[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 115 (Thursday, September 4, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H6804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    PLO CHAIRMAN ARAFAT MUST KEEP HIS WORD AND CARRY OUT AGREEMENTS

  (Mr. SNOWBARGER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SNOWBARGER. Mr. Speaker, again this morning the world is 
horrified by terrorist violence in Israel. Once again, terrorist 
bombers have murdered civilians at a Jerusalem marketplace.
  When I traveled last month with several of my colleagues to Israel, 
we met with Prime Minister Netanyahu and PLO Chairman Arafat. In our 
meeting with Mr. Arafat, we questioned him about the Palestinians' 
authority, failure to crack down on terrorists, and their continuing 
incitements and encouragement of violence against Israelis. He claimed 
to be doing all that he could to prevent terrorism.
  But this assertion rings hollow when we contrast the Palestinian 
Authority's actions or the lack of them with the chairman's words. The 
Palestinian Authority is obligated to cooperate with Israeli security 
services but it refuses to extradite known terrorists, and officials of 
the Palestinian police are themselves implicated in terrorism. It has 
agreed to refrain from inciting violence and try to prevent others from 
doing so, and yet key Palestinian officials unleash violent assaults 
against Israelis, Jews, and Americans.
  And Arafat himself has praised terrorists as martyrs. This leads me 
to question what his words are actually worth. Israelis want peace. 
They want it so their children can be safer from constant threat of 
terrorist violence.
  Mr. Speaker, we must tell Mr. Arafat that unless he can keep his word 
and carry out his agreements he has already made, he cannot expect 
people to take him seriously as a partner in further negotiations.

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