[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 244 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 244

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a Palestinian 
  government which includes Hamas should be prohibited from receiving 
United States aid until that government publicly commits to the Quartet 
                              principles.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 3, 2011

 Mr. Hastings of Florida submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that a Palestinian 
  government which includes Hamas should be prohibited from receiving 
United States aid until that government publicly commits to the Quartet 
                              principles.

Whereas, on April 27, 2011, Fatah and Hamas initialed a document of 
        understandings as a foundation for a ``Palestinian National Accord'' 
        agreement, to be signed by all of the Palestinian factions on May 4 in 
        Cairo, under the aegis of the Egyptian transitional government and with 
        the presence of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas 
        Political Bureau head Khaled Mash'al;
Whereas the document of understandings, signed by the head of the Fatah party in 
        the Palestinian Legislative Council, Azzam Al-Ahmad, and by the deputy 
        head of Hamas's Political Bureau, Moussa Abu Marzouq, has not yet been 
        released to the public;
Whereas Fatah negotiator Azzam Al-Ahmad has said that Palestinian Authority 
        Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, who has been a leader in developing the 
        Palestinian economy in the West Bank as well as a primary peace 
        negotiator with Israel, will not be a part of the interim unity 
        government;
Whereas, on Al-Jazeera TV on April 27, 2011, Foreign Minister of the Hamas Gaza 
        Government and a member of the Hamas delegation to the Cairo discussions 
        Mahmoud Al-Zahhar said, ``We believe that negotiations with the Israeli 
        enemy are in vain. . . . It will be impossible for an interim government 
        to take part in the peace process with Israel'';
Whereas Hamas has been a designated terrorist organization by the United States 
        (1995) and European Union (2003), for embracing violence and calling for 
        the destruction of Israel in the Hamas Charter;
Whereas terrorists under the aegis of Hamas have murdered hundreds of innocent 
        Israelis, kidnapped and refused Red Cross access to Israeli soldiers, 
        smuggled Iranian arms into the Gaza Strip, and launched thousands of 
        rockets and mortars into Israel, including more than 300 since the 
        beginning of 2011;
Whereas the negotiating principles of the Quartet (the United States, the 
        European Union, the United Nations, and the Russian Federation) require 
        Hamas to recognize Israel's right to exist, renounce violence, and 
        accept previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements;
Whereas Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in April 2009 that the 
        United States would ``not deal with, nor in any way fund, a Palestinian 
        government that includes Hamas unless and until Hamas has renounced 
        violence, recognized Israel and agreed to follow the previous 
        obligations of the Palestinian Authority''; and
Whereas in a personal call to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, 
        Israeli President Shimon Peres said, ``I urge the Palestinian 
        leadership: Unite for peace and don't put on a facade of unity that will 
        prevent you from moving in any direction. Walking hand-in-hand with a 
        terrorist organization will be a step backwards and will prevent the 
        establishment of a Palestinian state'': Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) the House of Representatives--
                    (A) strongly supports and maintains a deep interest 
                in achieving a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian 
                conflict through the creation of a viable and 
                independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside 
                the State of Israel;
                    (B) strongly encourages the inclusion of Prime 
                Minister Fayyad in any interim and subsequent 
                Palestinian governments; and
                    (C) maintains that a Palestinian government which 
                includes Hamas must be prohibited from receiving United 
                States aid until the government publicly commits to the 
                Quartet principles; and
            (2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that 
        United States aid to the Palestinians is intended to prevent 
        acts of terrorism against Israel, to create a cycle of 
        stability and prosperity in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip 
        that promotes peaceful coexistence with Israel, and to meet 
        humanitarian needs in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
                                 <all>