[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 524 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 524

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Palestine 
 Liberation Organization should not be allowed to maintain an official 
                       office in Washington, DC.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 24, 2012

Mrs. McCarthy of New York submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Palestine 
 Liberation Organization should not be allowed to maintain an official 
                       office in Washington, DC.

Whereas in section 1003 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 
        1988 and 1989, Congress made it unlawful to establish or maintain an 
        office, headquarters, premises, or other facilities or establishments 
        within the jurisdiction of the United States at the behest or direction 
        of, or with funds provided by, the Palestine Liberation Organization 
        (PLO) or any of its constituent groups, any successor to any of those, 
        or any agents thereof;
Whereas the Middle East Peace Facilitation Act of 1993 granted authority to the 
        President to suspend section 1003 of the Foreign Relations Authorization 
        Act, Fiscal Years 1988 and 1989, specifically the authority to suspend 
        the prohibition against a PLO office in Washington DC;
Whereas Congress has extended this waiver authority several times over the 
        years, most recently in annual appropriations bills;
Whereas the genesis of the waiver authority granted to the President beginning 
        with the Middle East Peace Facilitation Act of 1993 was significant 
        progress in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, specifically following the 
        September 1993 agreements between Israel and the PLO wherein the PLO 
        recognized Israel's right to exist, rejected violence and terrorism, and 
        accepted United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338;
Whereas the United States' good faith commitment to the Palestinians is 
        predicated in their commitment to a bilateral peace process with Israel 
        and their renouncement of violence, acceptance of Israel's right to 
        exist, and acceptance of prior agreements made by the Palestinians (the 
        ``Quartet conditions'');
Whereas in 2011, the House of Representatives reaffirmed its longstanding 
        support for a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 
        with the passage of H. Res. 268;
Whereas the President has continued to grant requests and waivers pertaining to 
        the General Delegation of the PLO to the United States, despite their 
        increasing efforts to unilaterally achieve recognition of statehood;
Whereas, effective July 20, 2010, the Department of State and at the request of 
        the PLO representative granted permission to the General Delegation of 
        the PLO to the United States to fly the Palestinian flag outside of its 
        office in Washington, DC;
Whereas former Department of State spokesman Philip J. Crowley explained that 
        the request was approved as a reflection of ``improved relations'' 
        between the United States and Palestinians;
Whereas, on May 4, 2011, Fatah, the largest faction of the PLO, came to a unity 
        agreement with Hamas, an organization designated by the Department of 
        State as a foreign terrorist organization;
Whereas amid rampant speculation of Palestinians' pursuit of a coordinated 
        strategy to unilaterally seek statehood within the United Nations and 
        its specialized agencies, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on 
        September 23, 2011, formally presented the bid for Palestinian statehood 
        to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon; and
Whereas today, Palestinians continue to pursue recognition from other countries 
        and within the United Nations and its specialized agencies: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives believes firmly that 
the Palestine Liberation Organization should not be allowed to maintain 
an official office in Washington, DC, if--
            (1) the Palestine Liberation Organization continues to 
        circumvent a bilateral two-state solution by seeking 
        recognition of a Palestinian state from other countries, the 
        United Nations, and its specialized agencies; and
            (2) Fatah or any affiliated branch of the Palestine 
        Liberation Organization forms a unified government with the 
        Department of State-designated foreign terrorist organization 
        Hamas.
                                 <all>