[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2293 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2293

  To require the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a report on 
efforts to bring to justice the Palestinian terrorists who killed John 
             Branchizio, Mark Parson, and John Marin Linde.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 14, 2007

 Mr. Ackerman (for himself, Mr. Pence, and Mr. Lantos) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of State to submit to Congress a report on 
efforts to bring to justice the Palestinian terrorists who killed John 
             Branchizio, Mark Parson, and John Marin Linde.

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

SECTION 1. REPORT RELATING TO THE MURDERS OF JOHN BRANCHIZIO, MARK 
              PARSON, AND JOHN MARIN LINDE.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) On October 15, 2003, a convoy of clearly identified 
        United States diplomatic vehicles was attacked by Palestinian 
        terrorists in Gaza resulting in the deaths of John Branchizio, 
        Mark Parson, and John Marin Linde, and the injury of a fourth 
        American.
            (2) John Branchizio, Mark Parson, and John Marin Linde were 
        contract employees providing security to United States 
        diplomatic personnel who were visiting Gaza in order to 
        identify potential Palestinian candidates for scholarships 
        under the Fulbright Program.
            (3) Senior officials of the Palestinian Authority have 
        stated that they were aware of the identities of the 
        Palestinian terrorists who killed John Branchizio, Mark Parson, 
        and John Marin Linde.
            (4) Following her visit to Israel and the West Bank on 
        February 7, 2005, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced 
        that she had been ``assured by President Abbas of the 
        Palestinian Authority's intention to bring justice to those who 
        murdered three American personnel in the Gaza in 2003''.
            (5) Since the bombing on October 15, 2003, United States 
        Government personnel have been prohibited from all travel in 
        Gaza.
            (6) The United States Rewards for Justice program is 
        offering a reward of up to $5,000,000 for information leading 
        to the arrest or conviction of any persons involved in the 
        murders of John Branchizio, Mark Parson, and John Marin Linde.
            (7) The Palestinian terrorists who killed John Branchizio, 
        Mark Parson, and John Marin Linde have still not been brought 
        to justice.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the continued inability or unwillingness of the 
        Palestinian Authority to actively and aggressively pursue the 
        Palestinian terrorists who killed John Branchizio, Mark Parson, 
        and John Marin Linde and bring them to justice calls into 
        question the Palestinian Authority's suitability as a partner 
        for the United States in diplomatic efforts to resolve the 
        Palestinian-Israeli conflict;
            (2) future United States assistance to the Palestinian 
        Authority may be suspended or conditioned, and the continued 
        operation of the PLO Representative Office in Washington may be 
        jeopardized, if the Palestinian Authority does not fully and 
        effectively cooperate in bringing to justice the Palestinian 
        terrorists who killed John Branchizio, Mark Parson, and John 
        Marin Linde; and
            (3) it is in the vital national security interest of the 
        United States to safeguard, to the greatest extent possible 
        consistent with their mission, United States diplomats and all 
        embassy and consulate personnel, and to use the full power of 
        the United States to bring to justice any individual or entity 
        that threatens, jeopardizes, or harms them.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, and every 120 days thereafter, the Secretary of State 
shall submit a report, on a classified basis if necessary, to the 
appropriate congressional committees describing--
            (1) efforts by the United States to bring to justice the 
        Palestinian terrorists who killed John Branchizio, Mark Parson, 
        and John Marin Linde;
            (2) a detailed assessment of efforts by the Palestinian 
        Authority to bring to justice the Palestinian terrorists who 
        killed John Branchizio, Mark Parson, and John Marin Linde, 
        including--
                    (A) the number of arrests, interrogations, and 
                interviews by Palestinian Authority officials related 
                to the case;
                    (B) the number of Palestinian security personnel 
                and man-hours assigned to the case;
                    (C) the extent of personal supervision or 
                involvement by the President and Ministers of the 
                Palestinian Authority; and
                    (D) the degree of cooperation between the United 
                States and the Palestinian Authority in regards to this 
                case;
            (3) a specific assessment by the Secretary of whether the 
        Palestinian efforts described in paragraph (2) constitute the 
        best possible effort by the Palestinian Authority; and
            (4) any additional steps or initiatives requested or 
        recommended by the United States that were not pursued by the 
        Palestinian Authority.
    (d) Certification.--The requirement to submit a report under 
subsection (c) shall no longer apply if the Secretary of State 
certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that the 
Palestinian terrorists who killed John Branchizio, Mark Parson, and 
John Marin Linde have been identified, arrested, and brought to 
justice.
    (e) Definition.--In this section, the term ``appropriate 
congressional committees'' means--
            (1) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives; and
            (2) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the Senate.
                                 <all>