[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 112 (Friday, August 1, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1582-E1583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  U.S. ASSISTANCE TO THE PALESTINIANS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 31, 1997

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I applaud the House, especially my good 
friend Jim Saxton, who has been a leader in Middle East issues, in 
adopting the Forbes-Saxton amendment that temporarily suspends U.S. 
assistance to the Palestinian Authority and PLO until the President can 
report and certify that they are complying with various elements of the 
Oslo accords and other human rights. It's the right amendment at the 
right time. As a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign 
Operations, I am in a unique position to follow the progress of the 
Middle East peace process in great detail and have done so since coming 
to Congress 3 years ago. My friends, it is with great disappointment 
that I report to you--there hasn't been any progress. Since the signing 
of the Oslo accords in 1993, have we had peace? Have the Palestinian 
Authority and the PLO lived up to their commitments in the Oslo 
accords? No we have not and no they have not.
  Year after year, the violations and gross misconduct of the 
Palestinian Authority and PLO continue to grow. History is sometimes a 
cruel, but honest teacher. We can never allow politics of the moment to 
obscure the essential facts: The Palestinian Authority and the PLO 
openly violate the Oslo accords and continue to disregard the human 
rights of Israelis and Americans in Israel.
  Yesterday we witnessed the brutal bomb explosion in Israel killing at 
least 13 and wounding more than 150. Hamas later claimed 
responsibility. Living with this kind of senseless violence is 
unbearable for all in the region and my deepest condolences go out to 
those who lost a loved one in the explosion. This latest example of 
terrorism leads me to ask the question--why isn't there peace between 
the Israelis and Palestinians? Since the Oslo accords in 1993, the 
world has witnessed rioting and bombs exploding in the streets of 
Israel, buses exploding, and Prime Ministers assassinated. With the 
stroke of a pen or an impassioned speech, one man could help restore 
peace to the region--Yassir Arafat. Instead, his silence and inaction 
has allowed the spigot of violence to flow. With the passage of the 
Forbes-Saxton amendment, the House is rejecting the policies of Arafat, 
an international terrorist.
  For the benefit of all who are following this debate, allow me to 
summarize some of the more egregious violations and examples of blatant 
misconduct by the Palestinian Authority and the PLO. There's no qustion 
about it--Arafat has blood on his hands. I ask you why should we 
squander taxpayer money on a regime that has since September 1993, the 
signing of the Oslo accords:

  First, Arafat announced that he was setting aside seats in his 
cabinet for representatives of four terrorist groups: Hamas, Islamic 
Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the 
Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. In January 1997, 
Arafat appointed Imad Halouji, a Hamas activist from Gaza, as a 
Minister Without Portfolio; and Arafat named Sheikh Talal Sidr, a Hamas 
activist from Hebron, as Minister of Youth and Sports. He was one of 
the Hamas terror leaders deported to Lebanon in 1992 by Prime Minister 
Rabin.
  Second, Arafat's cabinet announced, on May 3, 1997, that it would 
impose the death penalty for any Arab who sells land to Jews. During 
the weeks following the announcement, 3 Arab landsellers were found 
murdered.
  Third, there has never been an overall disarming of the terrorists or 
seizure of the tens of thousands of illegal weapons in the hands of 
private Arab citizens in PLO-controlled areas. Arafat has estimated 
that there are 26,000 such weapons in Gaza alone, according to other 
estimates, there are 40,000.
  Fourth, the PLO has not honored any of Israel's requests for 
extradition.
  Fifth, Palestinian Arab newspapers that fail to toe the Arafat line 
are shut down. During the past 2 years, 6 newspapers have all suffered 
this fate. The U.S. group, Human Rights Watch found that the PLO regime 
``has often acted in an arbitrary and repressive fashion, carrying out 
large numbers of political arrests, censoring the press, and failing to 
conduct credible investigations into suspected abuses.''
  Sixth, the PLO's Palestine National Council [PNC] has not revised or 
annulled the articles in the PLO National Covenant that conflict with 
the Israel-PLO accords.
  Seventh, the Palestinian Authority has failed to adhere to security 
provisions of the January 17, 1997 Hebron accord. According to the 
agreement, the Palestinians may have a total of up to 400 policemen, 
equipped with 20 vehicles and armed with 200 pistols, and 100 rifles 
for the protection of the police stations. The PA has deployed 
approximately 1,500 policemen in Hebron, nearly four times the number 
permitted under the agreement.

  If you choose to dismiss the violations I've mentioned, and keep in 
mind these are only a few, one thing is certain--the practice of 
murdering Palestinians for selling land to Jews is

[[Page E1583]]

a violation of international norms and practices and the spirit of the 
Oslo agreements, casting strong doubt whether the Palestinians are in 
compliance with any of their commitments to Israel. Any kind of U.S. 
encouragement or tolerance for this practice by the most senior 
leadership of the Palestinians Authority is unacceptable. Sending 
taxpayer money to help sustain a killer like Arafat should not be the 
policy of the U.S. Government.
  Personally, I would like to eliminate all assistance for the 
Palestinians, however, I offered this amendment because it is the right 
amendment at the right time. The State Department has failed the peace 
process by allowing Arafat's reign of terror to continue and by not 
demanding better compliance. I don't want to see the Israelis and 
Palestinians retreat from the principle of peace so an immediate 
prohibition of assistance may not be in order just yet. However, there 
are too many violations and instances of misconduct on the part of the 
Palestinians for us as a nation to ignore. We need to step back and 
reexamine what we're getting for our money. Are we getting an honest 
peace partner who respects its commitments to the Oslo accords? Is the 
U.S. assistance furthering the peaceful coexistence of Israelis and 
Palestinians? Currently, this is not the case.
  That's why it is necessary to suspend aid to the Palestinian 
Authority and PLO for 3 months until the President can report and 
certify to Congress that yes, indeed, the Palestinians are complying 
with the letter and the spirit of the Oslo accords. Nothing more 
nothing less. We're not imposing new requirements on the Palestinians, 
merely asking them to play by the rules they agreed to in 1993 when 
they signed the Oslo accords.
  It is important that my colleagues in the House are aware of the 
objective of this amendment. It is intended to suspend aid benefiting 
the Palestinian Authority and the PLO. Currently, the United States 
does not provide direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority or PLO, 
however, there are instances where U.S. assistance has been provided to 
them through a third party. Earlier this year, USAID was prepared to 
award a $1.2 million contract for the purpose of providing technical 
assistance to the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Finance. Recent 
reports of vast corruption within the Palestinian Authority worries me. 
Up to $340 million, half the Palestinian Authority's budget, is 
estimated to have been misspent or embezzled. Does the Palestinian 
Ministry of Finance really deserves $1.2 million in technical 
assistance? Talk about throwing good money after bad.
  This amendment is intended to suspend the type of assistance where 
the Palestinian Authority or the PLO are benefiting from the 
assistance. The amendment is not intended to cut off all humanitarian 
assistance to the Palestinian people. To accommodate any reservations 
members may have about this amendment cutting off humanitarian 
assistance, it is our intention that the executive branch consult with 
Congress in determining what constitutes assistance benefiting the PLO 
or the Palestinian Authority. This is a reasonable, good government 
approach. Until we can be guaranteed compliance by the Palestinians, 
aid should be suspended. U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority equals 
U.S. tolerance to terrorist acts in the Middle East.
  I congratulate my colleagues for supporting this amendment. It will 
help get the peace process back on track and will allow the President 
to verify that no U.S. assistance is making its way into the 
Palestinian Authority or the PLO or any of its affiliated entities.

                          ____________________