[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 54 (Wednesday, April 24, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4048-S4049]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CHANGING OF THE PALESTINIAN CHARTER

  Mr. SPECTER. Mr. President, the action by the PLO today changing its 
charter and eliminating the provision calling for the destruction of 
Israel should put all Palestinian terrorists on notice that terrorism 
and the destruction of Israel is no longer the order of the day as far 
as the PLO is concerned.
  This was a vote of 10 to 1; some 500 voted in favor of changing the 
PLO charter, some 54 voted against, a vote of 10 to 1 by the 
Palestinian national authority saying that the charter ought to be 
changed. No longer is it the PLO position that Israel ought to be 
destroyed. That ought to have a significant effect on changing the 
attitude of the terrorists who are trying to destroy Israel and trying 
to destroy the peace process, because now technically it is the 
Palestinian Parliament in exile which has called for the dropping of 
that language. It is the Palestinian National Council which voted 504 
in favor of amending the 32-year-old charter, 54 against, and 4 
abstaining saying that no longer is it the PLO policy to seek to 
destroy Israel.
  You have at the present time Hezbollah, Hamas, and other terrorist 
organizations carrying on a reign of terror, of bloodshed, killing, an 
effort to destroy Israel and an effort to defeat the peace process. But 
with this action today by the PLO officially formally changing the 
charter, eliminating the call for the destruction of Israel, it is now 
evident that terrorism is out of step with the dominant Palestinian 
view. That ought to be followed, and every Palestinian who seeks to 
destroy Israel, every terrorist who seeks to destroy Israel, knows now 
that it is the official position, led by Chairman Yasser Arafat, that 
that idea has changed, that idea is passe, that idea is gone, and that 
the emphasis by responsible Palestinian leaders is to promote the peace 
process and to end terrorism.
  With action by the U.S. Congress in 1994 in adopting the amendment 
put forward by Senator Shelby and myself, which conditions U.S. aid on 
the change in the charter and more active action on the part of the PLO 
in combating terrorism, at least the first part has now been fulfilled.
  The issue of the Mideast peace process has been tortuous. There have 
been so many developments since Israel emerged as a state in 1949. The 
enmity which has existed for thousands of years has meant senseless 
killing, terrorism against women and children as well as men in Israel, 
Hezbollah firing rockets into northern Israel, prompting the justified 
retaliation by Israel as a matter of national self-defense.
  That killing and those terrorist activities ought now to stop in view 
of this official declaration by the Palestinian leaders that no longer 
does the charter of the PLO call for the destruction of Israel.
  Mr. President, I am hopeful that the activities by Secretary of State 
Christopher will reach fruition. It is not an easy matter. The press is 
full of reports about how President Assad of Syria is keeping Secretary 
Christopher cooling his heels while President Assad talks to others or 
President Assad is otherwise busy. It is not an easy matter to 
negotiate in the Mideast. I compliment Secretary of State Christopher, 
and I compliment the President on the accomplishments which have been 
made.
  The Mideast has been a particular point of interest to me. I made my 
first trip to Israel back in 1964. I traveled there again as a private 
citizen in 1969, again in 1978, again in 1980, and after being elected 
to the Senate traveled there considerably. I have had the opportunity 
to visit Damascus on many occasions. I made my first trip there in 
1984.
  As long as the Secretary of State has cooled his heels, this Senator 
cooled his heels a lot longer. I returned there in 1988 after the 
Soviets had advised the Syrians they were no longer going to finance 
Syrian military operations, and in 1988 President Assad was prepared to 
see Arlen Specter; I had a meeting of 4 hours and 35 minutes, and I 
have made many trips back and have had an opportunity to gain some 
understanding as to the negotiating process in the Mideast.
  I suggest that the attitude of the Syrians has changed considerably 
in the 12 years which have intervened since my first trip to Damascus 
in 1984 and today, 1996. When I first had an opportunity to talk to 
President Assad, the idea of negotiations with Israel was totally out 
of the question. We have seen problems that the United States has had 
in Lebanon with the killing of so many of our marines, and we have seen 
grave difficulties in Lebanon in 1982 with Israeli action there. I 
believe that a cease-fire can be attained there, and I believe the 
peace process can be promoted.
  We had the historic activity of President Sadat of Egypt in the first 
breakthrough back in 1978 and 1979. We have since seen the peace 
process with an Israeli-Jordanian peace agreement. We

[[Page S4049]]

have seen an event at the White House lawn back on September 13, 1993, 
that I never thought would have been possible with Chairman Arafat 
honored there. But when then Prime Minister Rabin shook the hand of 
Chairman Arafat and then Foreign Minister Peres shook the hand of 
Chairman Arafat, the U.S. policy was to support the peace process. If 
Israel, which had been the principal object of PLO terrorism, was 
prepared to deal with Chairman Arafat, then so was the United States.
  I have had an opportunity to meet with Chairman Arafat on three 
occasions since that historic event at the White House on September 13, 
1993. I have gone there in a visit with Senator Brown in August of last 
year, carrying with us a list of specific terrorists where we thought 
the Palestinian authority had not turned them over to Israeli officials 
in accordance with the agreements which had been made, presented them 
one by one, and, candidly, heard many excuses offered by Chairman 
Arafat.
  Senator Shelby and I had an opportunity to visit again with Chairman 
Arafat this past January 2 and again talked about the language of the 
PLO charter and pushed to have it revised. At that time, Chairman 
Arafat said he would do his utmost. The elections were coming up with 
the Palestinians on January 20. Those elections were held, and now we 
have had this historic event with the Palestinian Parliament in exile 
dropping the language by a vote of 504 in favor of eliminating the 
language calling for the destruction of Israel, 54 against, and 14 
abstaining. That language had been in the charter for some 32 years.
  So, you have a vote of 10 to 1, a very, very sizable majority, which 
ought to put all of the Palestinian terrorists on notice that it is no 
longer acceptable, even from the Palestinian point of view, to call for 
the destruction of Israel and to carry out acts of terrorism.
  So it is my hope that this historic vote, when it is communicated to 
the Palestinians in that region, when it is communicated to the 
Palestinians around the world, may have the effect of letting the 
Palestinian terrorists know--Hezbollah, Hamas, and the other terrorist 
organizations--that it is no longer appropriate, it is no longer 
proper, it is condemned by the Palestinian authority itself, that 
terrorist acts against Israel ought not to be carried forward. If we 
can stop Hezbollah, if we can stop Hamas and the other terrorist 
organizations, then I think we can move forward with the peace process.
  I thank the Chair and suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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