[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 622 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 622

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
  national security interests of the United States and its allies and 
          partners with respect to the Palestinian Authority.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 12, 2014

  Mr. Franks of Arizona (for himself, Mrs. Bachmann, Mr. Lamborn, Mr. 
 Johnson of Ohio, Mr. King of Iowa, Mr. Collins of Georgia, Mr. Roe of 
   Tennessee, Mr. Latta, Mr. Stockman, Mr. Pittenger, Mr. Posey, Mr. 
Barton, Mr. Neugebauer, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Gohmert, Mr. Barr, and Mr. Weber 
of Texas) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the 
  national security interests of the United States and its allies and 
          partners with respect to the Palestinian Authority.

Whereas Israel as a strategic partner and ally of the United States has made 
        significant breakthroughs in advancing peace with its neighbors as 
        exemplified with the Peace Treaties with Egypt and the Kingdom of 
        Jordan, and demonstrated its complete determination and willingness to 
        fully establish peace with the Palestinians;
Whereas since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the United States has 
        committed more than $5,000,000,000 in bilateral assistance to the 
        Palestinian Authority in the hopes of encouraging a permanent peace 
        treaty with the State of Israel;
Whereas since 2007, the Gaza Strip has been ruled by the designated foreign 
        terrorist organization, Hamas, which has launched 10,000 rockets against 
        Israel;
Whereas the Palestinian Authority has administered Palestinians residing in the 
        West Bank, Judea and Samaria, with Fatah as the leading Palestinian 
        political party and the largest faction of the Palestinian Liberation 
        Organization (PLO);
Whereas President Barack Obama, then Senator, said in his speech on June 4, 
        2008, ``The long road to peace requires Palestinian partners committed 
        to making the journey. We must isolate Hamas unless and until they 
        renounce terrorism, recognize Israel's right to exist, and abide by past 
        agreements. There is no room at the negotiating table for terrorist 
        organizations.'';
Whereas Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has bypassed United States 
        efforts to achieve peace between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, 
        and is engaged in--

    (1) formation of a unity government with Hamas and his own party, 
Fatah;

    (2) pursuing statehood unilaterally at the United Nations, including 
applications and memberships to international institutions outside direct 
negotiations with Israel;

    (3) promoting anti-United States incitement, as well as, anti-Israel 
incitement, such as the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement 
against Israel; and

    (4) withholding reforms to advance religious freedom and recognition 
for all religions and ethnicities, and reforms to open the political 
process through fair and responsible elections, ensuring the freedom of 
speech, the press, and political assembly;

Whereas today the Palestinian Authority is characterized by rampant corruption, 
        as a single-party police organization ruled by Presidential degree, non-
        tolerance of internal debate and criticism, masters of internal 
        oppression, anti-democracy and religious freedom, including the absence 
        of national elections following the expiration of the current 
        presidential term in January 2009, and therefore in the event of a 
        creation of a Palestinian state under the current Palestinian Authority 
        it would be autocratic and totalitarian;
Whereas the Palestinian Authority's Law of the Prisoner mandates and authorizes 
        the payment of salaries and other forms of compensation to convicted 
        terrorists or any other recipient designated by a power of attorney, and 
        the Ministry of Prisoners and programs of such Ministry compensate and 
        recognize convicted terrorists in Israeli prisons and those of whom that 
        have been released;
Whereas the more carnage these terrorists inflict, the greater is their 
        compensation;
Whereas the Palestinian Authority's highly advertised terrorist salary program 
        incentivizes killings and bombings against innocent civilians, which 
        includes the murder of at least 54 United States citizens since 1993 and 
        more than 83 injured;
Whereas no aid is permitted for a power-sharing Palestinian Authority government 
        that includes Hamas as a member, or that results from an agreement with 
        Hamas and over which Hamas exercises ``undue influence'', unless the 
        President certifies that the Palestinian Authority government, including 
        all ministers, has accepted the following two principles described in 
        section 620K(b)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as added by 
        section 2(b)(2) of the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 (Public 
        Law 109-446))--

    (1) recognition of ``the Jewish state of Israel's right to exist''; and

    (2) acceptance of previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements;

Whereas annual appropriations legislation routinely contains conditions, 
        limitations, and restrictions on United States assistance to the 
        Palestinian Authority, including--

    (1) not permitting assistance for Hamas or a power-sharing government 
that includes Hamas as a member;

    (2) personnel located in Gaza;

    (3) if the Palestinian Authority government is Hamas-controlled; and

    (4) if the Palestinians obtain the same standing as member states or 
full membership as a member in the United Nations or any specialized agency 
thereof, except the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural 
Organization (UNESCO), outside an agreement negotiated between Israelis and 
Palestinians; and

Whereas Hamas and Fatah unification stands in contravention with United States 
        laws: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That--
            (1) the House of Representatives--
                    (A) reaffirms United States law and annual 
                appropriations legislation routinely containing 
                conditions, limitations, and restrictions on United 
                States assistance and cooperation to the Palestinian 
                Authority;
                    (B) reaffirms the United States commitment to a 
                sustainable democratic framework for peace decided 
                through direct negotiations between Israeli and 
                Palestinian leadership, without the interference of 
                Hamas, in keeping with United States commitments to 
                democracy, freedom, and the rights of peoples of all 
                faiths and religions; and
                    (C) calls on the United States Department of State 
                to work closely with European partners and allies to 
                support the simultaneous implementation of all 
                necessary measures on suspending multilateral 
                assistance and security cooperation to the Palestinian 
                Authority; and
            (2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
                    (A) since Hamas and Fatah have unified, regardless 
                of the unity government being made up of technocrats 
                from Hamas and Fatah, the Secretary of State should, if 
                the unity government is not dissolved, designate the 
                Palestinian Authority and such unity government as a 
                foreign terrorist organization, and redesignate the 
                Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as a foreign 
                terrorist organization; and
                    (B) it is in the national security interests of the 
                United States and its allies and partners that the 
                following objectives and conditions should be achieved 
                with respect to the Palestinian Authority, including--
                            (i) the Palestinian Authority dissolving 
                        the unity government with Hamas, a long 
                        designated a foreign terrorist organization, 
                        and for the Palestinian Authority to 
                        immediately renounce violence, outlaw terrorist 
                        groups, and re-enter into bilateral 
                        negotiations with the State of Israel;
                            (ii) the Palestinian Authority formally and 
                        publically issuing recognition of ``the Jewish 
                        state of Israel's right to exist'' and 
                        accepting previous Israeli-Palestinian 
                        agreements, and ending all anti-United States 
                        incitement, as well as, anti-Israel incitement, 
                        such as the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and 
                        Sanctions) movement against Israel;
                            (iii) repealing the Law of the Prisoner and 
                        abolishing the Ministry of Prisoners and 
                        programs of such Ministry relating to 
                        compensation and recognition of convicted 
                        terrorists and those of whom that have been 
                        released;
                            (iv) rescinding the names and the naming of 
                        public institutions and civil projects, such as 
                        schools, streets, sports teams, and children 
                        camps after convicted terrorist and murders;
                            (v) ending all efforts to circumvent the 
                        statehood process at the United Nations, 
                        including applications and memberships to 
                        international institutions outside direct 
                        negotiations with Israel;
                            (vi) enacting reforms to advance religious 
                        freedom, and recognition for all religions and 
                        ethnicities, ensuring the freedom of speech, 
                        the press, and political assembly, and 
                        reforming to open the political process through 
                        fair and responsible elections without any 
                        influence or participation by Hamas; and
                            (vii) abiding by all United States laws on 
                        foreign assistance to the Palestinian 
                        Authority.
                                 <all>