[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 20, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4745-S4746]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       BIGOTRY MUST BE DENOUNCED

  Mr. BIDEN. Mr. President, I rise to condemn in the strongest possible 
terms recent comments that have been attributed to Mr. Freih Abu 
Medein, the Justice Minister in the Palestinian authority.
  In a May 17 article in the Washington Post, journalist Barton Gellman 
reported that Mr. Medein stated last month that ``five Zionist Jews'' 
are running the United States' Middle East policy and, in the words of 
the article, he ``added that it is implausible that a

[[Page S4746]]

nation the size of the United States can find no one else to maintain 
diplomatic contacts with Palestinians.''
  This statement, if quoted correctly, is deeply offensive on two 
counts. First, it is patently anti-semitic, or more properly, anti-
Jewish. Its conspiratorial overtones reflect the worst traditions of 
hate-mongering that characterizes classical anti-semitism.
  Second, it is a thinly veiled attempt to manipulate our sovereign 
right as a country to choose whoever we wish to represent us 
diplomatically. It also evinces complete ignorance of the American 
system.
  I am confident that the individuals to whom Mr. Medein refers were 
not chosen for their religious beliefs, but rather on the strength of 
their qualifications for the jobs for which they were selected. Anyone 
who thinks otherwise has great deal to learn about this country.
  If Mr. Medein or anyone else in the Palestinian Authority has 
difficulty meeting with American representatives who happen to profess 
a particular religious faith, then that is their problem, not ours.
  I would submit, Mr. President, that we have the right to choose a 
person of any faith, any gender, and any race to represent us in any 
place. Should we choose an American who happens to be a Muslim to 
represent us in Israel, a Hindu to represent us in Pakistan, a Jew in 
Syria, a Roman Catholic in Yugoslavia, a Greek Orthodox in Turkey, or a 
Buddhist in China, then that is our sovereign right as a nation. The 
only criterion should be that the person be qualified for the job for 
which he or she is selected. Religious affiliation should have 
absolutely nothing to do with it. Zero. Zilch.
  That is what distinguishes us from the rest of the world. For 
unfortunately, Mr. Medein's views are not isolated ones. They reflect 
an all-to-common obsession with race, religion, and ethnicity that 
plagues much of the world.
  We may not be perfect, but our guiding ideals are unassailable. And 
we have successfully put those ideals into practice, with the result 
that many others seek to emulate us.
  Mr. President, the day we pause even for a fraction of a second to 
contemplate the possible validity of remarks such as Mr. Medein's is 
the day that we abandon our most fundamental beliefs.
  Bigotry must be denounced, whether it is at home or abroad. American 
representatives who are the object of bigoted attacks deserve to know 
that their country stands four-square behind them.

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