[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 120 (Thursday, September 11, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1739]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          JERUSALEM TERRORISM

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                            HON. RICK LAZIO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 11, 1997

  Mr. LAZIO of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly condemn 
the most recent terrorist attacks in Jerusalem's Rehov Ben-Yehuda 
pedestrian mall. I was deeply saddened to learn, once again, of such a 
horrible act carried out by a group so willing to claim responsibility. 
My heart goes out to the families of the victims.
  At this critical point in the Middle East peace process we must do 
all that we can to promote this fragile initiative and move forward. 
This week, Secretary of State Albright will travel to the Middle East 
and will hold important meetings with leaders in that region. She needs 
to carry a strong message, backed by both the administration and the 
U.S. Congress, that the terror must stop. There is an end to our 
patience; we will not forever call for continuation of a process that 
is flawed and dangerous.
  Those who are using terrorism as a tool must learn that it is not the 
way, and there is no excuse. Terrorism is not the way to accomplish any 
goal. Innocent people deserve to live their lives in peace, without the 
constant threat of terrorist attack. The responsibility for this falls 
on chairman Arafat. Simply put, Chairman Arafat must live up to the 
promises that he has already made as part of the Oslo accords.
  In the Oslo accords, signed in 1993, the Palestinians committed to 
fighting terrorism and searching out those who commit acts of terrorism 
and punishing them accordingly. They have been negligent at fulfilling 
this promise, the most fundamental of the Oslo accords. Mr. Arafat has 
allowed these acts to go on, has allowed known terrorists to continue 
to operate, and has completely failed to live up to these promises. The 
United States must keep an even closer eye on the situation than it has 
in the past.
  The time for Mr. Arafat to fulfill his commitments is now. The most 
recent tragedy in Jerusalem will only be repeated if he continues to 
operate as he has done in the past. I promise my colleagues that I will 
do all that I can to assure that the United States keeps a most 
watchful eye on Mr. Arafat, and that our aid to the Palestinians is 
carefully scrutinized based on his actions.




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