[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 28 (Tuesday, March 15, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: March 15, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                            THE ARAB BOYCOTT

  Mr. BROWN. Madam President, the State of Israel continues to be an 
outpost of freedom and the only true democracy in the Middle East. We 
have long recognized the importance of our partnership with Israel, 
which is based on a shared moral, political, and cultural heritage, as 
well as long-standing economic and security ties. At a time when Israel 
has made dramatic concessions at the bargaining table, it is tragic 
that there is a focused effort to effect a crippling boycott of 
American businesses that attempt to trade with Israel.
  Nations participating in the Arab boycott routinely attempt to coerce 
United States firms to join in the secondary or tertiary boycott of 
Israel. Letters sent by these nations to U.S. firms request compliance 
with the boycott or solicit information concerning boycott compliance. 
The Department of Commerce has documented 8,660 Arab boycott requests 
for United States companies in 1993. Clearly, United States companies 
should not be punished for engaging in trade with Israel, one of our 
closest allies.
  The Anti-Economic Discrimination Act of 1994, added as an amendment 
to the State Department authorization bill on January 28, 1994, would 
prohibit the sale of defense articles and defense services to countries 
that participate in the secondary and tertiary boycott of Israel. It is 
my hope that this amendment will help to protect American businesses 
doing business with Israel.
  The American Jewish Committee recently ran a powerful ad in the New 
York Times on January 31, 1994 urging Arab leaders to end the boycott 
of Israel. The importance of this action should not go unnoticed. 
Raising public awareness of this practice is a crucial step in ending 
the boycott. I commend the American Jewish Committee for their efforts 
and ask that the New York Times advertisement be reprinted in the 
Record following my remarks.
  There being no objection, the advertisement was ordered to be printed 
in the Record, as follows:

                [From the New York Times, Jan. 31, 1994]

        The Arab Boycott Should Be Like the Berlin Wall--History

       The Arab boycott is a weapon of economic warfare against 
     Israel. It has been used for decades to block trade with the 
     Jewish State and to punish companies in the United States and 
     throughout the world who seek to do business with Israel. An 
     end to the boycott is the first step on the road to the 
     economic cooperation needed to secure long-term peace for 
     Israelis, for Palestinians, indeed for all the people of the 
     Middle East.
       President Clinton has said that ``the time has come to end 
     the Arab boycott of Israel, a relic of past animosity that 
     simply has no place in the architecture of peaceful relations 
     we are all working to build in the Middle East.''
       As the peace process moves forward, we call on Arab 
     leaders--who will be reviewing their policy on the boycott--
     to heed the President's words by relegating the boycott, like 
     the Berlin Wall, to the dustbin of history.

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