[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 137 (Saturday, September 28, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S11622-S11623]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE PROBLEMS IN THE MIDEAST

  Mr. SPECTER. Madam President, I would like to make some brief 
comments on the escalating problems in the Mideast, with the Israeli-
Palestinian clashes which have been on the front pages, and which have 
been on the television screens, and my urging of parties on all sides 
to accelerate negotiations, because I am personally convinced that the 
bloodshed can be brought to a conclusion and that the peace process can 
move forward if the parties return to the bargaining table--and return 
to those pictures which are so meaningful of Israeli Prime Minister 
Benjamin Netanyahu and the Palestine Chairman Yasser Arafat shaking 
hands and talking out their problems.

  I make this recommendation having been in Israel last month and 
having had a chance to talk with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman 
Arafat. I am convinced that both of those leaders do want peace. And, 
candidly, it has been a tough time, watching Chairman Arafat honored on 
the White House lawn back on September 13, 1993. But my view is that 
now that the Israelis, who have been the chief victims of PLO 
terrorism, have welcomed Chairman Arafat, I think we in the United 
States should do what we can to promote the peace process.
  Prime Minister Netanyahu is new at the job but a man of tremendous 
abilities--substantial experience generally, but limited experience as 
Prime Minister.
  After talking to Prime Minister Netanyahu, I know that he wants to 
work out the issues--they are complicated. There is Hebron, where there 
are Jewish settlers, and the issue is, what will the degree of 
Palestinian control be. There is Jerusalem, which is the Holy City and 
in which the controversy has arisen over the tunnel. And there are so 
many corollary problems such as the closure of the borders

[[Page S11623]]

to Israel, an act Israel took for very strong security reasons but 
which is causing very substantial economic losses to the Palestinians.
  I think the administration has done a good job there with the work of 
Dennis Ross, as a de facto roving ambassador, talking to the parties 
and trying to work through the issues. That is a matter which I think 
requires expedited assistance from the U.S. Government and others to 
try to bring those parties back to the conference table, to try to work 
out their problems, to try to stop the fighting and the bloodshed, and 
to move the peace process ahead.
  While the Palestinian-Israeli problems are taking the front pages, 
the Syrian-Israeli problems still are very prominent, with the Syrians 
still undertaking military maneuvers which may threaten Israel.
  I had an opportunity to discuss those issues when I was in the area 
last month with Syrian President Assad and also with Prime Minister 
Netanyahu. In fact, I carried two messages from Prime Minister 
Netanyahu to President Assad. One was on the subject of Israel's 
interest in cooling the contentiousness on the southern Lebanon border, 
where Prime Minister Netanyahu had publicly said that Syria would be 
held responsible for the Hezbolla attacks on northern Israel. President 
Assad's response was that those military maneuvers were not with 
hostile intent but were really of a routine nature. Whether that is 
exactly so or not, that process has to be moved forward.
  Prime Minister Netanyahu asked me further to convey the message that 
he personally would engage in the negotiations, leaving, of course, the 
option to President Assad as to whether he would or would not so 
participate. But there again I think the administration has done a good 
job. I think the roving de facto ambassador, Dennis Ross, has done a 
good job. Those matters have to be moved forward through the 
negotiation process. I urge the parties to move ahead there. It is 
difficult, obviously, for Prime Minister Netanyahu to be handling the 
Palestinian controversies at the same time, and they are on the front 
part of the front burner, but the Syrian negotiations have to be 
addressed as well.

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