[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 20 (Thursday, February 4, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E150-E151]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           PROTECTING ISRAEL

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. TOM DeLAY

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, February 4, 1999

  Mr. DeLAY. Mr. Speaker, I worked with Mr. Saxton, Mr. Salmon and now 
over 60 cosponsors to introduce a resolution calling on the President 
to clarify American policy with respect to a unilateral declaration of 
an independent Palestinian state. I did this because I feel the 
Administration's policy regarding Israel and the Middle East process 
has been confusing and misleading not only for the American people, but 
for the international community at large, and especially for the 
parties to the peace process itself.
  The United States has never endorsed the creation of a Palestinian 
state. After the signing of the Oslo accords, the U.S. made it clear 
that all questions of sovereignty and statehood were a matter for 
negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. However, First Lady 
Hillary Clinton's public statement last May that ``it will be in the 
long-term interests of the Middle East for Palestine to be a state . . 
. and seen on the same footing as any other state'' put U.S. policy on 
this issue in severe and grave doubt.
  The First Lady's remarks came almost exactly one year before the 
scheduled expiration date in May, 1999 for completing the final status 
talks between Israel and the Palestinians under the Oslo agreement. Any 
unilateral declaration of statehood will constitute a fundamental 
violation of the Oslo accords because they were agreed to only after 
Chairman Arafat made an irrevocable commitment that, in his words, 
``all outstanding issues relating to permanent status will be resolved 
through negotiations.'' Since resolving the political status of the 
Palestinian people while protecting the security of Israel is one of 
the central issues of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, any effort to 
act unilaterally on the issue will

[[Page E151]]

have the effect of destabilizing the current security situation not 
only in Israel but in the entire region.
  So it is of great concern that despite official denials by the United 
States State Department and numerous other officials in the 
administration, the First Lady's remarks were interpreted by many 
around the world, including Palestinian Authority President Yasser 
Arafat, as ``a very important and clear signal'' regarding the 
Administration's position on the issue of Palestinian statehood. Arafat 
subsequently threatened to unilaterally declare an independent 
Palestinian state in May of 1999--which is now just three months away.
  Last July, subsequent to the First Lady's remarks, the United Nations 
voted to elevate the Palestinian observer mission at the UN to the 
status of a full observer mission, a status just short of that accorded 
an independent state. Then last fall, while speaking before the United 
Nations, Yasser Arafat called on world leaders to support an 
independent Palestinian state--though the U.S. State Department 
scrambled mightily to prevent him from also repeating his threat to 
declare such a state unilaterally.
  Mr. Speaker, what has been missing from this debate over the last 
year has been a public--and unequivocal--statement from President 
Clinton himself that the United States will never recognize the 
unilateral declaration of an independent Palestinian state. No amount 
of denials, statements, or clarifications by Secretary of State 
Madeleine Albright and other functionaries down at the State Department 
can dispel the confusion and uncertainty about U.S. policy occasioned 
by the First Lady's remarks. Rightly or wrongly, the perception of many 
around the world and even in this country is that only President 
Clinton has the clout to override the influence of the First Lady 
within his Administration on this point.
  For the President to pretend otherwise is to hide his head, and 
America's, in the sand. The need for the President to personally act to 
clarify the U.S. position was brought home when Yasser Arafat stated 
last July that ``[t]here is a transition period of five years and after 
five years we have the right to declare an independent Palestine state. 
We are asking for an accurate implementation, an honest implementation 
of what has been signed in the White House under the supervision of 
President Clinton.''
  Even after the conclusion of the Wye River agreement and the call for 
new elections in Israel, Chairman Arafat, his cabinet, the Palestinian 
legislature, and other officials continue to threaten to unilaterally 
proclaim the establishment of a Palestinian state when the Oslo accords 
expire on May 4, 1999. On January 24th, senior Palestinian official 
Saeb Erekat told the Voice of Palestine that May 4th ``is a day [which 
has] international legitimacy'' and that ``the Palestinian leadership 
can not postpone this date for even an hour in announcing an 
independent Palestinian state.'' The day before the Palestinian 
Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Nabil Shaath, said 
that May 4th is ``a historic and vital day'' suggesting that the 
Palestinians will indeed declare a state on this day.
  We must remember that Yasser Arafat and the Palestinians demand the 
whole West Bank and has declared ``that there can be no permanent peace 
as long as the problem of Jerusalem remains unresolved.'' The 
Palestinian Cabinet, on Thursday, September 24, stated that ``at the 
end of the interim period, it (the Palestinian government) shall 
declare the establishment of a Palestinian state on all Palestinian 
land occupied since 1967, with Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the 
Palestinian state.''
  It is way past time for the President to declare that the United 
States will never recognize a unilateral declaration of an independent 
Palestinian state, and that Israel, and Israel alone, can determine its 
security needs. This was made clear back in June, less than a month 
after the First Lady's remarks, when Palestinian National Council 
Speaker Salim al-Za'nun announced that, ``If following our declaration 
of state, Israel renews it occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, 
and the Gaza strip, the Palestinian people will struggle and resist the 
occupier with all means possible, including armed struggle.'' If the 
President fails to speak and the Palestinians do declare an independent 
state, what security there is currently prevailing in Israel and the 
region could dissipate overnight.
  This is a common sense resolution that clarifies United States policy 
toward Israel. We all hope that Israel and the Palestinian people can 
work out an arrangement that benefits both communities and the region 
as a whole. But we should never forget in the quest for peace that 
Israel is a proven friend and ally of the United States.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution and to expedite its 
consideration.

                          ____________________