[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 147 (Tuesday, October 28, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2103-E2104]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        BETWEEN PEACE AND TERROR

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 28, 1997

  Mr. BOB SCHAFFER of Colorado. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak 
about terrorism. The suicide bombings at the pedestrian mall on Ben 
Yehuda Street in Jerusalem captivated my attention. Just days before 
the terrorist act, I had been there, in the exact spot of detonation.
  In addition to the 3 Palestinian bombers, 4 innocent people died, 
more than 170 were injured. Three weeks prior, two Hamas members walked 
into an open-air market in Jerusalem, blew themselves up and killed 15 
civilians. The total number of Israelis killed since the signing of the 
Oslo peace agreement in 1993 now exceeds 250.
  While some may speculate on motives, I have come to my own 
conclusion: Suicide bombings on civilian targets are not meant to 
fulfill some thoughtful act of persuasion. They are designed to kill 
people--period.
  My mission in Israel was sponsored by the United States--based non-
profit American Israel Education Foundation. Five other Members of 
Congress made up our party. Our meetings with various Israeli and 
Palestinian leaders and officers, and United States Embassy officials, 
persuaded me that the Hamas terrorists didn't act alone.
  The suicide bombers relied upon considerable help to plan, fund, and 
execute their terror. The bombings could have and should have been 
prevented.
  My colleagues and I, who studied Israel together fired off a terse 
letter to Palestinian Chairman Yassir Arafat on September 8. ``As 
members of the United States Congress who have supported our country's 
efforts to bring about peace in the Middle East, we are writing to 
express our collective outrage not only at the latest terrorist attack 
in Jerusalem, but at the indifference you continue to demonstrate at 
the brutal murder of innocent Israeli citizens,'' the letter read.
  We supported our belief that Arafat had failed to fulfill the most 
fundamental commitments he had made to the peace agreements at Oslo. 
Because of that failure to take decisive actions against terrorism, the 
peace process is now on the verge of collapse. This is certainly not in 
the best interest of his own people.
  Clearly, the peace process is seriously set back, perhaps mortally. 
By ending security cooperation with Israel and by resorting to 
inflammatory rhetoric, Yasser Arafat has left himself with only one 
option at this point: Comply with every term in the agreements he has 
made.
  On her recent visit to the Middle East, Secretary of State Madeline 
Albright failed to press this point to a sufficient degree. There are 
plenty of issues upon which to measure the merit of further attempts to 
maintain Oslo, but the fact remains, that the PLO charter still calls 
for the destruction of Israel. Senior Palestinian Negotiator, Dr. Saeeb 
Erekat looked me right in the eyes and assured me the pernicious clause 
would be removed by now.
  If the United States is to ever expect the successful resumption of 
peace negotiations, it must demand specific responses from Arafat. The 
Palestinian Covenant must be amended, and the inflammatory rhetoric 
must end. Full security cooperation must be restored including the 
transfer to Israel of jailed terrorists accused of murdering Israelis 
and dramatic reduction of the Palestinian police force in accordance 
with the 1995 Oslo II agreement.
  Moreover, the Palestinian Authority must take concrete steps to 
arrest and punish terrorists, confiscate their weapons and crush the 
underground network of support which makes terrorist attacks possible.
  Unless the United States can pressure Arafat to honor the terms of 
past agreements,

[[Page E2104]]

there is little cause for optimism. However, America must never confuse 
its role in the Middle East. We are not a party to the Arab-Israeli 
conflict and our role is predicated on the desire of both parties to 
have us work with them to secure peace.
  As such, the United States is in a unique position to press for swift 
compliance, issue by issue, and force Arafat to decide once and for 
all, between peace and terror.

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