[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1795 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1795

 To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to the Palestine 
   Liberation Organization (PLO) or the Palestinian Authority if the 
President determines that these entities have not complied with certain 
       commitments made by the entities, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 2001

 Mr. Ackerman (for himself, Mr. Gilman, and Mr. Lantos) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to the Palestine 
   Liberation Organization (PLO) or the Palestinian Authority if the 
President determines that these entities have not complied with certain 
       commitments made by the entities, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Middle East Peace Commitments Act of 
2001''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) In 1993, the Palestine Liberation Organization 
        (hereinafter in this title referred to as the ``PLO'') made the 
        following commitments in an exchange of letters with the Prime 
        Minister of Israel:
                    (A) Recognition of the right of the State of Israel 
                to exist in peace and security.
                    (B) Acceptance of United Nations Security Council 
                Resolutions 242 and 338.
                    (C) Resolution of all outstanding issues in the 
                conflict between the two sides through negotiations and 
                exclusively peaceful means.
                    (D) Renunciation of the use of terrorism and all 
                other acts of violence and responsibility over all PLO 
                elements and personnel in order to assure their 
                compliance, prevent violations, and discipline 
                violators.
            (2) The Palestinian Authority, the governing body of 
        autonomous Palestinian territories, was created as a result of 
        agreements between the PLO and the State of Israel that are a 
        direct outgrowth of the commitments made in 1993.
            (3) The PLO made the following commitments in the 
        Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government 
        Arrangements of 1993, the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement 
        on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip of 1995, and the Wye River 
        Memorandum of 1998:
                    (A) To resolve disputes arising out of any 
                agreements pertaining to the interim period by 
                negotiations, arbitration, or other mutually agreed 
                upon mechanisms of conciliation.
                    (B) To take all measures necessary in order to 
                prevent acts of terrorism, crime and hostilities 
                directed against the State of Israel.
                    (C) To abstain from incitement, including hostile 
                propaganda, against the State of Israel, and to take 
                legal measures to prevent such incitement by 
                organizations, groups, or individuals under their 
                control.
                    (D) To arrest and prosecute individuals suspected 
                of perpetrating acts of violence and terror and to 
                punish all persons involved in acts of violence and 
                terror.
                    (E) To provide for the protection of Jewish holy 
                sites in areas under the administration of the 
                Palestinian Authority, as well as persons visiting 
                them, and to ensure the peaceful use of such sites, to 
                prevent any instances of disorder and to respond to any 
                incident.
                    (F) To prevent the establishment or operation in 
                the West Bank or Gaza Strip of any armed force other 
                than the Palestinian Police and Israeli military 
                forces.
                    (G) To establish, and vigorously and continually 
                implement, a systematic program for the collection and 
                appropriate handling of all illegal firearms, 
                ammunition or weapons.
                    (H) To maintain continuous intensive and 
                comprehensive bilateral security cooperation with 
                Israel.
            (4) The President of the United States witnessed and signed 
        the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government 
        Arrangements of 1993, the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement 
        on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip of 1995, and the Wye River 
        Memorandum of 1998, placing at issue the credibility and 
        reputation of the United States with regard to the 
        implementation of the agreements.
            (5) The United States has a longstanding, and enduring, 
        vital national security interest in the peaceful resolution of 
        the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and to that end has provided 
        the parties with its good offices and considerable financial 
        assistance.
            (6) The State of Israel has made incontrovertible and 
        extensive efforts to resolve its conflict with the PLO by 
        negotiating in good faith and offering concessions of a 
        magnitude to demonstrate conclusively its clear commitment to 
        reaching a just and enduring settlement of the Israeli-
        Palestinian conflict.
            (7) The PLO's commitment to its freely accepted 
        obligations, specified in paragraphs (1) and (3), has come into 
        question as a result of the violence and mayhem occurring since 
        September 28, 2000, creating significant doubt as to the PLO's 
        commitment to the fundamental principle of resolving its 
        conflict with the State of Israel exclusively through direct 
        bilateral negotiations.

SEC. 3. REPORTS.

    (a) In General.--The President shall, at the times specified in 
subsection (b), transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
report on compliance by the PLO or the Palestinian Authority, as 
appropriate, with each of the commitments specified in section 2(1) and 
2(3). The report shall include, with respect to each such commitment, 
the determination of the President as to whether or not the PLO or the 
Palestinian Authority, as appropriate, has complied with that 
commitment during the period since the submission of the preceding 
report or, in the case of the initial report, during the preceding six-
month period. In the event that the President imposed one or more 
sanctions under section 4 during the period covered by the report, the 
report shall include a description of the each such sanction imposed.
    (b) Transmission.--The initial report required under subsection (a) 
shall be transmitted not later than 30 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act. Each subsequent report shall be submitted on the date on 
which the President is next required to submit a report under the 
P.L.O. Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 (title VIII of Public Law 
101-246) and may be combined with such report.

SEC. 4. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.

    (a) In General.--If, in any report transmitted pursuant to section 
3, the President determines that the PLO or the Palestinian Authority, 
as appropriate, has not complied with each of the commitments specified 
in section 2(1) and 2(3), or if the President fails to make a 
determination with respect to such compliance, the President shall, for 
a period of time not less than the period described in subsection (b), 
impose one or more of the following sanctions:
            (1) Denial of visas to plo and palestinian authority 
        officials.--The Secretary of State shall not issue a visa to 
        any member of the PLO or any official of the Palestinian 
        Authority.
            (2) Downgrade in status of plo office in the united 
        states.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
        President shall withdraw or terminate any waiver by the 
        President of the requirements of section 1003 of the Foreign 
        Relations Authorization Act of 1988 and 1989 (22 U.S.C. 5202) 
        (prohibiting the establishment or maintenance of a Palestinian 
        information office in the United States), and such section 
        shall apply so as to prohibit the operation of a PLO or 
        Palestinian Authority office in the United States from carrying 
        out any function other than those functions carried out by the 
        Palestinian information office in existence prior to the Oslo 
        Accords.
            (3) Designation as a foreign terrorist organization.--The 
        President shall designate the PLO, or one or more of its 
        constituent groups (including Fatah and Tanzim) or groups 
        operating as arms of the Palestinian Authority (including Force 
        17) as a foreign terrorist organization, in accordance with 
        section 219(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
            (4) Prohibition on united states assistance to the west 
        bank and gaza.--United States assistance (except humanitarian 
        assistance) shall not be provided to programs or projects in 
        the West Bank or Gaza.
    (b) Duration of Sanctions.--The period of time referred to in 
subsection (a) is the period of time commencing on the date that the 
report pursuant to section 3 was transmitted and ending on the later 
of--
            (1) the date that is six months after such date; or
            (2) the date that the next report under section 3 is 
        required to be transmitted.
    (c) Waiver Authority.--The President may waive any or all of the 
sanctions imposed under subsection (a) if the President determines that 
such a waiver is in the national security interest of the United 
States. The President shall report such a determination to the 
appropriate congressional committees.
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