[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 294 Introduced in House (IH)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 294

Condemning the terrorism inflicted on Israel since the Aqaba Summit and 
 expressing solidarity with the Israeli people in their fight against 
                               terrorism.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 24, 2003

Mr. Lantos (for himself, Mr. DeLay, Ms. Pelosi, and Mr. Hyde) submitted 
   the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Condemning the terrorism inflicted on Israel since the Aqaba Summit and 
 expressing solidarity with the Israeli people in their fight against 
                               terrorism.

Whereas Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) announced 
        at the June 4, 2003, Aqaba Summit, ``Our goal is clear, and we will 
        implement it firmly and without compromise: a complete end to violence 
        and terrorism'';
Whereas Prime Minister Abbas also pledged at the Aqaba Summit to establish a 
        system based on ``rule of law, [a] single political authority, [and] 
        weapons only in the hands of those who are in charge of upholding the 
        law and order . . .'';
Whereas the Middle East roadmap begins with the assertion that ``A two state 
        solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will only be achieved 
        through an end to violence and terrorism (when the Palestinian people 
        have a leadership acting decisively against terror and willing and able 
        to build a practicing democracy based on tolerance and liberty)'';
Whereas 22 innocent Israelis nevertheless were murdered and scores wounded in 
        three separate suicide bombings within less than a week after the Aqaba 
        Summit, and the death toll from these terrorist actions is the 
        equivalent of 1,100 on the basis of the United States population, nearly 
        ten times the number of battle deaths the United States suffered in the 
        recent Iraq War;
Whereas Palestinians are also victims of these terrorists, who undermine 
        prospects for a just and lasting peace;
Whereas Islamic fundamentalist Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad consistently 
        make clear their opposition to Israel's existence in any form and within 
        any borders and their determination to use violence and terrorism to 
        achieve their anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic goals, and Hamas leader Abdel 
        Aziz Rantisi vowed ``not to leave one Jew in Palestine'';
Whereas experience with terrorism demonstrates that there can be no productive 
        negotiations or dialogue with terrorists and that a policy based on 
        compromise with terrorists can only be doomed to failure;
Whereas the concept of ``cycle of violence'', which implies moral equivalence 
        between terrorists and their victims, should be rejected as a 
        description of Israeli-Palestinian dynamics, since Palestinian terrorism 
        justifies Israeli counterterrorist operations as the response of a 
        legitimate government defending its citizens;
Whereas Israeli counterterrorist operations would cease entirely were 
        Palestinian terrorism to cease; and
Whereas Israel has no choice but to use its own measures to fight terrorism if 
        the Palestinians are unwilling to do so: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns in the harshest terms the recent terrorist 
        actions that victimized innocent Israelis;
            (2) expresses solidarity with the Israeli people as they 
        respond to ongoing terrorist attacks;
            (3) expresses sympathy to the families of innocent Israelis 
        and Palestinians who have lost their lives;
            (4) commends the President of the United States for his 
        vision of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side 
        in peace and security;
            (5) affirms that this vision can be fully realized only 
        once terrorism is defeated, so that a new state may be created 
        based on rule of law and respect for human rights;
            (6) recognizes and respects Israel's right to fight 
        terrorism and acknowledges Israel's fight against terrorism as 
        part of the global war against terrorism;
            (7) calls on all states to cease recognition of and 
        political and material support for any Palestinian and other 
        terrorist groups;
            (8) calls on all states immediately to establish effective 
        mechanisms to ensure that funding from private citizens cannot 
        be directed to terrorist groups for any purpose whatsoever, 
        including ostensible humanitarian purposes;
            (9) calls on all states to provide support to the 
        Palestinian Authority in its effort to confront and fight 
        terror; and
            (10) calls on all states to assist the Palestinian people 
        in creating the institutions of a democratic state that will 
        respect the rule of law and live in peace with its neighbors.
                                 <all>