[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 170 (Tuesday, October 31, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S16381]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   MIDDLE EAST PEACE FACILITATION ACT

  Mr. PELL. Mr. President, I am informed that there will be a 
Republican objection to the unanimous-consent request regarding the 
short-term extension of the Middle East Peace Facilitation Act, also 
known as MEPFA.
  MEPFA was enacted by the Congress in 1994, to give the President 
much-needed flexibility to help Israel and the Palestinians implement 
their historic peace treaty. Under the terms of MEPFA, the President 
can waive certain restrictions against the PLO. In essence, this means 
the President can provide assistance to the Palestinians, and the PLO 
can operate an office in the United States.
  MEPFA is a vital component of American support for the peace 
process--both practically and symbolically. On a practical level, U.S. 
assistance for the Palestinians has helped the fledgling Palestinian 
Authority to get off the dime and provide desperately needed services 
to the people of the West Bank and Gaza. Both Israeli and Palestinian 
officials agree that if their peace agreement is to succeed, there must 
be a dramatic improvement in the everyday lives of the Palestinian 
people. They must be aware of the fruits of peace.
  U.S. assistance, much of which is channeled through the World Bank's 
fund for the Palestinians, has helped the donor community secure 
additional funding from other sources. With the United States leading 
by example, other nations have come forth with significant donations to 
help the Palestinians.
  The United States has also used MEPFA to influence the Palestinian 
leadership to move in certain directions. MEPFA guarantees that our aid 
be transferred only if the Palestinians are complying with the letter 
and spirit of their peace agreements with Israel. Using our assistance 
as leverage, the United States has been able to ensure that the 
Palestinians stand by their word on critical issues such as preventing 
terrorism against Israel.
  Israel's leaders have said that the Palestinians are doing much 
better when it comes to preventing terrorism, a fact which United 
States officials confirm. And that, in my view, is the bottom line for 
the success of the Israel-PLO peace treaty. If the PLO prevents acts of 
terrorism, then Israelis will feel more secure, more comfortable with 
the peace agreement. Only then will Israelis and Palestinians establish 
a truly lasting peace.
  On a symbolic level, MEPFA is a very powerful instrument. MEPFA 
symbolizes the U.S. commitment to be the honest broker of the peace 
process. MEPFA is a signal to the Palestinians--and indeed to the rest 
of the world--that the United States is willing to suspend its laws 
against the PLO to give peace a real chance. In a certain sense, it 
resembles the dictum put forth during the Reagan administration 
regarding the former Soviet Union--``trust, but verify.'' In effect, we 
have said to the Palestinians we will trust them to fulfill their 
agreements, and that they will receive our blessing as long as they 
remain faithful.
  The objection lodged earlier today puts all of that at risk. Our 
Republican colleagues are endangering the Middle East peace process by 
refusing to allow a brief, short-term extension of current laws. At a 
time when our traditional ally, Israel, is taking enormous risks for 
peace, the objection sends just the wrong signal. The objection says 
that some of us are unwilling to support our best friend in the Middle 
East, at the very time it needs us the most.
  It is even more perplexing to realize that the Senate has already 
debated, and for all intents and purposes, resolved the substance of 
this issue. The Senate passed a long-term extension of MEPFA as part of 
the foreign operations bill, and this short-term extension is only 
necessary to get us to the point where the foreign ops bill becomes 
law.
  Under these circumstances, its hard to imagine that the objection 
raised goes directly to the merits of the bill. I would hope that the 
points I have made would help to convince my colleagues of the 
importance of acting on this measure today, and if possible, 
immediately.
  It troubles me that there is a willingness among some of my 
colleagues to jeopardize the Middle East peace process. I would hope on 
an issue of such critical importance to our Nation's security, we could 
put aside differences and deal directly with the matter at hand.
  I am very concerned that we are running out of time--MEPFA expires at 
midnight tonight, and the House could go into recess early this 
evening. I hope very much that we can resolve this issue quickly, but 
if we cannot, there should be no doubt about the consequences and about 
where the responsibility lies. I am ready to pass this short-term 
extension here and now, and in all sincerety, I would ask anyone with 
an objection to come to the floor so that we might reach an agreement.

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