[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 145 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 145

Condemning in the strongest possible terms the bombing in Jerusalem on 
                           September 4, 1997.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 4, 1997

   Mr. Saxton (for himself, Mr. Forbes, Mr. Shimkus, and Mr. Weller) 
 submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to 
                the Committee on International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Condemning in the strongest possible terms the bombing in Jerusalem on 
                           September 4, 1997.

Whereas on September 4, 1997, three bombs exploded in Jerusalem on Ben Yehuda 
        Street, killing at least eight people and injuring more than 165 others;
Whereas Hamas, a terrorist organization, has a military wing which has claimed 
        responsibility for this cowardly act;
Whereas Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, has made 
        statements in which he said Hamas, including its military wing, is a 
        patriotic movement;
Whereas on August 20, 1997, Yasser Arafat publicly embraced the leader of Hamas, 
        Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi;
Whereas Yasser Arafat has recently ordered the release of several Hamas 
        terrorists being held in Palestinian Authority jails, including Nabil 
        Sharihi, who is suspected in a bombing that killed Alisa Flatow, a 
        United States citizen;
Whereas Israel has recently given Yasser Arafat a list of 150 suspected 
        terrorists who are presently residing in Palestinian-controlled 
        territory;
Whereas Yasser Arafat has made public statements in which he vowed not to ``bow 
        down'' to Israeli requests that he arrest suspected terrorists;
Whereas since the beginning of the Oslo peace process, more than 260 Israelis 
        have been killed, and hundreds more have been injured, far more than in 
        a similar period before the peace process began; and
Whereas, in violation of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority has 
        withheld full security cooperation with the State of Israel, which may 
        have made this attack more likely: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) condemns in the strongest possible terms the bombing in 
        Jerusalem on September 4, 1997, and those responsible for 
        encouraging or inciting this cowardly act;
            (2) expresses its deepest condolences to the families of 
        the victims of this latest bombing and expresses its solidarity 
        with the people of the State of Israel in this tragic time;
            (3) reaffirms that the United States should fully cooperate 
        with the State of Israel in helping to stem the tide of 
        terrorism, which has threatened the Oslo process and the 
        stability of this vital region; and
            (4) affirms that the United States should not provide 
        monetary or other assistance to the Palestinian Authority until 
        the Palestinian Authority has fulfilled its obligations under 
        the Oslo Accords, including--
                    (A) taking affirmative steps to arrest and 
                prosecute suspected terrorists;
                    (B) resuming full security and intelligence 
                cooperation with the State of Israel;
                    (C) taking affirmative steps to confiscate all 
                unlicensed weapons and explosives;
                    (D) publicly condemning this most recent terrorist 
                act and other such acts in Arabic;
                    (E) prohibiting participation in the Palestinian 
                security services of individuals suspected of 
                committing terrorist acts;
                    (F) ceasing all anti-Israeli rhetoric, including 
                statements which refer to terrorist groups as 
                ``patriotic'', statements which praise terrorists or 
                terrorist leaders, or statements encouraging a 
                ``battle'' or ``jihad'' against Israel;
                    (G) cooperating with Israel in the transfer of 
                suspected terrorists to Israel to stand trial;
                    (H) rescinding the proclamation that the death 
                penalty would be imposed for the sale of land to Jews 
                or Israelis;
                    (I) ceasing the use of maps depicting ``Palestine'' 
                as encompassing the entire State of Israel;
                    (J) completing the process of amending the covenant 
                of the Palestine Liberation Organization, including the 
                rescission of those specific articles which call for 
                armed struggle to liberate ``Palestine'' or question 
                the legitimacy of Zionism or the State of Israel; and
                    (K) taking affirmative steps to reduce the size of 
                the Palestinian police force, in accordance with the 
                limits set forth in the Oslo and subsequent accords.
                                 <all>