Foreign Affairs
Mr. Speaker, we were saddened to hear that nine people were killed and more than thirty injured during an Israeli military operation in international waters against a convoy sailing from Cyprus to bring humanitarian aid to distressed residents of Gaza. We wish to convey our sincere condolences to the families of those who died and to their countries, especially Turkey.
Use of Intraparliamentary Internet
Mr. Speaker, on Monday, February 1, I forwarded to my fellow parliamentarians a news bulletin intended to update them on the latest military operations in Gaza. My intention was to show the horrors of the war, since innocent civilians can be the victims, as well as the destruction it causes. However, before forwarding the bulletin to all members, I did not consult all the links included in the email, as I should have. Some of those links lead the reader to sites with videos containing hate propaganda, which I do not support in any way; in fact, I condemn it.
Death of Pierre Gemayel
“Mr. Speaker, we recently learned of the assassination of Lebanese cabinet minister Pierre Gemayel. The son of Amin Gemayel—former Lebanese president—and the nephew of Bashir Gemayel, who was also assassinated, Pierre Gemayel was elected in 2000 and again in 2005. He became Minister of Industry in July 2005.
