[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 286 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 286

 Expressing the sense of Congress concerning the situation in Jericho.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 16, 2000

 Mrs. Maloney of New York (for herself, Mr. Boehlert, Mr. Lantos, Mrs. 
    Mink of Hawaii, Mr. Rahall) submitted the following concurrent 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of Congress concerning the situation in Jericho.

Whereas on January 15, 2000, the Palestinian Authority seized the Russian 
        Orthodox Church Outside of Russia's Jericho Gardens Monastery in Jericho 
        and forcibly evicted the Monastery's resident monks;
Whereas the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia was established by exiled 
        Russians in Europe and the United States after the Communist government 
        confiscated all church property in 1918;
Whereas the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia was incorporated in the State 
        of New York on April 30, 1952;
Whereas since 1920 the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia has 
        administered all the Russian Orthodox properties in areas controlled by 
        the Palestinian Authority;
Whereas since 1882 the property in Jericho has been in continuous and 
        uninterrupted possession of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission (REM) in 
        Jerusalem;
Whereas the REM has been under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church 
        Outside of Russia since 1920;
Whereas two United States citizen Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia 
        nuns, Sister Maria and Sister Xenia, have been forced to live under 
        harsh and onerous conditions on the Monestary property, and have been 
        taunted and assaulted by Palestinian and Russian representatives 
        occupying the Monastery;
Whereas Sister Maria and Sister Xenia have also been denied visitors, a change 
        of clothes, the ability to meet with their confessors or to receive 
        communion except through iron bars, to bathe, to cook a hot meal, and 
        unrestricted access to the press;
Whereas this is the third illegal seizure of religious property of the Russian 
        Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and its affiliate the Orthodox Palestine 
        Society, in Jericho and Hebron by the Palestinian Authority;
Whereas the Palestinian Authority signed the Oslo Accord stating that it will 
        respect and protect holy sites, provide free access to the holy sites, 
        and respect and protect freedom of worship and practice on holy sites, 
        but it has flagrantly failed to allow free access to the Jericho 
        property to the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia and visitors 
        to the Jericho holy site and has locked out Sisters Maria and Xenia and 
        any other member of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia from 
        worshipping in the Jericho property;
Whereas the Palestinian Authority committed to a Congressional staff delegation, 
        the United States Consul General, and a representative from the Russian 
        Orthodox Church Outside of Russia during a fact-finding trip to the 
        Jericho Gardens Monastery on February 26, 2000, to treat the Russian 
        Orthodox Church Outside of Russia equally and fairly by allowing free 
        access to the Jericho Gardens Monastery and by providing equal access to 
        the Chapel on the property until a permanent resolution of this dispute 
        could be resolved in accordance with the rule of law, but has blatantly 
        violated this agreement; and
Whereas the Palestinian Authority has further violated their commitment to fair 
        and equal treatment by forcefully refusing Russian Orthodox Church 
        Outside of Russia members access to the Chapel on the property, by 
        locking the gate to the compound, imprisoning Sister Maria on the 
        property and not allowing her access to other members of the Russian 
        Orthodox Church Outside of Russia or free access to the property, and by 
        further restricting the area in which Sister Maria can venture on the 
        property: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the United States should ensure the safety and well-
        being of the United States citizen Russian Orthodox Church 
        Outside of Russia nun, Sister Maria, who has been living under 
        harsh and onerous conditions on the property of the Jericho 
        Gardens Monastery in Jericho;
            (2) the United States should express to the Palestinian 
        Authority its grave concerns that property disputes in Jericho 
        and Hebron are being settled arbitrarily by military fiat 
        rather than in courts of law;
            (3) the resolution of this dispute must be resolved in 
        accordance with the rule of law;
            (4) the Palestinian Authority must act in a responsible 
        manner in ensuring the rights of the United States citizen nun, 
        Sister Maria, and the rights of the Russian Orthodox Church 
        Outside of Russia, so that the dispute can be resolved in a 
        fair manner and in accordance with due process;
            (5) the Jericho Gardens Monastery in Jericho, as well as 
        the other Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia property in 
        Jericho and Hebron, should be returned to the conditions before 
        the illegal seizures by the Palestinian Authority forthwith, 
        pending a resolution of this dispute in a court of law 
        following international standards of due process; and
            (6) the United States consulate in Jerusalem is to be 
        commended for its immediate response and ongoing support for 
        the two United States citizen nuns in Jericho.
                                 <all>