to this. Washington Post correspondent William Booth, reporting from Gaza, wrote in an article on the 15th of July: At the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, crowds gathered to throw shoes and eggs at the Palestinian Authority's health minister, who represents the crumbling ``unity government'' in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The minister was turned away before he reached the hospital, which has become a de facto headquarters for Hamas leaders, who can be seen in the hallways and offices. Another report by the Washington Post on July 17 recounts: During the lull-- I imagine in the action-- a group of men at a mosque in northern Gaza said they had returned to clean up the green glass from windows shattered in the previous day's bombardment. But they could be seen moving small rockets into the mosque. The Japanese Mainichi Daily's correspondent in Gaza reported on July 21: Hamas criticizes that ``Israel massacres civilians.'' On the other hand, it tries to use evacuating civilians and journalists by stopping them and turning them into ``human shields,'' counteracting thoroughly with its guerilla tactics . . . It doesn't end there. A Globe and Mail correspondent in Gaza, Patrick Martin, wrote on July 20: The presence of militant fighters in the Shejaia became clear Sunday afternoon when, under the cover of a humanitarian truce intended to allow both sides to remove the dead and wounded, several armed Palestinians scurried from the scene. Some bore their weapons openly, slung over their shoulder, but at least two, disguised as women, were seen walking off with weapons partly concealed under their robes. Another had his weapon wrapped in a baby blanket and held on his chest as if it were an infant. If you think that is bad, it gets worse. I obviously cannot play a video on the floor of the Senate, so instead I will read a statement from Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri. This is a quote on television in Gaza: The people oppose the Israeli fighter planes with their bodies alone . . . I think this method has proven effective against the occupation. It also reflects the nature of our heroic and brave people, and we, the [Hamas] movement, call on our people to adopt this method in order to protect the Palestinian homes. The response to this is, Israel drops fliers and sends text messages and makes phone calls telling people--civilians--we are going to undertake a military operation, you should leave the area. What does Hamas do? I will tell you what they do. This is from the Facebook page of their Interior Ministry spokesperson: An important and urgent message: The [Hamas] Ministry of the Interior and National Security calls on our honorable people in all parts of the [Gaza] Strip to ignore the warnings [to vacate areas near rocket launching sites before Israel bombs them] that are being disseminated by the Israeli occupation through manifestos and phone messages, as these are part of a psychological war meant to sow confusion on the [Palestinian] home front, in light of the [Israeli] enemy's security failure and its confusion and bewilderment. This next statement was on television on July 14: We call on our Palestinian people, particularly the residents of northwest Gaza, not to obey what is written in the pamphlets distributed by the Israeli occupation army. We call on them to remain in their homes and disregard the demands to leave, however serious the threat may be. This is evidence that Hamas is using its own people as human shields. It doesn't stop there, Mr. Ambassador. Ask yourself: Why did your organization--why did your government--unify with this terrorist organization that uses its own people as a human shield? You didn't mention that in your letter. You didn't mention in your letter that you aligned yourself with an organization that calls for the destruction of the Jewish state. You left that out of your letter as well, Mr. Ambassador. What has been the international reaction to this? Well, I already told you about what came out of Turkey. Just yesterday the so-called United Nations Human Rights Council--and I say so-called because it has such distinguished human rights beacons as Cuba and China on its membership--voted unanimously, except for the United States, to condemn Israel and to call for an investigation into war crimes against Israel. There is a 700-page document that briefly mentions rockets and does not mention Hamas or human shields whatsoever. Meanwhile, this crisis continues. What do we see coming out of Hamas? Have they stopped what they are doing beyond the human shields? No. What we discovered--and what has been discovered now--is an intricate web of underground tunnels designed to bring killers into the Israeli territory. They attempted, by the way, to carry out a massacre at a kibbutz near the border with Gaza. Luckily they were intercepted by Israeli defense forces. They discovered tranquilizers in their possession, the purpose of which, of course, was to use them to abduct and kidnap Israelis and take them back to Gaza for ransom or worse. The rockets continue to rain down as well. You also didn't mention in your letter, Mr. Ambassador, the cease- fire, which, by the way, Israel agreed to even though it was extremely unpopular in Israel. Why? Because three times in the last 5 years they had to face this. I want you to imagine for a moment that you lived in a country with a neighbor that blitzed you three times in the last 5 years with rockets, trying to kill your children and destroy your cities and disrupt and paralyze your economy. There comes a point where you say enough is enough, we have to put an end to this. So you can just imagine how unpopular that cease-fire must have been among some elements of the cabinet and the unity government in Israel, and certainly among the population. Yet the Prime Minister went ahead with it because they desire peace, and in just a few hours Hamas violated the cease-fire. So please don't come to me and say that both sides are to blame here. That is not true. This crisis would end tomorrow if Hamas would turn over its rockets and stop bombarding people. This would end tomorrow, by the way, if the Hamas commanders were not such cowards. I will tell you why they are cowards. While they are on TV asking these people to go to the rooftops of these buildings, you know where they are? They are hiding in their basement command center, which, by the way, is located in the basement underneath a hospital. This would end tomorrow--the civilian deaths could end tomorrow--if they stopped storing rockets in schools, including a U.N. school. By the way, when the U.N. discovered these rockets, do you know what they did with them? They turned them back over to Hamas. Don't tell me both sides are to blame here because it is not true. It is not true. This is the result of one thing and one thing alone: Hamas has decided to launch rockets against Israel, Hamas has decided to build this extensive network of underground tunnels so that in a moment of conflict they can get these commandos into Israel and kill Israelis. What is Israel doing? What any country would do. Of course this is not an excellent example, but imagine for a moment if one of our neighboring countries decided to start hitting us with rockets. What would the United States do? Would we sit there and say: We really have to be restrained and hold back here? We would not tolerate that. Imagine that every night and every morning sirens were going off in your city because rockets were on their way in and you spent the better part of the day running in and out of shelters and taking cover. What would you say? You would say: Take care of this problem once and for all. Why would we ever ask Israel to do anything less than we would do if we were in the same situation? And that is what they are doing. In the process of taking care of the situation, tragically, civilians are dying, and do you know why? Because Hamas is deliberately putting them in the way. I just read the quotes. Hamas is asking their people to do what their leaders won't do. They are asking their own people to get in harm's way and act as human shields because they want these images to be spread around the world. They are willing to sacrifice their own people to win a PR war. I think it is absolutely outrageous that some in the press corps domestically and most of the press corps internationally are falling for this game. So please don't tell me that both sides are to blame here, and please don't tell me this was caused by Israel. In my time here in the Senate, I had the opportunity to visit multiple countries. I have never met a people more desirous of peace than the people in Israel. But peace cannot mean your destruction, and that is what they are facing here--an enemy force that wants to destroy them and wipe them out as a country. It is impossible to reach any sort of peace agreement with an organization like that. That is what Israel is facing here. Mr. Ambassador, I ask that you go back to your government and ask them to separate completely from Hamas, condemn what Hamas is doing to your own people--condemn the use of human shields. That is what I ask you to do. Stop writing letters to Senators and being angry at us when, by the way--although we should not be doing it because the law says no money should be going toward any organization linked with Hamas--the United States has been helping you to stand up your security forces in the West Bank through our taxpayer money. Don't write letters to the U.S. Congress complaining to us about what Israel is doing when the people you just created a unity government with are launching rockets against civilians in Israel and using its own people as human shields. I think you need to take responsibility for your own people and your own part of the world. If you truly want peace, peace begins with laying down your arms and stopping these attacks and condemning those who are conducting these attacks and using innocent civilians as human shields. If you want peace, that is what you should spend your time doing and not trying to rally public support around the world for the idea that Israel is responsible for war crimes. From our perspective, I hope the United States continues to be firmly on the side of Israel because there is no moral equivalency here. What is happening between Israel and Hamas is totally 100 percent the fault of Hamas. There is no moral equivalency here. All of the blame lies on Hamas. For this crisis to end, Hamas must either be eliminated as an organization or they must lay down their weapons and adhere to the true precepts of peace, which is the desire to live peacefully side by side with our neighbors in Israel. I yield the floor.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I appreciate the opportunity to speak for a few moments. I thank both the Senators from Tennessee, South Carolina, and Arizona for allowing me this opportunity to join them in this effort. For those who are watching at home, I know so many other issues are going on around the world--we see the things going on with regard to Israel over the last few days; certainly the shootdown of that airplane by Ukrainian separatists, being armed by the Russians, is of great concern. But what should not be lost in all of this is there is another urgent matter before the Nation and the world; that is, the ambitions of a rogue, radical regime in Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon that they will use to hold the world hostage and establish dominance in the region and in their stated goal, to destroy Israel and wipe it off the face of the Earth. What has happened here over the last few months, for those who have been following this, is the White House has engaged in negotiations, along with some other countries, with Iran to get them to walk away from this. These negotiations have been ongoing. I have never been very optimistic about it, although we all hope to wake up one day to the news that the Ayatollah and the Supreme Leader in Iran and those who surround him have somehow decided to walk away from this ambition and change their direction. These negotiations are not going very well. That is why they have now been extended for another 4 months. The administration claims there has been great progress being made, although it is not clear what that progress is toward. For example, Iran's right to enrich, which they do not have one, but this right to enrich uranium has essentially been recognized as part of these negotiations, meaning there will be no guarantee that Iran cannot at some time in the future come back and exploit this agreement to develop nuclear weapons. If they keep the machines, and if they keep the process in place to enrich uranium, if they decide at some point in the future to go from a symbolic nuclear program, or a nascent one, into a full-fledged weapons one, they can do that rather quickly. That is what they have agreed to do, already allowed them to retain a right to enrich. That, in and of itself, should be reason, in my opinion--perhaps it is not shared by others but in my opinion--to pull the plug on these negotiations. But it is not even clear in this instance that the administration is still insisting that Iran dismantle all of its nuclear-related facilities. In fact, according to some press reports, the Iranians want to keep all of their current centrifuges and the United States is supposedly open to allowing Iran to retain thousands of them. Iran's Supreme Leader even said recently that they need a larger enrichment capability than the one they currently have. Another thing that has happened as part of this extension is that the P5+1 countries are going to allow Iran to access another $2.8 billion in sanctions relief. Basically what they have done here is they have forced the hand of this extension, and they get even more relief as a result of it. I am also worried that the administration seems willing to allow Iran to have even more than 4 months to provide simply answers about its past work on nuclear weapons. If they are not even willing to come clean on what they have done in the past, how can we possibly treat them as a reliable, responsible actor. Beyond that, there seems to be no attention whatsoever paid to the need to address Iran's ballistic missile program, its ICBMs. There is only one reason why you have ICBMs and that is these are long-range rockets capable of one day reaching the United States as they continue to develop them. The only reason they would even have one of those is to put a nuclear warhead on it. Just imagine a world where Iran has nuclear weapons capable of reaching this very city or New York or any part of the continental United States. It would be all-out chaos. They would now have to be treated very differently, and they would basically be able to act with impunity anywhere in the world. And that reaches my last point. Absent in this whole conversation and in all these negotiations is any discussion about Iran's ongoing sponsorship of terrorism and their ongoing human rights violations, including a pastor--an American, with strong links to this country--being held unjustly in that country. All of this is to say this is the reason why this bill is so important. Any final agreement on a matter of this consequence should be reviewed by this body, should come before Congress, and Congress should have the ability to provide oversight. The absence of that, I believe, unfortunately, leaves us vulnerable, not only to a terrible deal but to a dangerous one that could potentially endanger the future of our allies and even of our own country. I am grateful to join these Senators. I don't know who would want to speak next. I know all of my colleagues--I know the Senator from Arizona has spent a tremendous amount of time sounding the alarm on the danger--not just of this deal--that Iran poses in this region. I would be interested in hearing from the Senator from Arizona on his views about this extension.

Mr. RUBIO. I think the Senator from Arizona touches on the exact point. First, we have to understand Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. No nation on Earth uses terrorism as an active form of tradecraft as they do. They use terrorism the way we use military forces when necessary. They view it as a very active part of their agenda. The Senator is correct. Virtually every major terrorist organization in the Middle East, absent a couple, they provide extraordinary assistance to. I think the Senator touched on another point: What is their goal? That is important to understand. What is the Iranians' goal in these negotiations? In my mind those goals are quite clear. In fact, it is shocking to me because I know the administration knows this as well. The goal of Iran is pretty simple. They want relief from as many sanctions as possible without agreeing to any irreversible concessions on their nuclear program. Let's go through what they want to achieve. They want to be able to achieve or obtain an internationally recognized right to enrich--check. They want the capability to enrich, process in the future, and keep that much in place as possible. They have already gotten that--check. They want to continue to develop their long-range rockets and missile capabilities so that one day they can be in that position where, when we negotiate with them in the future on anything else, they are untouchable because they can launch a nuclear attack against the United States and certainly against our allies. They continue to do that-- check. The Iranians in this whole negotiation view themselves to be in a position of strength. To be quite frank, they believe that our President wants this deal more than they do. They believe he wants this deal more than they do, and that is what puts them in this tremendous position of strength. The result is that these negotiations are not going to, in my view--I hope that I am wrong. I hope that tomorrow when we open the paper and read: You know what. They have changed their mind. They don't want to do any more terrorism--no more rockets and no nuclear weapons program-- and they have become just a normal government in a normal country. Don't hold your hopes out for that because that is not what they have shown in the past. That is not what they are doing now, and they are negotiating from a position of strength because they know the President wants a deal much more than they want or need a deal.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Brittany Roberts, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Brittany is a graduate of American University, Washington College of Law, having specialized in law, politics, and legislation. She is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Brittany for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. I think the Senator from Arizona touches on the exact point. First, we have to understand Iran is the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. No nation on Earth uses terrorism as an active form of tradecraft as they do. They use terrorism the way we use military forces when necessary. They view it as a very active part of their agenda. The Senator is correct. Virtually every major terrorist organization in the Middle East, absent a couple, they provide extraordinary assistance to. I think the Senator touched on another point: What is their goal? That is important to understand. What is the Iranians' goal in these negotiations? In my mind those goals are quite clear. In fact, it is shocking to me because I know the administration knows this as well. The goal of Iran is pretty simple. They want relief from as many sanctions as possible without agreeing to any irreversible concessions on their nuclear program. Let's go through what they want to achieve. They want to be able to achieve or obtain an internationally recognized right to enrich--check. They want the capability to enrich, process in the future, and keep that much in place as possible. They have already gotten that--check. They want to continue to develop their long-range rockets and missile capabilities so that one day they can be in that position where, when we negotiate with them in the future on anything else, they are untouchable because they can launch a nuclear attack against the United States and certainly against our allies. They continue to do that-- check. The Iranians in this whole negotiation view themselves to be in a position of strength. To be quite frank, they believe that our President wants this deal more than they do. They believe he wants this deal more than they do, and that is what puts them in this tremendous position of strength. The result is that these negotiations are not going to, in my view--I hope that I am wrong. I hope that tomorrow when we open the paper and read: You know what. They have changed their mind. They don't want to do any more terrorism--no more rockets and no nuclear weapons program-- and they have become just a normal government in a normal country. Don't hold your hopes out for that because that is not what they have shown in the past. That is not what they are doing now, and they are negotiating from a position of strength because they know the President wants a deal much more than they want or need a deal.

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I appreciate the opportunity to speak for a few moments. I thank both the Senators from Tennessee, South Carolina, and Arizona for allowing me this opportunity to join them in this effort. For those who are watching at home, I know so many other issues are going on around the world--we see the things going on with regard to Israel over the last few days; certainly the shootdown of that airplane by Ukrainian separatists, being armed by the Russians, is of great concern. But what should not be lost in all of this is there is another urgent matter before the Nation and the world; that is, the ambitions of a rogue, radical regime in Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon that they will use to hold the world hostage and establish dominance in the region and in their stated goal, to destroy Israel and wipe it off the face of the Earth. What has happened here over the last few months, for those who have been following this, is the White House has engaged in negotiations, along with some other countries, with Iran to get them to walk away from this. These negotiations have been ongoing. I have never been very optimistic about it, although we all hope to wake up one day to the news that the Ayatollah and the Supreme Leader in Iran and those who surround him have somehow decided to walk away from this ambition and change their direction. These negotiations are not going very well. That is why they have now been extended for another 4 months. The administration claims there has been great progress being made, although it is not clear what that progress is toward. For example, Iran's right to enrich, which they do not have one, but this right to enrich uranium has essentially been recognized as part of these negotiations, meaning there will be no guarantee that Iran cannot at some time in the future come back and exploit this agreement to develop nuclear weapons. If they keep the machines, and if they keep the process in place to enrich uranium, if they decide at some point in the future to go from a symbolic nuclear program, or a nascent one, into a full-fledged weapons one, they can do that rather quickly. That is what they have agreed to do, already allowed them to retain a right to enrich. That, in and of itself, should be reason, in my opinion--perhaps it is not shared by others but in my opinion--to pull the plug on these negotiations. But it is not even clear in this instance that the administration is still insisting that Iran dismantle all of its nuclear-related facilities. In fact, according to some press reports, the Iranians want to keep all of their current centrifuges and the United States is supposedly open to allowing Iran to retain thousands of them. Iran's Supreme Leader even said recently that they need a larger enrichment capability than the one they currently have. Another thing that has happened as part of this extension is that the P5+1 countries are going to allow Iran to access another $2.8 billion in sanctions relief. Basically what they have done here is they have forced the hand of this extension, and they get even more relief as a result of it. I am also worried that the administration seems willing to allow Iran to have even more than 4 months to provide simply answers about its past work on nuclear weapons. If they are not even willing to come clean on what they have done in the past, how can we possibly treat them as a reliable, responsible actor. Beyond that, there seems to be no attention whatsoever paid to the need to address Iran's ballistic missile program, its ICBMs. There is only one reason why you have ICBMs and that is these are long-range rockets capable of one day reaching the United States as they continue to develop them. The only reason they would even have one of those is to put a nuclear warhead on it. Just imagine a world where Iran has nuclear weapons capable of reaching this very city or New York or any part of the continental United States. It would be all-out chaos. They would now have to be treated very differently, and they would basically be able to act with impunity anywhere in the world. And that reaches my last point. Absent in this whole conversation and in all these negotiations is any discussion about Iran's ongoing sponsorship of terrorism and their ongoing human rights violations, including a pastor--an American, with strong links to this country--being held unjustly in that country. All of this is to say this is the reason why this bill is so important. Any final agreement on a matter of this consequence should be reviewed by this body, should come before Congress, and Congress should have the ability to provide oversight. The absence of that, I believe, unfortunately, leaves us vulnerable, not only to a terrible deal but to a dangerous one that could potentially endanger the future of our allies and even of our own country. I am grateful to join these Senators. I don't know who would want to speak next. I know all of my colleagues--I know the Senator from Arizona has spent a tremendous amount of time sounding the alarm on the danger--not just of this deal--that Iran poses in this region. I would be interested in hearing from the Senator from Arizona on his views about this extension.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Mallie Woodfin, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Mallie is a graduate of the University of Alabama, having majored in Public Relations. She is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Mallie for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Olivia Voslow, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Olivia is a rising junior at Middlebury College in Great Falls, VA. Olivia. She is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Olivia for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Matt Stiglbauer, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Matt is a senior at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL. Currently, he is majoring in English. Matt is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Matt for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Trevor Igoe, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Trevor is a graduate of University of Tampa, having majored in government and world affairs. Trevor is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Trevor for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Jessica Barron, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Jessica is a rising senior at the University of South Florida in Tampa, FL. Currently, she is majoring in mass communications. Jessica is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Jessica for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Sam Greco, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Sam is a junior at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. Currently, he is majoring in international politics. Sam is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Sam for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize Jonathan Godoy, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Jonathan is a student at the University of Chicago in Chicago, IL. Currently, Jonathan is majoring in political science. Jonathan is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Jonathan for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, today I recognize David Fonseca, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. David is a freshman at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA. Currently, he is majoring in political science. David is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to David for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Bruce Blackwood, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Bruce is a graduate of Southern Methodist University, having majored in history. Bruce is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Bruce for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Blake Murphy, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Blake is a student at the University of Florida. Currently, Blake is majoring in finance. Blake is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Blake for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Andrew Shadid, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Andrew is a junior at Wheaton College in Wheaton, IL. Currently, he is majoring in interdisciplinary studies. Andrew is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Andrew for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Austin Schnell, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Austin is a junior at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX. Currently, Austin is majoring in economics, public policy, and political science. Austin is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Austin for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Alyssa Nieves, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work she has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Alyssa is a rising senior at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL. Currently, Alyssa is majoring in public relations. She is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of her internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Alyssa for all the fine work she has done and wish her continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, today I recognize Alex Carames, a 2013 summer intern in my Washington, DC, office for all of the hard work he has done for me, my staff, and the people of the State of Florida. Alex is a rising senior at Columbia University in New York, NY. Currently, Alex is majoring in economics and political science. Alex is a dedicated and diligent worker who has been devoted to getting the most out of his internship experience. I would like to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to Alex for all the fine work he has done and wish him continued success in the years to come.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as if in morning business.

Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I wish to continue on this topic. In the last few hours, we have now had word of the potential for ground operations occurring in Gaza. This is addressed to those who are watching Florida or will watch this message in Florida about what has happened. I know the world has become a messy place over the last few hours. We have an incident that occurred over the skies of Ukraine with the Malaysian aircraft, and we don't know all the details of what had occurred there. We should reserve judgment until we do. Suffice it to say, that may further complicate our view of the world in this Chamber over the next few weeks, but let me address for a moment what is happening in the Middle East. When I was elected to the Senate, a few days later, the first trip I took was to Israel. It was a country I had long admired, with strong links to the United States and to Florida in particular. In fact, the current Israeli Ambassador to the United States is from Florida. His brother was the mayor of Miami Beach. So there are strong links between Florida and Israel. I was amazed on that trip by how far that country has come--a nation that doesn't have oil or the kind of massive resources from an energy perspective that other countries in the region do, yet a country that is flourishing because of their investment in technology and innovation. There is a book called ``Start-Up Nation,'' which chronicles the amazing miracle of Israel and what they have achieved. The one thing that strikes you about Israel as you fly over is how narrow it is. At its narrowest point, it is only 9 miles wide. This is a country that was forged, by the way, in the aftermath of the Holocaust, with the notion that never again will the Jewish people not have a place to go in the world to call their own. That still remains the guiding principle behind the country and behind its defense forces, and we should view it within that context as we view what is occurring now in that region and part of the world. Literally, Israel is surrounded by enemies. Certainly they have had the stability in the last two decades of peace agreements with Jordan and Egypt. But look everywhere around Israel and you see them surrounded by people who are intent on their destruction. We know that is the case in Gaza. We know that is the case in Samaria and Judea or what is commonly called the West Bank by some. We know that is the case with Assad and Syria, and many of the elements fighting within Syria. We know that is the case with Hezbollah and Lebanon. We know that is the case with Iran and its weapons programs and its long-term ambitions. This is a country surrounded by elements that want to destroy it. It is in that context, by the way, that this government in Israel was involved in an intensive process of negotiation brokered and led by the United States with the Palestinian President Abbas regarding a potential peace deal, some way of forging a solution, an answer to the conundrum of what to do with Palestinian populations that would allow them to live peacefully, coexist side by side with a Jewish State. They entered into this conversation despite the fact that it was never clear that Abbas was able or had the power or the influence to make the sort of tough decisions that were going to be required for peace. In fact, they entered into the negotiation knowing they would not even speak for all Palestinians, given the fact that Hamas controlled the Gaza Strip. They entered into this negotiation nonetheless. They entered into this negotiation despite the chaos surrounding them in Lebanon and Syria. Despite the fact that Iran continues to pursue nuclear weapons to destroy Israel, potentially, they entered into these negotiations. Because I say this to you unequivocally: I know of no nation on Earth that wants peace more than Israel. So they entered into these negotiations. And what happened? What happens is what always happens with these negotiations. What happened is Abbas eventually withdrew. He once again took himself out of the talks and he tried once again to seek membership--Palestinian membership--into all these sorts of national organisms of the state, as a country of its own, knowing that was a deal breaker and knowing if that occurred, there could be no peace negotiation. That is the route he chose, nonetheless. But then he did what I believe has triggered this latest round of violence against Israel, and that is deciding to form a power-sharing government with a terrorist group by the name of Hamas that to this day continues to deny Israel's right to even exist. I want you to think about that for a moment. How could you possibly ever enter into a peace agreement with an organization with its very purpose being your destruction? And yet that is what Israel was being asked to do. Tragically, within several weeks of that new government being formed, three teenagers, including an American citizen, were kidnapped and they were murdered. Then on July 7 Hamas once again started raining down rockets on Israel. Today more than 1,300 of them have been fired. The good news is that Israel has invested heavily in an air defense system which I was able to see during my second visit to Israel in the early part of 2013. But 1,300 rockets is an extraordinary number, and that is what Israel has faced. As American policymakers, you ask what is our interest there? And I think it begins with the unique relationship that exists between the United States and Israel. It is the only vibrant democracy in that part of the world. Its alliance with the United States is unquestionable, not just in international forums but all over this planet. Israel is consistently on America's side time and again, in every one of our challenges. The cooperation between our countries is extraordinary, not to mention that Israel as a nation stands for everything that we as a nation believe in: freedom, the ability to speak out. They have a vibrant democratic process. Anyone who is familiar with Israeli politics knows how vibrant their democracy is and how much they engage in open and public debate in bringing their government together to govern the country. So we have this extraordinary alliance with Israel of incredible importance, and that is why we care. That is the political reason. There is a moral reason behind it, and that is the right of the Jewish people to have a country they can live in peacefully; that truly never again will we face a time when Jews have nowhere to go. This is the commitment we have made to Israel and that we must keep. I must say that I am and have been deeply troubled at the attitude this administration has adopted toward Israel. Let me be clear. I don't come here today to create this into a partisan issue. I don't want it to be a partisan issue. In fact, one of the great successes of American foreign policy with Israel has been the strong bipartisan support that Israel enjoys in the House and the Senate from almost every American President since Israel's founding at the conclusion of World War II. But I am concerned about the position this administration is taking. I was concerned about the amount of pressure the Secretary of State was placing on the Israelis to enter into a negotiation with the Palestinian Authority which didn't have the authority or power to reach a peace agreement they could possibly enforce much less deliver on. I was concerned that pressure was being put on them at a time when Israel faced so many other challenges, No. 1 being the ambitions that Iran has to acquire nuclear weapons and long-range rockets that could strike Israel and eventually the mainland of the United States. I think it is safe to say the relationship of the Israeli Government has never been worse toward an American President for more than 2 decades. And that has an impact on this region, and unfortunately it has had an impact here. I have also been concerned about some of this moral equivalence that is going on in the press and some of the email I have been getting and some of the public statements I am hearing some make in some corridors--not in the Senate but some other places. The idea that both sides are to blame is an interesting concept, but it isn't true. It is tragic, unfortunately, that civilians are dying in Gaza, but the reasons why civilians are dying is 100 percent Hamas's fault. This is an organization that puts rockets and military installations right next to nurseries and hospitals and civilian population centers. Why would they do that? Do you know why they do that? They do that because they know when they launch a rocket Israel will respond by hitting that rocket launcher, and when that rocket launcher is destroyed, so are the areas around it. Then they can get the cameras to go in there and say: ``Look what Israel did. They wiped out a nursery or apartment building.'' They do that on purpose. They know exactly what they are doing. They are doing it so they can get the kind of coverage that unfortunately even some American press outlets are buying into now. Here is the bottom line--and Senator Graham was alluding to this a moment ago. Israel does extraordinary things with regard to this. They drop leaflets into population centers warning: We are going to have to conduct a military operation in your region. Please evacuate. Please go elsewhere where you will be safe. Hamas doesn't do that. In fact, Hamas deliberately targets population centers to terrorize the people of Israel, and we should condemn it for what it is. There is no moral equivalency. So now the situation has continued to spiral out of control and it has reached a point where the news today now is that Israel has begun to conduct ground operations and these ground operations they are conducting as early as this morning have to do with a tunnel network in Gaza which was used by Hamas to try to infiltrate terrorists through those tunnels into Israel to conduct terrorist activity and kill Israelis. Put yourself in the position of this country, small and geographically isolated, surrounded by terrorist groups and some unfriendly countries, threatened by the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon and being hit by 1,300 rockets in just the last week. They have no choice but to defend themselves using all the power at their disposal. They have no choice. Not only should no one here be criticizing that, but we should be supporting it and aligning ourselves 100 percent on their side, because what they are fighting for here is not some dispute over borders. This is not some geopolitical dispute about who owns what territory. Israel is fighting for its very survival. On the other side of this conflict is a terrorist organization bent on their destruction. On the other side of this conflict is a terrorist organization in Hamas and, truth be told, the Palestinian Authority, whose schools teach children not just to hate Israel but to hate Jews. How could you possibly say you are for peace when your schools are actively teaching your children to hate another people? That is what is on the other side of this conflict. And so Israel has no choice. They are fighting for their very survival, and I think that now more than ever what they need from this country is a President and a U.S. Government that aligns itself squarely on their side--no doubletalk, no fancy diplomatic language that you could read between the lines on--a very clear statement: In this conflict we are on Israel's side and we will support them with anything they need to ensure their stability and their survival--very clear language that makes it unequivocal. Hamas is a terrorist organization, not a legitimate representative of the aspirations of the Palestinian people, but a terrorist organization designed for the very purpose of destroying the Jewish state. We need to make these things abundantly clear, because otherwise we are going to see more of this in the years to come. If there is any daylight between the United States and Israel, it emboldens Israel's enemies. I would say as bad as this situation is-- and it is terrible--the biggest danger facing Israel today is not just 1,300 rockets that have come over from Hamas, it is the threat of a nuclear Iran. It is interesting that while we are having this conversation here today about the attack Israel is under, this administration is trying to get an extension of these talks with the Iranian regime. I hope you clearly understand. I said this before and I want to come here and reiterate: If Iran is allowed to retain the ability of enriching uranium or reprocessing plutonium, they will build a nuclear weapon with that capacity. Let me put it in plain English. If you let them keep the machines they use to reprocess and enrich, they may not reprocess and enrich to weapons grade right away, but the fact they have the ability to do it I guarantee you eventually means they will. Do you know how I know that? One reason is all you have to do is hear the speeches they give. The second reason why we know that is the other issue no one is talking about: Iran isn't just spinning centrifuges, they are not just enriching uranium and reprocessing plutonium. Iran is building rockets--long-range rockets, intercontinental missiles. And there is only one purpose for those missiles. The only purpose they have is to put a warhead on them with a nuclear payload. That is the only reason why you build missiles such as that. These types of missiles are not built to deliver a conventional weapon; they are built for purposes of a nuclear capability. Additionally, these rockets they want to build aren't just rockets that can reach Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. These are rockets that can reach Washington, DC, and my hometown of Miami, and New York City, and the mainland of the United States. So if they build these missiles with that range and they develop the ability to enrich and reprocess, they are one step away, a half step away from becoming a nuclear power, able to hold our country hostage and to carry out their ambitions of destroying Israel. That is the single greatest threat. As great as this threat is with Hamas, and needs to be dealt with decisively, that is the single greatest security threat facing Israel. It is ironic to me that even as we are focused on this issue and what is happening, this administration is off in Geneva trying to cut a deal with Iran that allows them to retain an acknowledged right to enrich and reprocess, and that is going to prove to be disastrous. It is my opinion those negotiations will lead to nothing, because Iran has entered into these negotiations believing they entered from a position of strength. They believe this President so badly wants a deal that they don't have to give on anything. By the way, I don't know how you do a meaningful deal with Iran on nuclear weapons that doesn't involve a conversation about these long-range rockets. Yet that is exactly what they are doing with little to no consultation with the Senate or any other policymakers. I came to the floor to reiterate my personal support for Israel but to also reiterate how strongly I believe virtually every Member of this body supports the State of Israel, supports Israel's right to defend itself, supports the United States alliance with Israel, supports everything we must and can do to help Israel defend herself. I think that is an important message to send out. Finally, I would say this: I would ask those who have watched this speech or who will hear these words later to take the time over the next few days to pray for Israel. They need our support there as well, that God will provide her the safety and security of her people, now and in the years to come. Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. There is another issue that deserves our attention. By the way, on the subject of soccer, since I am on it, I will confess I am not an expert on soccer, nor have I, frankly, historically been an enormous fan. To me football means you wear a helmet and some shoulder pads and you run into each other pretty hard. But I have grown in admiration of the game given the following it has internationally and given the performance of our team, and I wish to congratulate Team USA. Despite losing today's game, they have achieved the honor of advancing into the round of 16 in the World Cup as we all watched and are excited about those prospects and are encouraged about the future of U.S. soccer and our prospects in the world cup. So congratulations to them, to their families and to all fans of U.S. soccer all over the world and here in Washington cheering them on. If there is one thing that brought us together here this week, it is that, and we are grateful for it.

Mr. RUBIO

Mr. RUBIO. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent to speak as in morning business.