Who Said It?

Who said this, about what?

Our answer was that short-term pain for those people was regrettable, but if it hastened the overthrow of _________, it would be in their interest.

Here's the thing in context:

I have compared the argument for giving aid to Hamas to the argument we encountered 20 years ago against tough economic sanctions on South Africa. When I and many others supported those sanctions, conservatives, defenders of apartheid, and indeed Ronald Reagan, argued that this was unfair to the black people of South Africa because the sanctions would hurt them more than anyone else. Our answer was that short-term pain for those people was regrettable, but if it hastened the overthrow of apartheid, it would be in their interest. We were of course pleased to hear Nelson Mandela a few years later tell us that it was those sanctions that we voted for over Ronald Reagan's veto that played a major role in ending apartheid.

It's U.S. Rep. Barney Frank on H.R. 4681, the Palestinian Anti-terrorism Act.

[Hat tip: Solomon]