[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 117 (Monday, September 8, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8933-S8934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      RECENT BOMBINGS IN JERUSALEM

 Mr. MOYNIHAN. Mr. President, the news from Israel is painful 
to all who cherish the prophetic vision of peace in the Holy Land. On 
Sunday, September

[[Page S8934]]

26, 1993, less than 2 weeks after the signing of the Oslo accords, I 
addressed a public forum in New York City with Israeli Foreign Minister 
Shimon Peres and declared, inter alia:

       And now, the Palestinian leaders have said, we will--at 
     long last--beat our swords into plowshares. We will yield up 
     Kalishnikovs and Katyushas to concentrate on the arts of 
     accounting, civil administration, health care and 
     construction. Now if any nation on Earth has a right to say 
     ``no'' it was Israel. But Israel said ``yes,'' declaring, in 
     the moving words of Prime Minister Rabin: ``Enough!'' We are 
     willing to take this chance. To see your words converted to 
     deeds. The Knesset has voted after a vigorous and thoughtful 
     debate. The bedrock of the United States-Israeli friendship 
     is our deep respect for Israeli democracy. The democracy has 
     spoken and will have our support as it always has.

  The question of what response the Congress takes toward aid to the 
Palestinian Authority should reflect first and foremost the results of 
careful consultation with the Government of Israel. The Israeli 
Government has taken appropriate and firm measures in response to this 
latest atrocity. We must support them and let Chairman Arafat know that 
even the perception of his supporting terror is unacceptable to the 
American people, much less the thinly veiled utilization of terror as 
diplomacy by other means.
  May I also commend to the Members of the Senate a thoughtful 
resolution from the leadership of the Union of Orthodox Jewish 
Congregations which addresses the issues raised by the bombing in 
Jerusalem. I ask that the resolution be printed in the Record.
  The resolution follows:

Orthodox Union Resolution on the Jerusalem Bombing of September 4, 1997

       The Union of Orthodox Congregations of America, 
     representing nearly 1,000 Orthodox Jewish synagogues 
     nationwide, expresses its outrage at the deadly terrorist 
     attack perpetrated this morning by suicide bombers in 
     Jerusalem. Again, acts of terrorism and murder against 
     innocent civilians in Jerusalem streets have been committed 
     including the wounding of American youth studying in Israel. 
     This latest atrocity once again makes a mockery of the 
     Palestinian Authority's solemn commitments to fight the 
     terrorist organizations, their infrastructure and prevent 
     violence and incitement to terror, the condition upon which 
     the late Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin and Israeli Knesset 
     agreed to the Oslo process. Arafat's embrace of Hamas, the 
     release from prison of Hamas terrorists, and the incendiary 
     statements made by Arafat and other Palestinian officials 
     have given the terrorist organizations a virtual green light 
     for terror operations in Israel. Ironically, the Palestinian 
     Authority dares to use this failure to combat terrorism as a 
     means of pressuring Israel into making concessions, a tactic 
     which completely negates the peace negotiations. The hope for 
     success of any peace negotiations in the continuing 
     atmosphere of terrorism, death and ongoing calls for Jihad, 
     is dramatically and sadly diminished. The recent New York 
     Times photo of Mr. Arafat embracing Hamas leaders is not an 
     isolated instance but illustrative of an apparent agreement 
     between Hamas and the PA to countenance terrorism provided it 
     did not emanate from areas controlled by the PA. In essence, 
     the Hamas is acting as an adjunct of the PLO, clearly 
     demonstrating that Mr. Arafat views terror as an instrument 
     of diplomacy.
       The Orthodox Union has long been on record calling for 
     suspension of any United States and European aid to the 
     Palestinian Authority unless they comply with the agreements 
     they signed. Those who sanction mass murder do not deserve 
     the support of civilized nations. The Orthodox Union urges 
     Congress to continue suspending U.S. aid to the Palestinian 
     Authority in light of the PA's continuing refusal to disarm 
     or outlaw terrorist groups, its refusal to extradite 
     terrorists to Israel and Arafat's continued speeches praising 
     the murderers of Jews as ``heroes and martyrs''. Chairman 
     Arafat has to learn once and for all that terror and violence 
     are the antithesis of peace. Words are not enough. The 
     American administration must take concrete measures in order 
     to ensure that Mr. Arafat shuts down the terrorist mechanism 
     that operate to threaten Israel.
       Israel's first responsibility is to the safety and security 
     of its people. Israel cannot move forward in the peace 
     process unless the threat of terror and violence that is part 
     and parcel of the Palestinian policy is permanently 
     eradicated.
       The Orthodox Union grieves with the families of the 
     murdered victims of this horrendous, senseless attack. May 
     they be comforted amongst the mourners of Zion and 
     Jerusalem.

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