[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 56 Engrossed in House (EH)]


                 In the House of Representatives, U.S.,

                                                      February 2, 2005.
Whereas on January 9, 2005, the Palestinian people elected Mahmoud Abbas as the 
        second President of the Palestinian Authority;
Whereas this election has been hailed as free and fair and is an important and 
        noteworthy step in advancing democracy in the Arab world;
Whereas Israel should be commended for facilitating the Palestinian election 
        proceedings;
Whereas the United States is hopeful that a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-
        Palestinian conflict can be achieved;
Whereas the United States is strongly committed to the security of Israel and 
        its well-being as a Jewish state; and
Whereas on June 24, 2002, President George W. Bush expressed his vision of two 
        states living side by side in peace and security and that vision can 
        only be fully realized when terrorism is defeated, so that a new state 
        may be created based on the rule of law and respect for human rights: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) commends the Palestinian people for conducting a free and fair 
        presidential election on January 9, 2005;
            (2) congratulates the new Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas;
            (3) urges the new Palestinian leadership to continue to advance 
        democratic ideals by reforming the Palestinian political structure, 
        advancing human rights, and ending corruption;
            (4) strongly condemns terrorism and urges President Mahmoud Abbas, 
        who has previously disavowed terrorism, to immediately take steps to 
        dismantle the Palestinian terrorist infrastructure, confiscate 
        unauthorized weapons, arrest and bring terrorists to justice, 
        consolidate and control the many Palestinian security organizations, and 
        end the incitement to violence and hatred in the Palestinian media, 
        educational institutions, mosques, and other institutions;
            (5) urges Arab states to take active steps to encourage and assist 
        the Palestinian Authority in bringing an end to terrorism and an end to 
        anti-Israel incitement in their own media; and
            (6) encourages all interested parties to take advantage of this 
        historic opportunity to remove obstacles to achieving a lasting peace in 
        the Middle East.
            Attest:

                                                                          Clerk.