[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 18 (Friday, February 25, 1994)]
[House]
[Page H]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                  HEBRON ATTACK MUST NOT DERAIL PEACE

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, this morning's news brought word of a 
horrible tragedy in the Middle East. A deranged Israeli settler--an 
American immigrant, wearing an Israeli military uniform--opened fire 
with an automatic weapon inside the mosque at the Tomb of the 
Patriarchs in Hebron. By early accounts, as many as 50 Palestinians 
have been killed, and 170 wounded.
  This is the worst incident of Israeli-Palestinian violence in the 
Middle East since Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization 
signed their Declaration of Principles last September. The mind-numbing 
number and severity of the casualties cannot help but have an impact on 
the negotiations between Israel and the PLO. It is the duty of the 
United States, Israel, and the Palestinians to ensure that the response 
to this incident does not spin out of control and lead to the 
derailment of the peace process.
  The reaction of the United States and the Israeli leadership has been 
swift and appropriate. Secretary of State Christopher expressed horror 
at the news, saying that the violence ``underscores the imperative of 
accelerating the negotiations to implement the Declaration of 
Principles.'' Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin condemned the 
``loathsome criminal act,'' adding that ``this is a difficult day for 
all of those Arabs and Jews alike, who seek peace.'' Rabin also was 
reported to have telephoned Arafat to express his condolences.
  The Palestinians understandably are stunned by the slaughter. Already 
there are reports of unrest and rioting, despite the fact that Israel 
has placed a curfew on Hebron and sealed off Gaza. PLO Chairman Yasser 
Arafat was quoted this morning as saying the killings are ``a real 
tragedy, and will make a very negative backfire on the whole peace 
process.''
  My sincerest hope is that Israelis and Palestinians both will 
recognize the very real possibility that the motivation behind this 
repugnant act was precisely to undermine the peace process. If Israelis 
and Palestinians allow themselves to be swayed off course in the 
emotional turmoil of the moment, it will only serve the cause of the 
enemies of peace. It will ensure the victory of extremism.
  This is a time of sadness and mourning for the loss of innocent 
Palestinian life. I deplore the senseless killing, which is a further 
consequence of a generation subjected to hate and ignorance. But this 
morning's events cannot, indeed, must not, be allowed to sound the 
death knell of the peace process. That would be the biggest tragedy of 
all.

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