[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 116 (Friday, September 5, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H6949-H6954]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
EXPRESSING SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING TERRORIST BOMBING IN JERUSALEM
ON SEPTEMBER 4, 1997
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. 146) expressing the sense of
the Congress regarding the terrorist bombing in Jerusalem on September
4, 1997, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
[[Page H6950]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. 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. 146
Whereas on September 4, 1997, three terrorist bombs
exploded almost simultaneously on the Ben Yehuda street
pedestrian mail in Jerusalem, killing at least four innocent
people and wounding over 190 others; and
Whereas Hamas claimed responsibility for this bombing; and
Whereas despite a clear U.S. call that Palestinian
commitment to fight terror must be constant and absolute, PLO
Chairman Yasser Arafat convened a national unity conference
on August 20, 1997, in which he embraced leaders of the Hamas
and Islamic Holy War movements; and
Whereas in the four years that the Oslo process has been in
effect, it is clear that the leaders of the Palestinian
Authority have yet to implement in any sustained manner the
specific pledges they made in numerous agreements to: prevent
incitement and hostile propaganda; combat terrorist
organizations and their infrastructure systematically and
effectively; apprehend and punish terrorists; and confiscate
illegal firearms: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That the Congress
Expresses its outrage at this latest attack on civilian
Israelis, extends the deepest sympathies of the Congress and
the American people to the families of the victims and to the
people and Government of Israel at this tragic loss of
innocent human life, and expresses the commitment of the
American people to remain dedicated to Israel's security in
the face of this brutal and heinous act of terrorism;
Demands that Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority
systematically and comprehensively eliminate the terrorist
infrastructure and combat terrorist activities of members of
all terror groups operating in areas under its control and
fulfill the commitments the PLO made to Israel, the United
States, and the world; and
Informs PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and the leaders of the
Palestinian Authority in the strongest possible terms that
choices must now be made: either they do what they solemnly
pledged to do as part of the Oslo process to fight terror and
the terrorist infrastructure in a consistent, serious and
sustained manner, or the entire peace process, relations with
America, and the hopes of the Palestinian people for a better
future will be seriously jeopardized; and
Urges Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to underscore
to the Palestinians one distinct message: the Palestinian
Authority must fulfill its most important single obligation
of fighting terrorism relentlessly with all the means at its
disposal; and
Believes that all United States assistance to the
Palestinian Authority, whether direct or indirect, should be
suspended until such time as substantive compliance with its
commitments under the Oslo agreements is achieved.
Mr. GILMAN (during the reading). Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent
that the concurrent resolution be considered as read and printed in the
Record.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman] is
recognized for 1 hour.
(Mr. GILMAN asked and was given permission to revise and extend his
remarks.)
Mr. GILMAN. I am pleased to yield 30 minutes to the gentleman from
New York [Mr. Nadler].
General Leave
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks
on House Concurrent Resolution 146.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the pending legislation,
House Concurrent Resolution 146, which condemns the latest bombing
against Israelis which occurred just yesterday. Once again, a heinous
terrorist attack, this time at a busy pedestrian mall in Jerusalem, has
claimed innocent lives. Three terrorist bombs exploded almost
simultaneously on Ben Yehuda Street yesterday afternoon, killing at
least 4 innocent people and wounding almost 200 others. The Gaza-based
Hamas terrorist group claimed responsibility for this bombing.
Regrettably, the House considered similar legislation just a few
short weeks ago.
During the August recess, a number of my colleagues joined with me in
visiting Israel, where we paid our respects to those who were still
hospitalized from the July 30 attack. We also visited the Machaneh
Yehuda market where the bombings took place.
Today's act of terrorism occurred once again in the very heart of
Jerusalem. If Machaneh Yehuda market is where Jerusalem people buy
their fruit, meat, and vegetables, the Ben Yehuda Street pedestrian
mall is where they shop, where they bank, and where they socialize,
another busy street in Jerusalem.
This resolution before us condemns this bombing. Despite a clear
United States call for Palestinian leaders to wage a war on terror, PLO
Chairman Yasser Arafat convened a ``national unity conference'' on
August 20, 1997, in which he kissed and applauded leaders of the Hamas
and the Islamic holy war movements and warned that Palestinians were
prepared to resume their violent revolt against Israel.
Since the signing of the declaration of principles between Israel and
the PLO on September 13, 1993, over 200 Israelis have been brutally
murdered in terrorist acts, many of which were plotted by individuals
in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, repeatedly calling
into question the PLO's compliance with its commitments.
{time} 1415
Mr. Speaker, it has become increasingly clear that the leaders in the
Palestinian Authority have yet to implement the specific pledges they
made in numerous agreements to prevent incitement and hostile
propaganda, to combat terrorist organizations and their infrastructure
systematically and effectively, to apprehend and punish terrorists, and
to confiscate illegal firearms.
Mr. Speaker, Congress did not reauthorize the Middle East Peace
Facilitation Act, due to its conviction that the PLO was not complying
with its commitments. This measure that is now before us expresses our
collective outrage at this latest attack on civilian Israelis, and
makes several recommendations.
We extend our deepest sympathies to the families of the victims and
to the people and the Government of Israel with regard to this tragic
loss of innocent human life. We express the commitment of the American
people to remain dedicated to Israel's security in the face of this
brutality and heinous act of terrorism.
Chairman Arafat and the Palestinian Authority must systematically and
comprehensively eliminate the terrorist infrastructure in areas under
its control, and it must fulfill the written commitments that the PLO
made to Israel in Oslo, and to the United States and to the entire
world.
PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and the leaders of the Palestinian
Authority must understand that Congress speaks in the strongest
possible terms. The choices must now be made. Either they do what they
solemnly pledged to do under the Oslo agreements to fight terror and
the terrorist infrastructure in a consistent, serious, and sustained
manner, or the entire peace process and relations with our Nation will
be further undermined.
Our legislation also urges Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in a
forthcoming trip to the Middle East to underscore to the Palestinians
one distinct message. That is, if the Palestinian Authority does not
fulfill its most solemn, single obligation of fighting terrorism
relentlessly with all the means at its disposal, relations with our
Nation will be seriously jeopardized. This legislation also expresses a
belief that all U.S. assistance to the Palestinians be halted until
such time as substantive compliance to their commitments under the Oslo
agreement will be achieved.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the gentleman from
Indiana [Mr. Hamilton], our ranking minority member, and the gentleman
from California [Mr. Berman], our distinguished committee colleague,
for their close involvement and original cosponsorship of this bill. I
also want to thank those who cosponsored House Concurrent Resolution
146 on such short notice.
Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to voice strong
support for this measure, and request its urgent adoption.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
[[Page H6951]]
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to first acknowledge the great assistance and aid
in drafting this resolution of the gentleman from California [Mr.
Berman], who cannot be here at the moment, without whose assistance and
work this would not have been drafted.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to my colleague, the gentleman from
New York [Mr. Engel].
Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentleman from New
York, for yielding time to me.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. I have just
recently gotten back from a trip to the Middle East, which I took with
the gentleman from New York, Chairman Gilman, and had the opportunity
there to express my sense of outrage over the previous bombings in
Jerusalem on July 30, and certainly my outrage is even more intense
after the spate of bombings yesterday.
Let me tell my colleagues what I said to Mr. Arafat face to face on
August 21. It was the day after he convened his so-called unity
conference, and kissed the leader of Hamas, and embraced all the people
in the Palestinian camp, including those who support terrorism.
I was very unequivocal and forthright, and told Mr. Arafat that he
had to make a very important decision; that we in the Congress would
not continue to fund the Palestinian Authority, we would not continue
to fund any of these activities, unless he went after the terrorists,
unless he went after them actively, unless he moved to break up their
infrastructure, unless he fulfilled his commitments under the Oslo
accords.
I have not been convinced, sadly, that he has fulfilled his
objectives. We understand and we know that he can go after the
terrorists if he so chooses. He has, unfortunately, this year chosen
not to do so. Last year there were some times when he went after the
terrorists. He went after them, he tried to break up their
infrastructure, but we have not seen him do it at all this year.
When the Palestinian population was rioting in the town of Hebron,
the riots went on for days and days and days, and when Mr. Arafat
decided there was enough, he moved his police in and they effectively
were able to quell the rioting. We know that there can be effective
measures taken by Mr. Arafat to destroy the Hamas terrorist
infrastructure. He chooses not to do so.
I would say to Mr. Arafat what I said to him face to face, and I will
say it again and again. The ball is squarely in his court. He can no
longer talk out of 16 sides of his mouth. Either you support terrorism
or you do not. Supporting terrorism does not mean that you have to be
the one to plan the actions. Supporting terrorism means that you know
actions are being planned and you do nothing to stop it, you do nothing
to destroy it, you do nothing to break it up.
Mr. Speaker, let us be very clear. The peace talks, the Oslo accords,
the underpinning of the Oslo accords was combating terrorism. Terrorism
cannot be equated with anything else. It cannot be equated with the
building of homes, it cannot be equated with closures, it cannot be
equated with collective punishment, so to speak. Terrorism has to stand
by itself. If terrorism is not eradicated, if terrorism is not gone
after, there can be no peace process, there will be no peace process,
and there will be no peace.
Mr. Arafat has to decide. Terrorism cannot be used as a legitimate
negotiating tool. That is what he is doing. He is looking the other
way. He is winking at terrorism. He is saying, I did not plan it, I did
not do it, I am not at fault. That is not enough. That is not good
enough. How many more people are going to be killed and maimed,
innocent people, including American citizens, killed and maimed by
terrorist bombs?
I went in the latest trip to Hadassah Hospital and saw some of the
victims. One of those victims was a 15-year-old Arab boy who had his
leg blown off in the market in Jerusalem. Bombs do not know the
difference between Arabs and Israelis or Americans or anybody else.
Bombs kill and maim people.
I say to Mr. Arafat and to those with him in the Palestinian
Authority, we in the U.S. Congress are not going to stand idly by and
pretend there is business as usual. No leader of any country can
continue to accept innocent civilians being blown up wantonly in the
street.
I say that enough is enough. We are at our wit's end. Our patience is
over in this Congress. Until we see the Palestinian Authority and Mr.
Arafat actively go after the terrorists, actively break up the Hamas
infrastructure, and actively do the things that we know he is capable
of doing, we will not believe that he is serious in combating
terrorism.
So I support this resolution wholeheartedly. I said it to him face to
face, to Mr. Arafat face to face, on August 21, and I say it now in the
U.S. Congress, exactly what I repeated to him, except I think it is
even more important now. We will not stand for terrorism. We insist
that the Palestinian Authority and Mr. Arafat live up to his
commitments under the Oslo accords to fight terrorism, get at the root
of terrorism.
If he does not do that, then there can be no peace process and the
blame will rest solely at the foot of Mr. Arafat. The ball is in his
court. He has to decide what he wants to do. Let us see some serious
going after terrorism before I will vote for one more red cent for the
Palestinian Authority.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Florida [Mr. Weldon].
Mr. WELDON of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding
to me.
I rise in strong support of this resolution. I commend him, as well
as the ranking member of the committee, and all my colleagues who have
worked on behalf of this resolution. I certainly extend my condolences
and condolences from the people of the 15th Congressional District to
the people of Israel who have, again, been victimized by the
terrorists, and in particular, by this very, very ugly form of
political terrorism, the suicide bomber.
I had the opportunity as well to go to Israel in August and visited
with the Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu, as well as the defense minister
and the Arab negotiators. I additionally had the opportunity of
visiting the Jerusalem market where the bomb exploded in July, and I
personally, along with my wife, we were at the Ben Yehuda Street where
this recent bombing occurred.
I can tell all of my colleagues that this is the most vicious,
despicable form of terrorism that is imaginable, where you send suicide
bombers into shopping markets where innocent men, women, and children
are, and as very correctly pointed out by our colleague, Palestinians
are actually in the area. They are blowing themselves up, in some
instances.
Mr. Speaker, this is a form of mindless terrorism. What is extremely
disturbing about all of this, as has been indicated by the previous two
speakers, there is abundant evidence that Mr. Arafat has the ability to
put a stop to this; that he has actually attended a meeting and spoken
in support of Hamas, and Hamas has taken credit, responsibility, for
this act. For Mr. Arafat to claim to be in support of peace, in my
opinion, is hypocrisy. Some people have risen up and said he should
return his Nobel Peace Prize, and I would say he should, at this point.
Just a few minutes ago in this body we rose and had a moment of
silence in recognition of Mother Teresa, a woman who is recognized the
world over for her work on behalf of the poor and the innocent, and the
sacrifices she has made in her life in respect of human life. Yet, just
1 day ago we can see that others in another place in this world decided
that they were going to take brute force in their hands and kill
innocent women and children, innocent elderly people.
The problems that exist in the Middle East are serious, but they will
not be moved forward, peace will never occur in the Middle East, as
long as there are people in Hamas, in the PLO, that are willing to
resort to these kinds of heinous acts in order to fulfill their ends.
I encourage all my colleagues to support this resolution. I again
commend the chairman and the ranking member and all of my colleagues on
both sides of the aisle for their work on behalf of this. I rise in
strong support of this, and in opposition to terrorism in any place in
this world.
[[Page H6952]]
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Florida for his
strong, supportive arguments.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes.
Mr. Speaker, this latest atrocity in Jerusalem tears the heart out of
all civilized people. It is another example of terrorism, which is a
crime against all of us. It is not only a crime against all of us and
against all concepts of civilized life, it is a crime against peace,
and it is intended to be a crime against peace.
The whole campaign by Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the last 2 years has
been a campaign of terror, to make sure there will be no peace accord
between Israel and the Palestinians and the neighboring Arab countries.
Unfortunately, Yasser Arafat, head of the Palestinian Authority and the
Palestine Liberation Organization, has played into their hands, into
the hands of the terrorists, and has done so deliberately.
He has his own political problems in the Palestinian constituency. We
all appreciate political problems, but that is no excuse for allowing
murder. It is no excuse for winking at murder, for encouraging murder.
If the peace process collapses, as it seems to be doing, it will be on
Mr. Arafat's head. The blame and the blood will be on his hands for
playing with the terrorists.
We must all remember in looking at this the key element of the entire
Middle East peace process. The key element is land for peace. Israel
will trade land to the Palestinians, will give up sovereignty, will
give up control of land, and how much land and which land is to be
debated, to be discussed, to be negotiated, but will give up land in
return for peace.
{time} 1430
But this is not a symmetrical process. Land is tangible and once
given up is very difficult or impossible to recover. Peace is a
promise. So the peace process is that Israel gives up tangible land in
return for a promise. And the peace process says we will spend a few
years developing confidence.
But what kind of confidence can Israel develop that she will be
allowed to live in peace and security once she has given the
Palestinians everything they are going to get, everything they want; if
she is continually attacked and if men, women, and children in the
streets of Israel are continually attacked by terrorist bombs; and if
Mr. Arafat holds a day of unity with the terrorists, with the bombers,
and kisses one of their leaders; if Mr. Arafat, when there is a
terrorist bombing and the world is aghast, says to his people, Round up
the usual suspects, and a week later releases them; when Mr. Arafat has
broken every commitment so far he has made under the Oslo accords?
Mr. Speaker, remember some of those commitments, some of the easy
ones. Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization is supposed to
repeal those provisions of the Palestinian charter that call for the
destruction of Israel and for the murder of its entire population. They
have not done so. A document that calls for genocide, they cannot
repeal. They promised to do so in 1993. They did not do it.
When Israel gave up Hebron, withdrew her troops from Hebron last
year, the promise was that they would repeal that charter within 2
weeks. That is a year ago and they have not done so. There cannot be an
agreement, there cannot be a peace process if Arafat and Company
continue to wink at terrorism and do not bring everything to bear, all
their forces to bear to stop it.
We know that Arafat talks out of both sides of his mouth and uses
violence and the threat of violence as a negotiating weapon. As the
gentleman from New York [Mr. Engel] said before, when the stone-
throwing mobs and the mobs that were shooting at Israeli soldiers last
year with slingshots and other weapons were suddenly told by Mr.
Arafat, ``Stop,'' they stopped.
There can be no peace process if Arafat does not finally decide, if
he is not persuaded by American pressure, by other pressure, by maybe
common sense, that he must stop trying to coddle the terrorists, he
cannot do business with them, and if there is going to be a peace, he
must crack down and do everything in his power to stop the terrorists.
Mr. Speaker, in the United States we have gone a long, long way in
turning our eyes; to give him the benefit of the doubt; to say maybe he
is not coddling the terrorists; let us continue giving him aid. But I
think we have come to the end of that road. We should have come to the
end of that road a while ago.
Mr. Speaker, I strongly support this resolution, and I say to Ms.
Albright, the Secretary of State, and the President, the one major
purpose of that trip next week to the Middle East must be to convince
Mr. Arafat that if the peace process is not going to be broken down,
war resumed, and everyone blaming him, he must crack down on the
terrorists. He must be seen doing it, and there must be confidence that
there is someone there worth negotiating with and not simply a snake in
the grass.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from
California [Mr. Lantos].
Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I want to commend the gentleman from New
York [Mr. Gilman], my good friend and the distinguished chairman of the
Committee on International Relations, for introducing this resolution.
Mr. Speaker, it seems we were here just a few weeks ago dealing with
an identical resolution, at which time we all hoped that perhaps we saw
the last of these monstrous terrorist attacks on innocent women,
children, and the elderly in the streets of Jerusalem.
Apparently, Mr. Speaker, the series of outrages have not yet ended.
But the hypocritical charade of Yasser Arafat is at an end. This
corrupt dictator who has misconstrued the patience of the Congress and
the American people must now understand that our patience has been
exhausted. We will no longer tolerate his embrace of the leaders of
terrorist gangs. We will no longer tolerate the double-talk that on
American television emphasizes the importance of the peace process,
while in the streets of Gaza and the West Bank whips up sentiments of
hate, violence, and bloodshed.
Mr. Speaker, Secretary Albright is going to the region at a critical
moment. She has the full support of this body and of the American
people in making it clear to Yasser Arafat that the game is over. This
corrupt dictator can no longer play along with the goodwill and the
patience and the genuine desire of the American people and the American
Congress to see a peace evolve between the Palestinians and Israel.
Mr. Speaker, we will not tolerate one more school girl's body torn
apart by terrorist bombs without full, significant retaliation. The
infrastructure of the terrorists must now be destroyed by Arafat. If it
will not be destroyed by Arafat, it will be destroyed by the Israeli
defense forces, because to continue this series of terrorist attacks in
the city of Jerusalem is simply unacceptable by the civilized world.
Mr. Speaker, our President spoke forcefully and eloquently on this
subject. The American people are united behind the policy of firmness.
Yasser Arafat must understand that the clock has now struck 12. He will
either destroy the terrorist infrastructure or that infrastructure will
be destroyed for him.
As the only survivor of the Holocaust ever elected to this body, I
witnessed at close range the mass murder of 6 million innocent people.
I am sick and tired of seeing this process repeated piecemeal in the
streets of Jerusalem.
Our patience is now at an end. We have suspended aid, but that is
only step No. 1. This Congress and the American people are determined
that the bloodbath in the streets of Jerusalem can no longer continue.
We are anxious for peace, but for peace to take place the terrorists
must be exterminated, their infrastructure destroyed, their embrace
ended, and a truly genuine attempt at reconciling the long-suffering
people, the Palestinians and Israelis, must at long last begin.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from
California [Mr. Sherman].
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, 2 weeks ago, along with the gentleman from
[[Page H6953]]
New York [Mr. Gilman], I had a chance to visit in Hadassah Hospital
Intensive Care Ward with several of the victims of the last atrocity in
Mahane Yehuda Market, and I saw not only the pain but the
indiscriminate effect of these acts of terrorism.
One of the individuals we visited was an Arab boy, the other a
Lutheran minister. And just as that memory seared of looking at the
faces of those, and the hands still burned, of those who suffered from
that atrocity, we face another atrocity at Ben Yehuda Market, and 7
deaths and over 100 wounded.
There is something that can be done, not to ease the suffering of the
families, but at least to say: Never again. It is time for Yassir
Arafat to change that Palestinian charter the way the gentleman from
New York pointed out. It is time for him to crack down on the Hamas'
infrastructure the way the previous gentleman from California remarked.
And it is time for Mr. Arafat to go to every Arab capital and say, Now
is the time to end hatred and venom against the Jewish people from
Tehran to Libya, because Israel has already made unforced territorial
concessions.
Mr. Speaker, there is more that the United States can do. Yes, our
Secretary of State can and should go to the Middle East to focus
exclusively on security for Israel and for an end to terrorism. But
there is one other thing we can do.
There was a besieged city in the early 1960's, Berlin, and our
President went there to show solidarity and he said, ``Ich bin ein
Berliner.'' Now Jerusalem and its people are under siege from terrorism
and there is something of equivalent import we can do, and that is move
the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem now, without reservation, without
condition, and making it plain that we stand with the citizens of
Jerusalem as they stand against terrorism. It is time for everyone to
do what they can to make amends for this tragedy.
Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California [Mr. Sherman] for
not only his comments today, but for being with us when we went to the
hospitals to pay our respects to the victims and also to conduct a
memorial service at the marketplace where the last bombing took place.
And, Mr. Speaker, I take this opportunity to thank all of my colleagues
for their support of this measure.
It is with a great deal of outrage and frustration, however, that we
once again have to consider this kind of legislation. Let us hope and
pray that we will not have to take up any more measures extending our
sympathies to the families of the people of Israel as a result of the
violence at hands of terrorists.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to turn over the balance of my
time to the gentleman from Nebraska [Mr. Bereuter] vice chairman of our
Committee on International Relations, and that he be permitted to
control that time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Gibbons). Is there objection to the
request of the gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 1 minute.
Mr. Speaker, I say to the gentleman from New York [Mr. Gilman] before
he leaves, that I want to express my appreciation for the gentleman's
efforts in bringing this to the floor. It is my hope that this
resolution will help lead from the crossroads where we are now, whether
we will go down the road to war in the Middle East or to peace, that
this resolution will be a milestone, hopefully, on the road to peace.
Mr. Speaker, I urge unanimous adoption of the resolution, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise with a heavy heart in
full support of this resolution expressing the sense of Congress
regarding the terrorist bombing in Jerusalem yesterday.
I am, like many of my colleagues, a strong advocate for a negotiated
peace in the Middle East and have felt with each attack a renewed sense
of urgency to move forward in this process.
On the behalf of the residents of the 18th Congressional District, I
offer the families of the people killed and the people injured our
sympathy, but also our encouragement in their search for a lasting
peace built on the work set forth in Oslo.
The rule of chaos and lawlessness must not win the day, or the dawn
of the next century will not bring the unlimited promise that peace in
the Middle East could offer this generation and the next.
I have two school age children who understand that unrest anywhere in
the world threatens the security of the world that they will some day
inherent. I would hope for the children of the Middle East that the
conflicts of the past not be adopted as their own, but left in the past
where they belong.
I would ask that all Americans join in the efforts to bring all sides
in the Middle East peace process back to the negotiating table. That
those who cater to or support terrorist activities are working against
the Palestinian people and preventing them from reaching their full
potential.
I would also ask that all who have influence on the parties to the
peace process aid them in moving toward each other and not be
controlled by the bombmakers.
Mr. BERMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a cosponsor of the
concurrent resolution now before this House expressing the sense of the
Congress regarding the terrorist bombing in Jerusalem on September 4,
1997.
The choice in the Middle East is clear: PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat
must do everything possible in his power to aid Israel in fighting the
scourge of terrorism or the peace process begun so hopefully in Oslo
will die at the hands of Hamas suicide bombers.
That the peace process has been in trouble in recent months, there
can be no doubt. That fault can be found with both parties in
implementing their commitments under Oslo, there can be no doubt as
well.
But now is not the time to engage in verbal score keeping. Now is the
time for a clear commitment by Chairman Arafat to keep his solemn
pledge to combat terrorism.
The blood spilled on Ben Yehuda Street demonstrates all too vividly
that the leaders of the Palestinian Authority have not implemented the
promise made in the context of the Oslo peace process to: First,
prevent incitement and hostile propaganda; second, combat terrorist
organizations and their infrastructure systematically and effectively;
third, apprehend and punish terrorists, and fourth, confiscate illegal
firearms.
Chairman Arafat's solemn promise to do everything possible to fight
terrorism is at the heart of the peace process. It was his sacred oath
to the Israeli people. He must keep that promise for the Israeli people
to keep their faith in Oslo.
I urge my colleagues to support this concurrent resolution. Its
message is clear: There can be no progress toward peace nor American
support for the Palestinian Authority unless Chairman Arafat fulfills
his obligation to fight terrorism. The hopes of both Israelis and the
Palestinian people depend on Chairman Arafat fulfilling his promise of
peace.
Mrs. McCARTHY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I would like to extend my
deepest sympathies to the families of those caught in the senseless
bombing that shattered the fragile peace and security to which so many
in Israel cling.
Yesterday, three suicide bombers entered the main pedestrian area in
Jerusalem and within minutes of each other set off three bombs killing
themselves and three and injuring at least 165. The injury toll is
still climbing.
Watching the carnage, I shuddered how just last week I had walked
down some of the very same streets where this violent attack occurred.
In fact, I shopped at the stores located in this crowded area and spoke
with the shopkeepers about the recent United States warning against
travel to Israel. Those streets are crowded with tourists from around
the world; residents out for a stroll or enjoying a quiet lunch, and
students. Within walking distance of this area is the hotel where I
stayed.
Senseless and cowardly acts of terrorism like this bombing must stop.
They do nothing to advance peace in the Middle East.
This time, apologies like those given after the July 30 bombing will
never bring about a peaceful resolution. The Palestinian Authority must
honor its solemn promise to combat terrorism. If this does not happen,
America will be forced to reconsider its willingness to deal with the
Palestinian Authority.
Knowing how it feels to have your life turned upside down by
violence, I would like to extend my deepest sympathies and ask the
American people to keep the families of those injured and killed in
their prayers.
{time} 1445
Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Speaker, I wish to express my support for the
resolution. I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore [Mr. Gibbons]. Without objection, the
previous question is ordered on the concurrent resolution.
There was no objection.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the concurrent
resolution.
[[Page H6954]]
The concurrent resolution was agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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