[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 236 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 236

     Expressing the sense of the Senate that the leadership of the 
  Palestinian people by Yasser Arafat is a hindrance to peace in the 
Middle East, and that such peace depends on institutions free from the 
                          taint of terrorism.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 29, 2003

    Mr. Reid (for himself and Mr. Daschle) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
     Expressing the sense of the Senate that the leadership of the 
  Palestinian people by Yasser Arafat is a hindrance to peace in the 
Middle East, and that such peace depends on institutions free from the 
                          taint of terrorism.

Whereas unemployment among Palestinians has risen to 50 percent, and 59 percent 
        of the Palestinian people live below the poverty line;
Whereas a June 2003 independent poll indicated that the Palestinian people do 
        not see Yasser Arafat, the president of the Palestinian Authority, 
        contributing to an end to their suffering;
Whereas the June 2003 poll found that 84 percent of Palestinians believe 
        corruption exists in the institutions of the Palestinian Authority, and 
        \2/3\ of those who believe there is corruption also believe that 
        corruption will increase or remain the same in the future;
Whereas Yasser Arafat has steadfastly blocked attempts at political, judicial, 
        and economic reforms by using the Fatah Central Committee and the 
        Palestinian Legislative Council to obstruct efforts to bring greater 
        transparency and accountability to the Palestinian Authority;
Whereas the international community has lost confidence in the ability of the 
        current Palestinian leadership to confront terrorism;
Whereas Palestinian Security Forces have refused to confront and dismantle 
        Palestinian Islamic Jihad, whose express goal is the elimination of the 
        State of Israel, and Hamas, both of which have been responsible for 
        terrorist attacks that have killed over 800 Israelis in the last 3 
        years;
Whereas Abu Mazen, the first ever Palestinian Prime Minister, recently resigned 
        because Yasser Arafat refused to turn over full control of the 
        Palestinian Authority's 53,000-man security apparatus to the duly 
        appointed government and continued to wield power over the General 
        Intelligence Apparatus, the National Security Force, and the elite 
        bodyguard unit known as Force 17;
Whereas the dismantling of terrorist organizations is a precondition to a 
        comprehensive peace in the Middle East;
Whereas Yasser Arafat can no longer be trusted by the international community or 
        the 3,500,000 Palestinian people living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip 
        to be an honest broker for peace; and
Whereas Yasser Arafat has presided over a period of decay in economic and 
        security conditions affecting the Palestinian people and has impeded any 
        meaningful progress toward peace in the Middle East: Now, therefore, be 
        it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
            (1) the leadership of the Palestinian people by Yasser 
        Arafat, who has condoned terror and refused to dismantle terror 
        organizations, is a hindrance to efforts to reach a 
        comprehensive peace in the Middle East; and
            (2) peace in the Middle East depends on the construction of 
        independent, transparent, and accountable institutions that are 
        free from the taint of terrorism.
                                 <all>