[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 110 (Wednesday, July 30, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H6342-H6346]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING TERRORIST BOMBING IN JERUSALEM
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee
on International Relations be discharged from further consideration of
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 133) expressing the sense of
the Congress regarding the terrorist bombing in the Jerusalem market on
July 30, 1997, and I ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
The SPEAKER. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from
New York?
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, reserving the right to object, and I do not
intend to object, I would merely like to ask the gentleman from New
York to explain the resolution before us.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. LANTOS. I yield to the gentleman from New York.
Mr. GILMAN. I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, this
concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress regarding the
terrorist bombing in a Jerusalem market on July 30, 1997. The terrorist
attack on a Jerusalem marketplace that killed 14 people and injured
more than 150 is a devastating blow to the peace process.
The gentleman from California [Mr. Lantos] and I have worked together
in introducing House Concurrent Resolution 133 expressing the sense of
Congress regarding these heinous explosions which were claimed by Hamas
[[Page H6343]]
terrorists who want Palestinian terrorists, including Sheikh Ahmed
Yassin, released from Israeli jails.
Mr. Arafat and the Palestinian Authority are doing too little to root
out terrorism. Arafat must systematically arrest suspected terrorists
and those who incite violence if the peace process is to survive. He
has not done so to date and his commitment and credibility are being
questioned.
The legislation before us today underscores the urgent need for Mr.
Arafat to immediately undertake unequivocal action against terrorists
and eliminate all illegal weapons and explosives.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I
yield to the distinguished gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Gingrich], our
Speaker.
Mr. GINGRICH. Mr. Speaker, let me first thank both gentlemen for
bringing this resolution to the floor and for doing so in such a timely
manner. Let me say that my only regret is that this is not even
stronger. I think every American needs to look at this two-sided game
that is being played.
First we see in the media that the Palestinian Liberation
Organization has suffered some diplomatic slight and we are told that
Israel should make more concessions. Then Israelis die, but no one is
responsible. Then we are told in the media that the Palestinian
Liberation Organization has suffered some slight and Israel should make
concessions. Then Israelis die but no one is responsible.
Let it be very clear. For at least 7 months, Yasser Arafat and the
Palestinian Liberation Authority have consistently failed to pursue and
lock up terrorists, they have released convicted terrorists, they have
put back on the street people guilty of murder, they have turned their
eye, and in fact their justice minister and their head of security have
been engaged in actions which are terrorism, although so far the only
recorded acts are terrorist against Palestinians who did something as
bad as sell land to Israelis.
Let us be clear. Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority has an
absolute obligation as a function of its existence to join in the fight
against terrorism, and the United States Government should insist
unequivocally that we will hold the Palestinian Authority responsible
for any failure to lock up terrorists and to abide by its half of the
agreement. There can be no security and no peace when innocent people
are killed by terrorist bombings and, frankly, Mr. Arafat and his
Authority are failing in their obligation to keep up their half of this
relationship.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I
yield further to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman].
Mr. GILMAN. I thank the Speaker for his supportive remarks.
Mr. Speaker, without security cooperation by the Palestinian
Authority, there is no peace process. Israel's participation and
commitment to the Oslo accords are predicated on this. But it has been
clear that since March the Palestinian Authority has drastically
curtailed its security cooperation with Israel. That is evident by the
lack of a compliance report by the State Department certifying that the
PLO is in compliance with its commitments. We have no report. And we
will have no certification because the State Department knows it cannot
certify Mr. Arafat and the PLO as being in compliance with their
commitments voluntarily undertaken to fight terrorism at its core.
Today's explosion magnifies those concerns among the American people
and heightens the lack of trust. Mr. Arafat must make a 180-degree turn
against terrorism, incitement to violence and releasing dangerous
suspects. The Government of Israel warned repeatedly that terrorist
attacks were brewing because of the lack of Palestinian commitment to
fighting terrorism and the green light Arafat was giving to Hamas.
Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I condemn the actions taken today against
innocent individuals in Israel. I extend my deepest sympathy to the
families of the dead and injured, reiterate my support for the
Government and people of Israel for peace, and urge our colleagues to
support the Lantos-Gilman measure that is now before us.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I
would like to express the condolences of the Congress of the United
States and the American people to the families of the victims and to
the people of Israel for the loss of life and the 172 serious injuries
that have been suffered in this preposterous and outrageous terrorist
bombing in a Jerusalem market. I wish to express the solidarity of the
American people with the people of Israel in the face of this tragic,
senseless, brutal, bloody act. I would like to reaffirm the
determination of the Congress, Mr. Speaker, to join with the Government
of the State of Israel in fighting international terrorism. I want to
urge Yasser Arafat to undertake immediately and unequivocally action to
bring to justice the leaders of all the terrorist organizations and
extremist groups currently residing in territory under his control, to
confiscate their weapons and their explosives, and to keep convicted
criminals and terrorists in prison and not to release them.
I wish to reaffirm, Mr. Speaker, the commitment of the Congress of
the United States to the peace process in the Middle East. I want to
urge all parties to work together to bring lasting peace and security
without violence and terrorism in this region.
I also want to urge President Clinton and our Department of State and
other executive agencies to provide all appropriate assistance to the
Government of Israel, to provide medical and other assistance to the
victims of this terrorist act, and to bring to justice the terrorist
leaders behind this and similar acts of violence and to work to prevent
future such terrorist acts.
Mr. Speaker, I also want to identify myself fully with the words of
the gentleman from Georgia [Mr. Gingrich] our distinguished Speaker. He
made it clear that there is an asymmetry in the Middle East peace
process; that from time to time outrageous terrorist events occur,
dozens of innocent Israeli men, women and children are massacred, and
then there is some diplomatic move which presumably calls for
evenhanded action.
I think the time is long past due for Yasser Arafat to live up to his
obligation, to use his vast police apparatus to ferret out the
terrorist nests and to put an end to this nightmare. It is unacceptable
for a civilized society to have to live with constant terrorist
threats.
At Oklahoma City we learned what it means to have a terrorist act
take place on the territory of our own Nation. We are a Nation of 260
million people, and in the last few years we had two terrorist acts of
significant proportions, the one at the World Trade Center, and the one
at Oklahoma City. The people of Israel suffer from such terrorist acts
on a regular basis. A country of a few million people, every one of
these incidents hits every single family because they have a sense of
community and commitment and belonging.
It is long overdue, Mr. Speaker, that the United Nations also show
some balance in recognizing the threat under which Israel lives day in
and day out: the Islamic Jihad, the Hamas and the other terrorist
organizations, hellbent on destroying the attempt to create peace in
the region that millions of decent Israelis and Arabs so desperately
crave.
Mr. YATES. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. LANTOS. Further reserving the right to object, I yield to the
distinguished gentleman from Illinois.
Mr. YATES. Mr. Speaker, I should like to associate myself with the
very eloquent remarks of the gentleman from California in support of
the resolution which is now pending. It was a most despicable act that
took place today and certainly our Government must make clear to the
PLO that our Government will not tolerate such actions. I thank the
gentleman for yielding.
Mr. LANTOS. I thank the gentleman for his contribution.
Mr. Speaker, further reserving the right to object, I yield to the
gentleman from New York [Mr. Engel].
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for
putting forth this resolution with the gentleman from New York [Mr.
Gilman]. All people of goodwill are outraged at the terrorist bombings
that happened today in Jerusalem. All people of goodwill throughout the
world cannot and will not tolerate acts of terrorism.
Mr. Arafat and the Palestinian authorities have to understand that
there
[[Page H6344]]
is a limit to people's patience, that the United States supports and
helps facilitate the peace process, but if all sides are not actively
working towards peace, there unfortunately can be no peace.
I think it is not a coincidence, Mr. Speaker, that as the peace
process has seemed in the last few days to perhaps get back on track,
American envoy Dennis Ross is going to the Middle East, it is not a
coincidence that these bombings happened because the people that are
doing this want to disrupt the peace process, they want to disrupt
peace. They do not want to see peace happening. We cannot allow them to
succeed. However, Mr. Arafat has to stop talking out of 16 sides of his
mouth. He has to stop mouthing certain words and saying he supports
peace while at the same time he and some of his ministers and some of
the people in the highest ranks of the Palestinian Authority are
fanning the fires of terrorism by winking, or looking the other way, or
keeping the rhetoric going and showing that they are dissatisfied, and
when the terrorist attack inevitably happens, they say, ``Well, it
wasn't me. My hands are clean. It wasn't me.''
But what has Mr. Arafat done to prevent it? What has he done to try
to stop terrorism from occurring? The Palestinians arrest people who
they know are terrorists and then they release them. It is a revolving
door system of justice. This has gone on and on and on for months and
even years. So until the Palestinian Authority and Mr. Arafat and his
people are serious about combating terrorism, terrorism will never be
eradicated.
The Prime Minister of Israel, Mr. Netanyahu, said many, many times
that the people of Israel do not expect 100 percent results in
combating terrorism, but they certainly expect 100 percent effort. We
in the Congress, we in the United States feel the same way.
{time} 1700
If the effort is not made, then terrorism will not be eradicated, and
Mr. Arafat cannot have it both ways. We in the U.S. Congress provide a
lot of funding. In MEPFA we provide money to keep the peace process
going. I support the peace process very, very much, but I must say that
our patience is wearing thin. We cannot keep saying and making excuses
and saying, ``Well, OK, we're going to keep providing money, let's
overlook this incident because it really wasn't Arafat's fault, and
let's overlook that incident because it really wasn't his fault.'' How
many times can we overlook it until we say enough is enough?
So I would personally like to serve notice on Mr. Arafat and the PLO,
and I think by this resolution we are serving notice, that our American
patience is wearing thin and money will not continue to flow unless
there is an absolute commitment to eradicating terrorism. Again, a 100-
percent commitment, a 100-percent effort, not necessarily a 100-percent
results, but if they have a 100-percent effort, they will approach a
100-percent results. But if they are not making the effort, they will
never have the results.
And so I think that we have to ensure that Arafat and his people go
after the terrorists, stop the revolving door of justice. Enough is
enough. Too many innocent people have been killed, men, women and
children. Terrorism is never an acceptable vehicle for negotiations,
and that is what the Palestinians are doing. They are using the
spectrum of terrorism to kind of hold it over everybody's head and say
that if we do not like what is happening, we are going to use rhetoric
to say, ``Well, you know terrorism might happen because we don't like
what the Israeli government is doing.'' That is what the Palestinians
are saying. Well, terrorism is not acceptable, it never will be
acceptable, we in the Congress will not accept it, and by passing this
resolution we are sending word to Mr. Arafat enough is enough, our
patience is wearing thin.
My heart goes out to all those massacred today, to all those maimed
today and to the Israeli people. The United States of America will
stand by Israel and the fight against terrorism.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, under my reservation of objection, I yield
to the distinguished gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Saxton].
Mr. SAXTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to begin just my short, very
brief remarks by just saying I would like to associate myself with the
remarks of the gentleman from New York [Mr. Engel] and the others who
have spoken and to say that as terrible, as terrible as today's event
was in Jerusalem, where there were at least 18 people killed and up to
200 apparently injured by 2 suicide bombers, today's event
unfortunately was not unique. It was not unique because when people are
killed in a cafe in Tel Aviv or a fruit and vegetable market in
Jerusalem or any of the other in a long series of events like this,
civilized people in a civilized society cannot tolerate it, and
obviously those of us who are here who feel as deeply as the gentleman
from New York [Mr. Engel] obviously does and others do as well, that we
have got to take steps which are left to our devices to see to it that
those events stop.
And without going into further explanation, I would just say that
either later tonight or tomorrow or the next time we consider the
continuation of the foreign ops bill that we are going to start
momentarily, I have filed an amendment which will do that. It makes a
very strong and substantive statement on direct aid, I underline the
words ``direct aid,'' to the Palestinian Authority and puts very strong
and certain conditions which must be met by the Palestinian Authority
and Mr. Arafat before any further funds are released directly to the
PA.
So I hope that when we get to that bill we can find unanimous
agreement in this House that this is the proper course at this time,
given the string of events which were capped by the event in Jerusalem
today.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend for his comments,
and under my reservation of objection I yield to the distinguished
gentleman from California [Mr. Sherman].
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the distinguished gentleman from
California [Mr. Lantos], who time and time again tirelessly has brought
to the attention of this Chamber the misery and the death that have
occurred, brought to our attention the victims of terrorism in the
Middle East, and we ought to take a minute, as several of the other
speakers have indicated, to reflect on the 18 or more who died today.
We ought to remember how the Palestinian Authority came to control
territory in the West Bank in Gaza. That territory came under Israeli
administration because Israel defended itself in a war of aggression.
Mr. Speaker, how often does a country seize territory in a defensive
war and then voluntarily give that territory up? But the territory was
put under Arafat's control, initially the Gaza Strip, and then
additional areas, land for peace. Where is the peace? Instead, we see
pieces of men and women whose lives and bodies have been shattered by
explosives in a market in Jerusalem.
We can do something positive today. We cannot only mourn the dead,
but we can do something positive. The State Department could announce
today that we are moving our embassy to Jerusalem, that we are
acknowledging Jerusalem as the indivisible permanent capital of the
State of Israel.
Congress has called upon the State Department to do this again and
again. It would have the positive effect, the positive impact, of
telling all the terrorists in the Middle East that they cannot fight
for Jerusalem with terror, that this issue is off the table and that
America stands behind Israel's decision long ago to make all of
Jerusalem its indivisible and indisputable capital.
So perhaps today can be the last time when terrorists believe that
the way to negotiate over the status of Jerusalem is through terrorism.
I want to thank the gentleman from California [Mr. Lantos] for
yielding.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California for
his comments, and under my reservation of objection I yield to the
gentleman from Pennsylvania [Mr. Fox].
Mr. FOX of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, today's bombings represent yet
another failure by the Palestinian Authority to clamp down on terrorism
as well as their failure to work with Israel to prevent such attacks.
By failing to fulfill its commitments with Israel, the Palestinian
Authority has sent a very clear and strong signal to the enemies of
peace that it is just a step in obtaining its ultimate goal, the
destruction
[[Page H6345]]
of Israel. The failure again, Mr. Speaker, of the Palestinian Authority
to contain terror and to work with Israeli authorities to maintain
security for Israeli citizens is written in blood again of 13 bodies of
today's attack. The use of terrorism as a tool to win concessions from
the Israeli Government is unacceptable and it must be stopped.
Mr. Speaker, we call on the Palestinian community to condemn this
horrific attack and continued use of terrorism in the strongest terms.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yassir Arafat in his condolence call to
Prime Minister Netanyahu is meaningless if it is not accompanied by a
serious effort to assure that future acts of violence against Israeli
citizens do not occur.
Our hearts go out to those killed and wounded in today's attack and
to their families. It is our deepest hope that the people of Israel
will soon be able to live in true peace and security, and I urge my
colleagues to support House Concurrent Resolution 133, and I thank the
gentleman from California [Mr. Lantos] and the gentleman from New York
[Mr. Gilman], the chairman, for their leadership on this issue and for
ever being strong and making sure we defend the rights of those who are
peace loving, and also thank the gentleman from California [Mr. Berman]
and the gentleman from New Jersey [Mr. Saxton] and the gentleman from
New York [Mr. Engel] for their support of the Lantos and Gilman
legislation.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from
Pennsylvania, and under my reservation of objection I yield to the
gentleman from Virginia [Mr. Moran].
Mr. Speaker, the suicide attacks today in Jerusalem's open air market
are cause for deep sadness on everyone's part. First and foremost, the
sympathies of all people of conscience go to the victims and their
families. The loss of life and limb in such circumstances is painful
beyond words. Our heart goes out to those who have suffered from this
callous act of terrorism. These were innocent people who did not
deserve to die, who did not deserve to have their bodies mangled for
life.
Beyond the individual tragedy is the impact this crime will have upon
the peace process. The risks which any government is willing to take
for peace are limited by its concerns for the security of its citizens.
The limits of trust between negotiating parties are defined by the
integrity of each in resolutely safeguarding the security of the other.
Both sides have been disappointed. Israel has been repeatedly
disappointed in its request from the Palestinian Authority for a return
to previous cooperation in preventing attacks on civilians and bringing
perpetrators to justice. It is not likely that there will be
concessions of autonomy and territory if the result is going to be
terrorism. Without mutual cooperation, the cycle of hostility will
continue delaying, perhaps destroying, the peace which Israelis and
Palestinians alike desire.
Mr. Speaker, I condemn entirely the terrorist act in Mahane Yehudah
and the terrorists who perpetrated and who strategized it. They must be
brought to justice, and there must be no gain for them from this crime.
I urge all the parties involved to find constructive responses which
preserve the ability of citizens to live peaceful lives and prevent the
extremists from achieving their goal of derailing the peace process.
Mr. Speaker, this was a clearly calculated effort to destroy progress
toward peace between Arabs and Jews. Let us resolve not to let it
succeed.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Virginia for that
eloquent statement and, further reserving the right to object, I want
to emphasize in concluding, Mr. Speaker, that this House is united in
denouncing this outrageous and brutal act of terrorism.
Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker and my colleagues in the House, once again
bombs have exploded in the streets of Israel killing at least 13 and
wounding more than 150. Living with this kind of senseless violence is
unbearable for all in the region and my deepest condolences go out to
the families, friends, and neighbors who lost a loved one in the
explosion. Every time an innocent life is taken through violence,
especially a child's it is a tragedy. It chips away at the fabric that
binds us together as a human race. More than lives were killed in its
explosion--the explosion struck a deadly blow to the peace process. The
attackers, Hamas claimed responsibility in a leaflet, whose overall aim
has been to scuttle the peace process achieved a short-term goal:
President Clinton postponed a new peace initiative by U.S. envoy Dennis
Ross, who was to arrive in the region on July 31, 1997. No new date for
the trip was set.
This latest example of violence leads me to ask the question--what
kind of peace is this? Since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993,
the world has witnessed rioting and bombs exploding in the streets of
Israel, buses exploding, and Prime Ministers assassinated. I do not
want to see the Israelis and Palestinians retreat from the principle of
peace but peace they don't have. The time is at hand, and has been, for
the U.S. To demand compliance under the Oslo accords. Tangible and
measurable results are possible and we need to stick to the task of
requiring compliance as a condition of sending U.S. aid to the region.
Unfortunately, the Administration and many in Congress are willing to
turn a blind eye to evidence of Palestinian violations and misconduct
in the name of the peace process. Again, I ask what peace is there? As
a result of Congressional inaction, $100 million annually in U.S.
assistance is available to the Palestinians.
Since the signing of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority has
engaged in blatant violations of the agreement in addition to
disregarding international norms and practices. With the Fiscal Year
1998 Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, Congress has an
opportunity to press the Palestinian Authority to comply with its
agreements by suspending aid for 3 months to the Palestinian Authority
until the President can report and certify that various aspects of the
Oslo accords and other human rights conditions are met. Suspending aid
to the Palestinians for 3 months is an important demonstration of the
American determination to hold both Israelis and Palestinians equally
accountable for their actions in the peace process. Until we can be
confident that the Palestinians have closed the spigot of violence, we
should not be squandering taxpayer dollars on the Arafat regime.
Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to House Concurrent
Resolution 133 expressing the sense of Congress with regard to the
terrorist bombing in the Jerusalem marketplace.
Certainly, I can agree with the language in the resolution that this
attack is a violent, vicious, and reprehensible assault upon the
individual citizens in Israel. For the victims and the victims'
families I have the utmost sympathy. However, while expressing my
sincerest personal condolences to these families and victims, I, at the
same time, take very seriously my oath to uphold the U.S. Constitution.
Insofar as H. Con Res. 133 ``[u]ges the President and appropriate
Executive agencies to provide all appropriate assistance to the
government of Israel . . . [and] . . . bring to justice the terrorist
leaders . . . [and] . . . prevent such terrorist acts in the future,''
I am unable to vote in favor of this Resolution. Constitutionally, it
is not within the enumerated powers of the National Government to
police the world. At the same time we are asked to support this
resolution to urge intervention by the United States Government to
``prevent such terrorist acts in the future'' in Israel, would we be so
receptive to allowing foreign entities to, for example, intervene to
bring to justice the individual who initiated the bombing in Atlanta,
GA, during the recent Olympic games.
It is not the responsibility of foreign governments to police the
United States and constitutionally, it is not the responsibility of the
United States to police the world. Mr. Speaker, for these reasons and
with the deepest regrets for the victims and families of this act of
brutality in Jerusalem, I oppose passage of H. Con. Res. 133.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I withdraw my reservation of objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Solomon). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
The Clerk read the concurrent resolution, as follows:
H. Con. Res. 133
Whereas on July 30, 1997, two terrorist bombs exploded
almost simultaneously in the open market in Jerusalem killing
at least 13 people and wounding more than 150 others, and
Whereas this attack is a violent and vicious assault
against the peace process and against citizens of Israel:
Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress--
(1) Expresses the deep condolences of the Congress and the
American people to the families of the victims and to the
people of Israel for the loss of life and the serious
injuries that have been suffered in the terrorist
[[Page H6346]]
bombing in the Jerusalem market and expresses the solidarity
of the American people with the people of Israel in the face
of this tragic and senseless act;
(2) Reaffirms the determination of the Congress to join
with the government of Israel in fighting against
international terrorism;
(3) Urges Yassir Arafat and officials of the Palestinian
Authority to undertake immediately unequivocal action to
bring to justice leaders of terrorist organizations and
extremist groups and to eliminate all weapons and explosives
in the hands of such groups;
(4) Reaffirms the commitment of the Congress of the United
States to the peace process in the Middle East and urges all
parties to work together to bring lasting peace and security
without violence and terrorism to that region; and
(5) Urges the President and appropriate Executive agencies
to provide all appropriate assistance to the government of
Israel to provide medical and other assistance to the victims
of this terrorist act, to bring to justice the terrorist
leaders behind this and similar acts of violence, and to work
to prevent such terrorist acts in the future.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the concurrent
resolution.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 5 of rule I, further
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
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