10 December 2000

Text: House Passes Resolution on Palestinian Terror Attacks

The House of Representatives passed December 5 a resolution expressing solidarity with Israel in the face of terror attacks launched by Palestinian terrorist groups.

House Concurrent Resolution 280 (H. Con. Res. 280) passed in a 384-11 vote with another 21 lawmakers voting "present," while another 17 were listed as "not voting." A similar resolution, Senate Concurrent Resolution 88 passed the Senate the same day by unanimous consent.

H. Con. Res. 280 expresses the solidarity of the United States with Israel "in our common struggle against the scourge of terrorism."

Representative Henry Hyde (Republican of Illinois), the chairman of the House International Relations Committee, brought the resolution before the House and spoke in its favor, as did that committee's ranking minority member, Representative Tom Lantos (Democrat of California), the co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus.

H. Con. Res. 280 said that 26 innocent people in Israel were "murdered in cold blood and at least 175 wounded by Palestinian terrorists, all within 14 hours, during the weekend of December 1-2, 2001."

The resolution said the carnage was the equivalent, on a proportional basis, of 1,200 American deaths and 8,000 wounded.

H. Con. Res. 280 went on to express the outrage of the House of Representatives at "the ongoing Palestinian terrorist campaign and insists that the Palestinian Authority take all steps necessary to end it."

The resolution demands that the Palestinian Authority "take action immediately" to destroy the infrastructure of Palestinian terrorist groups, and "pursue and arrest terrorists whose incarceration has been called for by Israel."

H. Con. Res. 280 urges President Bush "to take any and all necessary steps to ensure that the Palestinian Authority takes the actions" called for in the resolution, including, if necessary, "suspending all relations" with Palestinian Authority Chairman Arafat.

"Yesterday the House leadership would have met with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon in the United States Capitol to discuss the status of the peace process," Hyde told fellow lawmakers.

"Instead, he had to return home to Israel, and we are here on the floor of the House joining with the people of Israel in their grief over the losses from the horrific terrorist attack of the past weekend," Hyde said.

"As Israel buries its dead, comforts its bereaved and begins to heal its wounded, we send through this resolution a signal of sincere condolence and solidarity with the people and the government of the State of Israel," the Illinois Republican said.

"The American people," he added, "join in President Bush's forthright expression of support for Israel's right of self-defense."

Representative Lantos, noting how Americans have recently been victimized by terrorism, said Americans "fully share the Israelis' sense of anger, outrage, and violation. The horror of this past weekend was, as President Bush's Middle East envoy, General Zinni, stated, 'the deepest evil one can imagine.'"

Representatives John Dingell (Democrat of Michigan) and Darrell Issa (Republican of California) spoke against the resolution.

"What this resolution does is to essentially set up a situation where the United States appears and, in fact, does, and will be viewed by people in the area as having taken sides," Dingell said.

The interests of the United States, he went on, "are to bring to a halt terrorism and to create a lasting viable negotiated peace."

That is best done, Dingell said, "by attacking the root causes of terrorism, not the least of which are the thousands or hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and others feel themselves to be unfairly, badly, and improperly treated."

H. Con. Res. 280 "in its original form," Representative Issa noted, "called on the Palestinian Authority, as though they were the perpetrators of this crime."

The resolution, he added, has been changed, "because they are not," said Issa.

Hamas, he charged, committed "these two terrible attacks, for which Hamas should be hunted down and punished, as the President is seeking to do."

The Palestinian Authority is also "a victim of these attacks," Issa said.

Representative Benjamin Gilman (Republican of New York), the chairman emeritus of the House International Relations Committee, complained that Palestinian Authority Chairman Arafat "has refused to crack down on these terrorist groups, believing that he can keep peace with the Palestinian Authority if he stands down from confronting the militants."

Those terrorist organizations, Gilman continued, "actually have been undermining Mr. Arafat's leadership by provoking Israel and preventing negotiations from yielding peace and prosperity for the Palestinian people."

H. Con. Res. 280 "puts other governments on notice that we in the Congress are watching their behavior toward Palestinian terrorism as well," Gilman said.

Following are the text of House Concurrent Resolution 280 and excerpts from the debate on its passage December 5:

Expressing Solidarity with Israel in the Fight Against Terrorism
House of Representatives
December 05, 2001
H. Con. Res. 280

Whereas 26 innocent people in Israel were murdered in cold blood and at least 175 wounded by Palestinian terrorists, all within 14 hours, during the weekend of December 1-2, 2001

Whereas this is the equivalent, on a proportional basis, of 1,200 American deaths and 8,000 wounded;

Whereas United States Middle East envoy Anthony Zinni has labeled the terrorism of December 1-2, 2001, ``the deepest evil one can imagine'';

Whereas this bloody weekend is part of an ongoing terror campaign often targeted at youth and families and perpetrated by the Islamic fundamentalist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian terrorist groups;

Whereas President Bush declared at a joint session of Congress on September 20, 2001, that "Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime"; and

Whereas President Bush declared on December 2, 2001, that "Chairman Arafat must do everything in his power to find those who murdered innocent Israelis and bring them to justice": Now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress--

(1) condemns the vicious terrorist attacks resulting in the death of 26 and the wounding of at least 175 innocent people in Israel within 14 hours during December 1-2, 2001, and extends its deepest sympathies to the Israeli nation and to the families of the victims;

(2) expresses outrage at the ongoing Palestinian terrorist campaign and insists that the Palestinian Authority take all steps necessary to end it;

(3) demands, specifically, that the Palestinian Authority take action immediately to--

(A) destroy the infrastructure of Palestinian terrorist groups;

(B) pursue and arrest terrorists whose incarceration has been called for by Israel; and

(C) either--

(i) prosecute such terrorists, provide convicted terrorists with the stiffest possible punishment, and ensure that those convicted remain in custody for the full duration of their sentences; or

(ii) render all arrested terrorists to the Government of Israel for prosecution;

(4) urges the President to take any and all necessary steps to ensure that the Palestinian Authority takes the actions described in paragraph (3), including, if necessary, suspending all relations with Yasir Arafat and the Palestinian Authority;

(5) further urges the President to insist that all countries harboring, materially supporting, or acquiescing in the private support of Palestinian terrorist groups end all such support, dismantle the infrastructure of such groups, and bring all terrorists within their borders to justice;

(6) commends the President for his strong leadership against international terrorism, his forthright response to this most recent outrage, and his swift action to freeze additional sources of terrorist funds; and

(7) expresses the solidarity of the United States with Israel in our common struggle against the scourge of terrorism.

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the House leadership would have met with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon in the United States Capitol to discuss the status of the peace process. Instead, he had to return home to Israel, and we are here on the floor of the House joining with the people of Israel in their grief over the losses from the horrific terrorist attack of the past weekend.

As Israel buries its dead, comforts its bereaved and begins to heal its wounded, we send through this resolution a signal of sincere condolence and solidarity with the people and the government of the State of Israel.

The American people also join in President Bush's forthright expression of support for Israel's right of self-defense. Mr. Speaker, yesterday the President took additional actions to cut off funding for terrorists, funds which originated here in the United States. Hamas is now understood to be a terrorist organization of global reach, even if that reach is mainly from Iran, Syria, or Lebanon into Israel.

This resolution calls on Palestinian Authority Chairman Arafat to do what the President's spokesman said he could have done in the past, to really crack down on those who would deliberately murder women, children and men as they go about their business on the streets.

We ask the President to act sharply against the Palestinian Authority if it does not heed our request. This is not an action we should rush to take, because the Palestinian people have chosen Chairman Arafat as their leader, and it is important that we maintain a relationship with him if at all possible. But as we do not provide aid to the Palestinian Authority itself, we cannot cut off assistance as a way of showing displeasure. A customary way of showing extreme displeasure with a foreign authority is to cut off our diplomatic relationship and compel some or all of their envoys to return home.

It seems clear that the actions or inaction of the Palestinian Authority to date merit the President's taking all appropriate actions, which could include the cutting off of our quasi-diplomatic relationship should we not see some serious action on their part.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that Chairman Arafat has a historic role to play. He needs to lead his people by stopping the violence and beginning the negotiating process. He needs to do this not because we asked him to, not because of Israel's interest, but the interests of his own people. He needs to clearly convey to his people that the way of violence is not the way forward.

I sincerely hope he chooses the path of peace, takes risks for peace, and finds a way out of his present dilemma. The United States and its friends can and should do all it can to help him, but the choice ultimately is one that he and his colleagues must make and take responsibility for.

Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in regretful opposition to the resolution. It is clear we have an opportunity to pass a resolution which will contribute in a significant way to the peace process. It is very clear that we have a duty to oppose terrorism, which I have always done and which I continue to do. It is also equally clear that the United States has a long-standing commitment to the freedom and independence to the State of Israel, and I strongly support that undertaking.

But I would note that here the resolution contributes very little to the accomplishment of those purposes. What this resolution does is to essentially set up a situation where the United States appears and in fact does and will be viewed by people in the area as having taken sides. The interests of the United States here are to bring to a halt terrorism and to create a lasting viable negotiated peace. That is best done by attacking the root causes of terrorism, not the least of which are the thousands or hundreds of thousands of Palestinians and others feel themselves to be unfairly, badly, and improperly treated. Their homes are destroyed. Their orchards are destroyed. Their lands are settled in defiance of their wishes their people are driven to poverty and killed. International agreements which they have made in their names are not being honored.

The duty of the United States here is a very simple one, and that is to work for peace in the Middle East. Our single most important concern in that area is peace: peace for Israel, security for Israel, peace and security for the Palestinians, an end to the fighting, a termination of terrorism. How is that done? Is it done by shooting up Arafat's helicopters? Is it done by terror bombings of people who are committing suicide to kill Israelis? No. Only one way leads to this course, the strongest possible leadership by the United States functioning as an impartial honest broker between people who find little reason not to hate each other.

Mr. Speaker, this will be done by a long process of negotiation in which the parties must come together to negotiate their differences under the strong leadership and guidance of the United States. This resolution accomplishes nothing in that end. It does nothing to move forward the peace process which came so close under the leadership of President Clinton during the last days of his administration. It does nothing to strengthen our friends in the area, the Governments of Egypt and Jordan. And it does nothing to make it possible for Mr. Arafat to provide the necessary leadership towards meaningful discussions. Rather it, and other actions leave Arafat weaker and less capable of effective participation in the peace process.

The question Members have to ask is: How is it that Arafat is to be better disposed to move forward towards peace when his people are angry and when his helicopters are bombed and when his headquarters is threatened? The answer is, not at all. But, it goes beyond this. How is the peace process, or how are our concerns about peace in the area moved forward by weakening Arafat and by making him appear to be incapable of leading the Palestinian people? Or making the Palestinian people less willing to follow his leadership in the peace process?

Mr. Speaker, I hold no brief here for any side, none for Mr. Arafat, none for the Israelis or anybody else. I think the United States has to look to one thing. Let us look to our principal interest. Our principal interest is peace in the area. How is that to be achieved? Only in one way and no other. There is only one country in the world that has the prestige and the ability to do that and the military capability to bring that about. When it gets down to the point, we, and we alone, acting as leader of other Nations also dedicated to peace have the capacity to do what has to be done, to bring about real meaningful and final negotiations to settle the problems.

The issue here is how we bring the parties forward to begin a long and difficult a process. We must use the most intense pressure of the United States to abate and to terminate the terrible events which we are seeing in Israel, in Palestine, in the occupied territories in the Middle East. Negotiations between the parties are the only way.

I think Members can anticipate that the terrible events which occurred the other day in Israel with scores of people injured and killed are going to be replicated again and again. Angry, frustrated, bitter people are going to use that method because that is the only method that is available to the weak.

Again how are we going to bring the terrible events in the Middle East to a halt? By seeing to it that the problems that exist between the Israelis and the Palestinians and the others in the area are abated by negotiations between them. Is this going to be easy? Of course not. But is there an alternative way? The answer is there is no other way that that could be accomplished.

Certainly the resolution which is before us offered, by good friends of mine, for whom I have great respect, with, I am sure, the best of intentions, does not carry out the mechanisms for bringing peace and it does not offer us the prospects of seeing progress going forward. Nor does it offer this Nation the opportunity to know that we have done something which will abate the root causes of terrorism in that world which are causing deaths in the United States as well as Israel, Palestine, and other places. We have committed ourselves to a massive effort in Afghanistan, which has caused us to spend billions of dollars and to put at risk our military personnel.

I support that effort, and each year I support massive funding to help Israelis to maintain their statehood and to deal with their security problems.

This resolution is counterproductive. It does not move us forward towards world peace. It does not move us forward towards a resolution of the controversy of the differences which are major causes of terrorism, heartache, death and suffering, for Israelis and for Arabs alike, and on September 11, Americans.

This leaves us with a large new group of people who are going to say the United States sides with Israel, and that this country is not concerned about peace in the Middle East, and not concerned about addressing the enormous problems which divide the people there. We thus ignore some of the terms most important to our national security. We are talking here about an area which has the potential for the next world war occurring. Terrorism can bring it about at any time. It could happen; and if it does, the results to Israel will be calamitous. Five million Israelis, or a few more, in a small country surrounded by millions of Arabs, is facing terrible risk and danger in the event that there is significant trouble.

I am not sure that the United States can address any of the problems that we have with peace in the area easily, or that we can address the problems of assuring our own security. But we must. We have already learned the bitter anger that causes suicide bombers will kill large numbers of Israelis and Americans through terrorist tactics. I would urge my colleagues to choose a better mechanism for assuring peace in the area and the security of the United States, a negotiated settlement by the parties, driven by our leadership, and effort, with the support of the other peace loving Nations.

Mr. HYDE. Mr. Speaker, I would like to say to my distinguished friend, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. DINGELL), for whom I have enormous admiration, that he has a much more spacious view of the purpose of this resolution. We do not pretend to have an answer to the Middle East conflict; and I pray that if the gentleman does, he will come forward with it so that peace might be moved closer in that troubled part of the world.

What this resolution does is a very narrow, simple thing, and that is it shows solidarity with the Israeli people who were victimized on December 1 with an atrocity, namely the killing of 26 people, randomly, in a shopping mall, and the wounding of at least 175 of them, in the wake of what happened to our country on the 11th of September in the worst act of terrorism in recorded history in the memory of man.

So Israel and the United States are both victims of a terrible act of terrorism; and in that co-victimhood we attempt to show solidarity. That is not a mindless thing; it is not an empty gesture. It focuses on this new form of war, which is beyond contempt. I think that is very useful and necessary.

Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Hyde-Lantos resolution expressing solidarity with the State of Israel and the Israeli people in their fight against terrorism.

Mr. Speaker, this past weekend, Israel experienced the most deadly eruption of Palestinian terrorist assassinations that country has seen in years. Some 26 utterly innocent civilians were killed, most of them young people, and 175 wounded, within a 14-hour period as a result of ruthless suicide bombs in both Jerusalem and Haifa. Once again, Palestinian terrorists targeted people on a bus and people in a shopping mall.

We as Americans, ourselves recently victimized, fully share the Israelis' sense of anger, outrage, and violation. The horror of this past weekend was, as President Bush's Middle East envoy, General Zinni, stated, "the deepest evil one can imagine."

Israel's casualty figures from the 14 hours of carnage are the equivalent on a proportional basis of 1,200 American dead and 8,000 American wounded. The horrors of this past weekend only underscore a relentless campaign of murder carried out by Hamas, Islamic jihad and elements of Arafat's own Fattah movement. In fact, Mr. Speaker, since that fateful date, September 11, the equivalent of 2,700 Israelis have fallen victim to Palestinian terrorism.

Each human life is a treasure far beyond what any statistic can express. Both the Jewish and Islamic traditions poignantly declare that the saving of one human life is the equivalent of saving the world and the murder of one human life is the equivalent of destroying the world. I cite the proportional figures only as a means to illustrate, Mr. Speaker, the impact these killings have on a small nation of just 6 million people.

This Congress and the American people are angry, frustrated, and fed up with Arafat's cynical support of murderous criminals and his failure to act to prevent the killing of both Israelis and Palestinians. But Arafat's failure does not only lead to death; it leads to the danger that a bloodbath will ensue in the entire region.

We know, Mr. Speaker, that Arafat is capable of stopping terror. We have seen him do so when under sufficient international pressure. Until he does end the terror, and end it for good, we must conclude that he supports it.

It is no longer good enough, indeed, it never was, Mr. Speaker, for Arafat to run a revolving prison door, arresting a few low-level terrorists for a few days until the world diverts its glance and moves on to other issues.

The Hyde-Lantos resolution provides that the Palestinian Authority should arrest, prosecute, and punish the perpetrators of this monstrous act or turn over these terrorists to the Government of Israel for prosecution. Our resolution urges the President of the United States to take any and all steps necessary to ensure that the Palestinian Authority complies with all of our demands. If it does not, we call on our President to terminate relations with Arafat and the Palestinian Authority.

Mr. Speaker, in his historic speech to our joint session on September 20, President Bush said that nations will be judged as either being against terrorists or being for them. In this hour of their grieving, Israelis should know that the American Congress and the American people stand resolutely with them in our joint struggle against international terrorism.

Mr. ISSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this piece of legislation. Not because it is completely flawed, it has great value in some of the things it says, but it has flaws.

Before I go on to those flaws, I would like to point out that the previous speaker misstated this resolution. I would ask the gentleman from California (Mr. LANTOS) to use some of his remaining time to restate correctly this resolution.

This resolution in its original form very outlandishly called on the Palestinian Authority, as though they were the perpetrators of this crime. It has been changed, because they are not.

Hamas committed these two terrible attacks, for which Hamas should be hunted down and punished, as the President is seeking to do. But in fact, the Palestinian Authority is also a victim of these attacks. They have had loss of life as a result of this. And going to the larger picture of the Middle East, Israel continues to find ways to punish and diminish the Palestinian Authority's ability to enforce the very laws that they ask to be enforced by bombing their police headquarters in retaliation for what was taken credit by Hamas to be their act.

Hamas is, in fact, an organization formed in opposition to the Palestinian Authority's very own party. I would ask that these inaccuracies be corrected, because in fact Hamas would like to see the PLO out of power. Hamas is an extreme organization with a very different bent than the Palestinian Authority's general way of doing business.

More importantly, I would call on everyone to look at item four, where it urges the President to take any and all necessary steps to ensure the Palestinians take the actions described. That was added, and it was added for a good and valid reason that I hope we will all remember should this otherwise in some ways misguided resolution pass.

The President could restore the $900 million that the Israeli Government has withheld from the Palestinian Authority. Those dollars were designed to allow them to enforce their laws, and yet that has been unlawfully and in violation of the agreement that they have made withheld.

The President could see that the Palestinian Authority, who today only has two answers to a riot, yell at them or shoot them, because they are prohibited and withheld the kind of riot control equipment that would allow them to enforce these very sanctions that we want to see that they do to root out Hamas. They have no riot control equipment; they have no billy clubs; they have no tear gas.

So I ask that we look at this somewhat erroneous resolution for what it might do for the administration, if the administration takes the initiative and does some positive things to undo the damage that has been done by Israel in breaking down the very authority that they now call on the United States to insist that they take these steps.

We were just in the West Bank on a CODEL. We saw how little ability the PLO now has, what the effects of 14 months of not receiving the funding they need to do their job are.

This is not a perfect document. It has been improved. I would call, once again, on the gentleman from California (Mr. LANTOS) to make those corrections so that we fairly and accurately state what item 4 and the rest of this document says, which is a call on Hammas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other organizations, terrorist organizations, of which the Palestinian Authority is not one.

Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge my colleagues to fully support H. Con. Res. 280 so that the Congress can demonstrate that it stands in strong support of Israel as it confronts terrorism threats similar to the ones we have been confronted by our own Nation. I thank our distinguished chairman, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. HYDE), and the gentleman from California (Mr. LANTOS), our ranking minority member, for bringing this measure to the floor in a timely manner.

We should be reminded that Israel has lived with these kinds of threats and terrorism for most of its existence, not just since September 11, and which have escalated just in the past few days, killing so many innocent civilians. Palestinian leader Chairman Arafat needs to know that he will receive no more second opportunities and no more benefits of doubt. This resolution does just that by demanding that Chairman Arafat root out the infrastructure of Palestinian terrorist organizations operating within its territory that is controlled by the Palestinian Authority.

This resolution demands that Chairman Arafat either prosecute Palestinian terrorists and ensure that they remain in custody, or turn over the terrorists to Israel for prosecution. These are steps that Arafat, despite repeated demands from Israel and, to some extent, from our own Nation, that he has to undertake at this time but has refused to. Our resolution urges the President to suspend relations with Mr. Arafat, the Palestinian Authority, until they, once and for all, root out the terrorist infrastructure. We must not do business as usual with Mr. Arafat while he continues to allow Palestinian suicide bombers to roam freely, enabling them to carry out more destruction against civilians.

Mr. Arafat has refused to crack down on these terrorist groups, believing that he can keep peace with the Palestinian Authority if he stands down from confronting the militants.

However, these groups actually have been undermining Mr. Arafat's leadership by provoking Israel and preventing negotiations from yielding peace and prosperity for the Palestinian people.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution puts other governments on notice that we in the Congress are watching their behavior toward Palestinian terrorism as well. Governments such as Syria and Iran must not be permitted to fund, to arm and to harbor Palestinian terrorist groups with immunity and then hide behind tepid words of support for the United States' efforts against the Taliban and bin Laden. Syria has allowed Hammas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad to maintain their headquarters in Damascus and to operate training camps in the Bekaa Valley of Lebanon. Iran provides about 10 percent of Hammas' total budget and virtually all of the funds used by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, according to a wide variety of reports and analyses. It also funds weapons to Hizbollah in Lebanon, an organization that helps train Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

In conclusion, let me say, Mr. Speaker, that the passage of this resolution will send to Chairman Arafat a clear, strong message that our patience with him is at an end. As some Israeli leaders have noted, Mr. Arafat should be told to either surrender the terrorists, or surrender his power. The same policies that we are pursuing against Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan should be applied to Mr. Arafat. I urge my colleagues to fully support this measure.

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)