[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 135 (Thursday, October 1, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1853-E1854]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              THE NEED TO IMPROVE THE PALESTINIAN ECONOMY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 1, 1998

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to the attention of 
my colleagues the Dvar Torah sermon Leo Kramer gave at the Adas Israel 
Congregation on August 8, 1998. The sermon is entitled ``The 
Palestinians: The Strangers amongst Us.''
  Leo Kramer is an international business consultant with strong ties 
to Israel, but also with a strong commitment to helping the 
Palestinians enhance their economy. He sees Palestinian economic 
advancement as a key Israeli and U.S. interest and as essential to 
promoting real and effective peace. He says ``We need to change the 
facts. The facts of Palestinian poverty, lack of export access, lack of 
dignity and respect. Once the facts change, the attitudes will 
change``. And peace will be promoted.
  Leo Kramer's remarks follows:

             ``The Palestinians: The Strangers Amongst Us''

                            (By Leo Kramer)

       As Americans, as Jews, our commitment, our objective is 
     clear--a secure Israel where Judaism thrives, the salvation 
     of the Jewish people
       This is only possible in a peaceful environment.
       What has happened the last 50 years?
       Where are we now?
       The answers ethically and practically are in Torah. 
     Morality leading to action guarantees results.
       ``Do that which is right and good'' (Deuteronomy, Chapter 
     VI, verse 18), page 772 of Hertz Chumash--second edition.
       ``To do them'' (Deuteronomy Chapter IV verse 1), page 756.
       Man must act. Not only believe.
       Not declarations for peace,
       Not excuses based on what is wrong with others,
       But to do what is right and ``to do'' means to deliver on 
     the ground, where people live.
       And what is right in our treatment of the strangers is 
     clear.
       How to Treat the Strangers (The Palestinians):
       1. ``You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you 
     were strangers in the land of Egypt'' (Exodus, Chapter 22, 
     verse 20).
       2. ``And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye 
     shall not do him wrong, The stranger that sojourneth with you 
     shall be unto you as the home born among you, and thou shalt 
     love him as thyself'' (Leviticus Chapter, 19 verses 33-34).
       3. ``And I charged your Judges . . . Hear the causes 
     between your brethren and judge righteously between the man 
     and his brother and the stranger that is with him''. 
     (Deuteronomy Chapter IV verse 16).
       The strangers amongst us, amongst our brethren, are the 
     Palestinians.
       And who are these Palestinians? Stereotypes don't work. 
     Sometimes anecdotal history helps:
       Ewan Clague, my colleague, no longer with us, who served 
     four presidents and was the head of the Bureau of Labor 
     Statistics, taught me, ``If your eyes differ with data, 
     believe your eyes.''
       Let me tell you what my eyes have seen and what my ears 
     have heard.
       A. When I last was in Amman, people remembered my first 
     visit. Yes, I said, five years ago. No, they said eight.
       That was the beginning of this mission taking the road less 
     traveled. And as Robert Frost wrote. . . . ``that has made 
     all the difference.''
       When Israel agreed at that time with the European Community 
     on the unrestricted shipment of Palestinian goods to Europe, 
     Israeli leadership asked me to help the Palestinians because 
     they were sure that economic problems would follow.
       Sometime later my wife and I were invited to a New Year's 
     Eve party in Amman.
       On arrival, we found ourselves meeting with Palestinians 
     who also asked for the same help.
       Israelis and Palestinians requesting the same positive help 
     started me on this less traveled road.
       B. Soon I found myself setting in a packing house in Gaza. 
     Present were fathers and sons, brothers and uncles and 
     nephews and soon I wondered why they all have the familiar 
     American accent. I asked how come and where they were 
     educated. I found they went to college in Michigan, Tennessee 
     and Arizona.
       C. And some time later an orthodox Jew in New York says, 
     ``Leo, you must explain to the Palestinians the effect and 
     meaning of Passover. And he prepared an excellent summary for 
     them which I delivered. Not long thereafter, I find myself 
     sitting with the Palestinians in Gaza, explaining Passover. 
     They say they don't get it.
       And I explained Passover again and they don't see the 
     significance I am about to give

[[Page E1854]]

     up when a leader of the political Palestinian movement, 
     Fatah, shouts out, ``You mean Pesach, Leo!''
       Not our stereotypical view of the Palestinians--but real!
       Do these stories sound like the teaching of these last 50 
     years? Not at all!
       What has been our education leading to orientation and 
     attitude?
       Fear and hate have been used to squeeze money out of us. 
     And in the process no distinction was made between: all Arabs 
     and Palestinians, and Palestinians in Israel, and 
     Palestinians across the green line.
       And there is a world of difference between the groups.
       We were told if we do not contribute, our brethren will be 
     thrown into the sea and to prove it, let us tell you how evil 
     are the Palestinians. The image stuck.
       Was fundraising now a substitute for religion and Torah and 
     we gave and did not notice the world was changing?
       The Torah does not say, ``Do that which is right'' only to 
     those you like and admire. However, it is clear if you do 
     what is right, you will reduce the arena from which 
     terrorists are recruited.
       Torah teaching--practical solution.
       These 50 years we kept our views and did not notice 
     changes.
       We must not confuse security with terrorism. Did Israel not 
     win every war? And is not Israel's military partner, the USA, 
     the only real power by far, not only in the Middle East, but 
     in the world? Are we not proud of Israel's might?
       And the Palestinians? No army, no F-16s, no MI tanks--no 
     U.S. military alliance. The Palestinians have been a beaten 
     people--their life has been in part determined by Jews. In 
     such a circumstance, how does our religion tell us to behave?
       What I am saying would be the same during Rabin's days, 
     during Peres' days, during Netanyahu's days. My statement 
     before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South 
     Asian Affairs, at the Capitol, Thursday, July 13, 1995.
       In part: Some years ago I came to the conclusion that the 
     critical element essential to achieve peace in the Middle 
     East was the economic well being and the dignity of the 
     Palestinian people. And this was in the interest of Israel 
     and the Jewish people.
       Who has the power to make these critical changes and 
     improvements? Not the Palestinians, not the PLO and not the 
     PNA (Palestinian National Authority).
       The resources, the power, and the controls in these 
     critical areas lie with the West, the donor nations, the 
     United States and Israel.
       Until these matters are adequately addressed, there can be 
     no lasting peace.
       If they are not addressed, we will not stop this 
     generation's hate from being passed on to the next generation 
     and the children will be fighting each other. We must now 
     allow this to happen.
       The state of Israel and the well-being of its people are 
     not threatened by a Palestinian Army, Air Force or Navy. They 
     are not a security threat to the nation of Israel.
       Some equate terrorism to a security threat. That in turn is 
     used to delay economic liberation of the Palestinian people 
     which, if not achieved, will guarantee that the children of 
     this generation will still be at war. We cannot allow that. 
     Yes, we must stop terrorism but how?
       Economic deprivation will breed further terrorism. Raising 
     the economic standard gives us hope.
       I was proud to be appointed to participate in the peace 
     signing in Cairo. I heard my government announce that without 
     economic progress on the ground, peace is a risk. I agreed 
     then and I agree now, Palestinians are still waiting for that 
     delivery. We can no longer delay.
       I have heard over and over again the Israeli pronouncement 
     that the well being of the Palestinians is in their interest. 
     I agree.
       Hurts of the past must not be excuses for continuing hurts 
     into the future.
       Free passage of goods, open markets, investments and 
     reliability of American commitment will produce prosperity 
     and peace in the region.
       Four conditions are needed, which are interdependent:
       1. Reliable access to crossing borders for export.
       2. The opening of overseas markets.
       3. Private sector investment funds, i.e., perhaps $100 
     million from the American side to challenge the Palestinians 
     to provide another $100 million to support and give 
     confidence to the private sector for medium size investment 
     based on reliable border crossings and open markets and long 
     term commitments. Then we will see the capability of the 
     Palestinians, the development, more effective use of our aid 
     money.
       4. A U.S. participation that is dependable and firm in the 
     peace process, via the Middle-East Peace Facilitation Act.
       True eight years ago. True three years ago. True today!
       Recent conclusion by Ha'aretz (Israeli newspaper):
       ``Exports from the territories to overseas markets are 
     still hamstrung by a seemingly infinite number of 
     bureaucratic hurdles that pose under the guise of ``security 
     consideration'' and which are forcing Palestinian 
     manufacturers to export their products via Israeli companies. 
     The atmosphere of political uncertainty is dissuading 
     potential investors from sinking funds into the Palestinian 
     economy's manufacturing sector.
       It is therefore not in the least surprising that, in this 
     unhealthy economic climate, wages on the West Bank and in 
     Gaza have dropped.''
       How can you earn a living if you cannot get what you 
     produce to market at a proper price?
       The reality! What are we doing? What should we do?
       There is not a single Jewish organization, not one 
     contributing in any way to peace process. There is 
     fundraising using the word ``Peace'' but delivering nothing--
     nothing on the ground, nothing across the green line. And 
     without a proper peace, there can be no Jewish life in 
     Israel. Not a single Jewish based organization in Washington 
     (or any in the US or the UK--find them) is contributing one 
     penny to peace on the ground--not one penny across the green 
     line. Funding projects in Israel proper is fine, but if we 
     ignore what is happening beyond the green line how are we 
     truly contributing to peace?
       Why?
       Who knows?
       Is 50-year education too difficult to change?
       Does fundraising without commitment pay off?
       Commitment to the moral and practical teaching of the Torah 
     will pay off--will bring peace.
       What must we Jews do now? The salvation of our people is at 
     stake. We must not focus on what is wrong with others. That 
     is no excuse! What to do? We must perform on the ground, the 
     only way to reduce terrorism.
       Contribute to those organizations that can demonstrate to 
     your without any, ifs ands and buts that money is resulting 
     in a better health, a better life, a better education on the 
     other side of the Green Line for the Palestinian people.
       This is where the urgent need is. That is what the Torah 
     commands us to do.
       If we are talking about peace, we must address the well 
     being of the Palestinian people on the other side of the 
     Green Line.
       We have no time for do-good conferences. We have no time 
     for pleasantries. We must do things that improve the well 
     being of the ``strangers'' amongst us, those on the other 
     side of the Green Line. We have no time to wait to change 
     attitudes. We need to change the facts. The facts of 
     Palestinian poverty, lack of export access, lack of dignity 
     and respect. Once the facts change, the attitudes will 
     change.
       A leader of Egypt asked me why the Palestinian oranges at 
     Ashdod are crushed and I said I did not know. And he said, 
     ``They are your cousins, Leo, and you must find out.''
       I met with the appropriate military authority. They asked 
     do you want an investigation? And I said no. Do I want 
     sensitivity training through various international funds? No. 
     Then what do you want?
       We must appoint a person to be responsible, a colonel who 
     need not like the Palestinians, who has the assignment to see 
     that their products get on the ship undamaged so that they 
     arrive in good shape for the customers. And the colonel will 
     do so if he knows the price of failure, dishonorable 
     discharge and loss of pension.
       He will then do the job, his children will see that it 
     works, and his grandchildren will live in a better world. 
     First change the facts, Do that which is right and good, then 
     the people will learn and attitudes will change.
       Do that which is right and good and peace will follow.
       There is a program for the improvement of health, 
     fortunately without great publicity and political 
     involvement, with Canadian, Jordanian, Israeli and 
     Palestinian doctors cooperating to improve the health of the 
     people on the ground.
       I mandate them, no declarations of love, no press releases 
     that you are for peace, but if you do not improve the well 
     being of the people, we will cut you off.
       Results, real results for people on the ground is what we 
     must do. We must solve the problem of goods crossing borders 
     so they can get to market and people will then invest and 
     create jobs. Therefore we must prepare them by training and 
     education. A group of visionaries are planning to build a 
     college, an industrial college in Gaza. If you think about 
     it, you will find other ways and other projects to deliver 
     results on the ground. Just follow the Torah. Do what is 
     right for practical results.
       Not conferences, not teas, but delivering improvements on 
     the ground. Do what is right and peace will follow. Jews will 
     win militarily. But if they win in the wrong way, their 
     children and grandchildren will be at war.
       The Torah makes it clear, do what is right, perform on the 
     ground. The ground is the territory in which the strangers 
     live, the Palestinians. If we do so, there will be peace and 
     Jews and Judaism will prosper.
       To help the Palestians is to help Israel.

       

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