[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 33 (Wednesday, March 3, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2202-S2205]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN PEACE BASED UPON SECURITY, FREEDOM, AND A 
                            CHANGE OF HEART

  Mr. MACK. Mr. President, I very recently traveled to Israel. It had 
been several years since my last visit, and I expected this year we 
would bring some

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important measures to the Senate floor. The timeline on the Oslo 
accords expires in May, and Arafat has threatened to unilaterally 
declare an independent state. The supplemental appropriations for the 
Wye River accords will soon be before us, and the timetable on the 
Jerusalem Embassy Act requires that the President report to the 
Congress why the United States Embassy has not been set up in Israel's 
capital city, Jerusalem. I learned a great deal during the week and I 
rise today to share a few simple thoughts regarding what I saw and what 
went through my mind as the week in Israel unfolded.
  Let me begin with the question that is on my mind today: How is it 
possible to engage in peace negotiations with people who maintain the 
right to obliterate you, who are filled with hatred toward you, and who 
harbor the dream of one day destroying your homeland? Peace is a matter 
of the heart. I believe in the depths of every person's heart is a 
desire to live in peace. But what I saw, which was the outcome of the 
Palestinian Authority rule, convinced me that their hearts and minds 
are set on other goals. The Palestinian leadership does not want peace. 
They want, first, their own state which they can control with total 
power. Then they want to use that state to eliminate the State of 
Israel.
  Let's be clear. The peace process, to be meaningful, must be about 
more than rules and laws and lines on a map. We can reach a short-term 
agreement on these points, but if the Palestinian leadership fails to 
abandon incitement of hatred, persecution, and terrorism, then we are 
all dreaming, only dreaming, and our President's behavior must be 
labeled foolish appeasement. There will not be peace until hearts and 
minds are changed, and we must focus our attention on these issues.
  Mr. President, many of my colleagues in the Senate and in the House 
are aware of the promotion of hatred contained in the Palestinian 
media, and more significantly in the Palestinian schoolbooks. Let me 
provide some examples.
  This is a picture that was taken off of Palestinian Authority-
controlled television. It is a picture of a young girl, probably 6 or 7 
years old. This is a young girl singing into a microphone. She is on a 
television show that would be what we would refer to as kind of a 
Mickey Mouse Club type of show that would be shown to children by the 
Palestinian Authority. I want to read to you what this little girl is 
singing. Again, this is a program that was produced by the people who 
are sitting across the table from you, supposedly negotiating peace. 
This is what the little girl is singing:

       When I wander into the entrance of Jerusalem,
       I'll turn into a suicide warrior in battledress,
       In battledress. In battledress.

  There is no way I can convey to you the emotion of actually seeing 
that scene on television. There is no way I can put the emotion into 
what she was expressing and the emotion that she was expressing as she 
sang those words. And after her song, she got an ovation from her 
classmates and from her teacher.
  This focuses us on the fundamental difference in approach between the 
Palestinians and the Israelis. I have a grandson about that age, about 
the age of that little girl. How would I feel if he were being taught 
hatred in school? If he were being taught hatred on television, how 
would I feel? How would you feel if your Government was teaching your 
children to hate? Could you conclude that they were serious about long-
term peace with their neighbors?
  I also have some examples from Palestinian textbooks for a third-
grade grammar lesson. Here is the task: ``Complete the following blank 
spaces with the appropriate word.'' And the sentence is, ``The Zionist 
enemy blank civilians with its aircraft.'' The correct answer is, ``The 
Zionist enemy attacked civilians with its aircraft.''
  For seventh graders: ``Answer the following question: Why do the Jews 
hate Muslim unity and want to cause division among them? Give an 
example of the evil attempts of the Jews, from events happening 
today.'' These are from Palestinian textbooks today.
  One would expect, rather than focus on hatred, if they were serious 
about peace, they would focus on how the two peoples are working to 
live side by side. A history book for 12th graders published only last 
summer teaches: ``The clearest examples of racist belief and racial 
discrimination in the world are Nazism and Zionism.''
  To see this taking place today is chilling. If you can, think about 
it in the context of being in Israel and being briefed by a member of 
the Government with respect to what is happening in what they refer to 
as the anti-incitement committee, which was set up by the Wye 
Agreement. To be sitting there and seeing this, I must say to you, was 
chilling. I found it to be extremely chilling.
  While the Government of Israel makes good-faith efforts to come to a 
peace agreement, the Palestinian Authority teaches children hatred. 
This causes me to ask, How can peace be obtained when the children are 
being taught hatred?
  Let me share another story. I attended Shabbat dinner at the home of 
Saul and Wendy Singer in Jerusalem. Saul worked on my staff for 7 years 
before moving with his wife to Israel. They just had their second 
child, a girl named Tamar. Wendy told the story of the day she was 
checking out of the hospital in Jerusalem, 2 days after giving birth. 
In a very ordinary and matter of fact way, the hospital gave her the 
necessities for bringing home a newborn baby. In addition to providing 
for diapers and other things we would expect, she was handed a gas mask 
for her baby. It is actually a tent which you put your baby under in 
case of a chemical weapons attack.
  In Israel, this preparation is routine. Everyone in Israel knows to 
have a gas mask ready. It just becomes a part of the craziness of 
everyday life. But when you bring home a newborn baby, when you bring 
home your baby and you get the chemical weapons tent at the hospital, 
then you realize how unordinary life is in Israel today. You realize 
that you are really simply struggling for a normal life, hoping for 
peace and security, praying to God, while actually living in a war 
zone.
  I had another profound meeting during this week. I met one evening 
privately--secretly--with Arabs who were being persecuted for their 
Christian faith. I met with about 10 Palestinian Christians. I will 
tell you just one of their stories, but I will change some of the 
details to protect the person I am describing.
  I remember an energetic man, in his early 40s, at the end of the 
table. I remember him because he seemed so full of life and love. He 
had a great smile on his face and displayed a wonderful sense of humor. 
I say this was memorable because, frankly, after hearing what he had 
been through, I do not know if I could express the sense of peace and 
love he did. This is his story.
  He had many children and very little money. He converted to 
Christianity in 1993. He clearly loved God, and he loved to tell people 
about his conversion. He described to me how in 1997, the Palestinian 
Authority asked him to come to the police station for questioning. When 
he arrived, he was immediately arrested and detained on charges of 
selling land to Jews. He denied this charge, since he was very poor and 
owned no land. He was beaten. He was hung from the ceiling by his hands 
for many hours. He showed me what I just said. He showed me how his 
hands were tied behind his back and then raised from the floor and hung 
that way for many, many hours.
  After 2 weeks, he was transferred to a larger prison where he was 
held for 8 months without trial. He was released in February 1998, 
after his family borrowed thousands of dollars to pay off the local 
authorities. And even though he is free, they are keeping his father in 
prison. They believe it is for his son's beliefs. He feels his father 
is being held hostage to prevent him from talking with people about his 
faith. Needless to say, these Christians met with me at considerable 
risk. They conveyed to me a message of fear and desperation. But their 
mere presence in the room with me demonstrated their hope, and it also 
caused me to ask, how can the people of Israel find peace with the 
Palestinian Authority while the Palestinian Authority engages in 
coercion and torture based upon religious beliefs?
  I also met with the parents of American children killed by 
Palestinian terrorists. In this meeting, I was struck by the courage 
displayed by these families after suffering the tremendous loss

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of a child brutally murdered. These families told me of the hopes and 
dreams they had for their children. I couldn't help thinking about my 
own. My daughter, Debbie, traveled with me on this trip. She was in the 
room as these stories of brutality and murder were related. There was 
scarcely a dry eye in the room.
  I am sure Debbie was thinking about her three little boys, ages 14, 
11 and 5. We were moved by the comments made by the parents as they 
described to us what had happened.
  I understand that the Palestinian Authority knows a great deal about 
these murderers, but they are not being punished. Some of them have 
gone to trial and were sentenced, but we don't know if they remain in 
prison. I was told that we know some have been released.
  There are reports that the Palestinian Authority allows them to leave 
prison each day and return in the evening--like free room and board 
more than like prison. I was also presented with stories of the 
lionization of these murderers in the press and again in the 
classrooms. Try to imagine how you would feel, try to imagine what 
would be going through your mind when you are dealing with the grief of 
the loss of your child. You know who is responsible. You know they know 
who is responsible. You saw them go on trial. You saw them then 
released. You have to ask yourself, what are we going through this 
peace process for?
  I would like to mention one story of many that I heard. Mrs. Dosberg 
sat directly across the table from me. When she told us of the loss of 
her daughter and son-in-law, the lesson of these murders became so 
clear--we must fight terror and we cannot back off. Mrs. Dosberg's 
family, her daughter, American son-in-law, and their 9-month-old 
daughter attended a wedding in central Israel on June 9, 1996. They 
decided not to bring their 2-year-old daughter along. Thank God. On the 
way home from the wedding they were stopped by Palestinian terrorists 
and killed in a so-called drive-by shooting. Fifty bullets were found 
to have been used in this murder, and yet, by some miracle, the baby 
survived. Even with a crime this gross, the Palestinian Authority did 
not arrest everyone involved or suspected in the shooting. One of those 
who remained free, it is believed, later took part in the bombing of 
the Apropos Cafe, killing many others.

  Another suspected killer, according to the Israeli Justice Ministry, 
was under arrest but given permission to come and go as he pleases from 
prison.
  Mohammed Dief, another suspected Palestinian terrorist, took part in 
the murder of two other Americans, at two different times, according to 
the mothers with whom I spoke. Mrs. Sharon Weinstock lost her 19-year-
old son in a drive-by shooting masterminded by Dief. And only a year 
later, Mrs. Wachsman told me of the kidnap-murder of their son, also 
believed to have been planned by Dief.
  I am told Mohammed Dief remains a free man today. The obvious 
lesson--terrorists kill and those who are not jailed remain free to 
kill and to kill again thanks to the Palestinian Authority.
  How would I feel in their place? I couldn't keep the thought from my 
mind, as I listened. If I had lost a child and knew that the murderer 
or accomplices were on the loose, how would I feel? And if I knew the 
killer remained free to kill other people's children, how would I feel? 
It is so hard, hard to even consider, but I do know that I left there 
committed to doing whatever I could to help each of those families.
  Once again, I began to better understand the way the Palestinian 
Authority leadership was approaching peace. How can one find peace with 
people who do not condemn terrorism? Mr. President, how is it possible 
to engage in peace negotiations with people who want to teach their 
children to die in a holy war against you? How is it possible to engage 
in peace negotiations with people who persecute those of other faiths? 
How is it possible to engage in peace negotiations with people who keep 
terrorists on the loose to wreak havoc and evil against you and praise 
them for heroism?
  Today the Israeli people are exhausted by 50 years of violence 
against their homes and families, of sending their sons and daughters 
into the army, and they dream of a promised peace now. This is our hope 
and our dream as well. But we must not get confused. History is replete 
with examples of compromises which bring terror and destroy dreams.
  In the United States, many people seem to think that if we do not 
confront these obstacles to peace and if we look the other way, then we 
will be able to come to an agreement. The reality, however, is just the 
opposite. If we do not acknowledge the attitudes and acts of those at 
the peace table, then the peace process is already over, and we just 
won't admit it.
  In other words, the surest way to kill the peace process is to avoid 
confrontation, to fear upsetting a belligerent force and to avoid 
addressing incitement, violence, persecution and terrorism. The only 
way to keep the peace process alive is to focus on truth, freedom, 
security and justice.
  Israeli efforts, to date, have sought to keep the peace process 
alive, improve security during the negotiating process, and obtain 
reciprocity as a vital element of implementation.
  The process remains alive, but terrorism continues and is exalted by 
many in the Palestinian Authority, and reciprocity does not exist. The 
United States role has been to seek the middle ground. Unfortunately, 
this only rewards those willing to go to new extremes.
  The middle ground between Prime Minister Netanyahu and Chairman 
Arafat is not halfway between the two. The United States must not 
engage in moral equivocation. We must not shy away from holding Arafat 
responsible for acts of violence, incitement and persecution.
  The United States must demonstrate principled leadership and end the 
appeasement that perpetuates the cycle of violence. The peace process 
can only work when leaders uphold their agreements and answer to the 
people, and the United States remains a vigilant defender of the 
principles which bind us to Israel: freedom, democracy, and the rule of 
law.
  What should we do? I believe there are three things. First, we should 
insist upon the strict adherence to Oslo and the reciprocity codified 
at Wye. The purpose of the Wye accord was at long last to force the 
Palestinians to comply with commitments before further territory would 
be turned over.
  So at Wye, Israel agreed only to turn over territory in phases, in 
which it could verify Palestinian compliance at each and every step. In 
the first phase, Israel completed its redeployment after the 
Palestinian Authority completed its tasks. In phase 2, the Palestinians 
did not meet all their obligations and, therefore, Israel has not yet 
turned over the additional land. Reciprocity makes no sense unless it 
is based upon this formulation. Once Israel has ceded territory, it is 
unlikely it ever could recover it. The Palestinians, on the other hand, 
can turn on and off their promises. In fact, this is exactly what they 
have done.
  Second, we should stop paying Arafat. Any funds provided to the 
Palestinian people should continue to go through private voluntary 
organizations. We should also monitor much more closely the rampant 
corruption and mismanagement of funds provided currently.
  And third, we must aggressively seek the bringing to justice of 
Palestinian terrorists who killed American citizens. I am told that our 
Justice Department can do a better job here, that they have a great 
deal of information on the murderers of the Americans who are free in 
the Palestinian areas and, indeed, can make some requests for 
indictments. It is time to do this. Let's put the needs of the American 
families and other victims' families over the needs of those engaging 
in or supporting terrorism.
  Mr. President, these are very basic principles. I am not discussing 
today the intricacies of the peace process, U.S. funding, embassies, or 
any other number of issues we will be discussing this year in the 
Senate. We need to focus on a more fundamental level first. And I hope 
that this message will be heard at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
  What I mean when I say this is that I hope the President will hear 
the message. I say this from a standpoint not of arrogance, not of 
confrontation, and I do not mean it in a political way. I just hope 
that the President will listen

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and take another look at what he and his foreign policy team are trying 
to force the Israeli Government to do.
  There cannot be peace until there is a change of heart. I returned 
from this trip with a newfound concern for the future of Israel. I saw 
examples of incitement. I heard examples of persecution and hatred 
being taught throughout Palestinian society by their leaders. When the 
people engaged in peace talks return from the negotiating table only to 
disparage compromise and incite violence, there can be no progress 
towards peace.
  Israel has come a long way since I first began following the fate of 
this state and the people of Israel. In so many respects, life appears 
and feels normal. The economy is developing, the standard of living is 
growing and improving. But just below the surface of this normalcy, Mr. 
President, Israel still faces a threat to the state's very existence. 
Israel's survival remains, unfortunately, a very real and central 
concern 50 years after its independence.
  Some people believe, however, that by ignoring this threat, that the 
peace process can succeed. Mr. President, it will fail. It is clear to 
me that many in the Palestinian leadership today see the peace process 
toward the goal of eliminating the State of Israel.
  I suggest today that we get back to the basics. Peace is not possible 
while teaching children to hate and kill. Peace is not possible while 
persecuting those of other faiths. Peace is not possible while 
lionizing terrorism. We must stand up for freedom, security, and human 
dignity. We must stand up to ensure the security of Israel. We must 
stand up in the Congress, and we must insist that our President stand 
with us.
  Today is the day to end American pressure on Israel to force a peace 
agreement. Today is the day to remember it is up to the people of 
Israel to determine their own fate--their own security. We should 
pressure those who fill children with slogans of hatred and holy war; 
we should pressure them to change. We should pressure those who 
torture; we should pressure them to change. We should pressure those 
who encourage and support terror and murder, and those who rejoice in 
hatred. That is where the pressure should be.
  Now is the time, Mr. President, for a return to our principled stand. 
The only way to truly attain peace is to support freedom, democracy and 
justice, and oppose the cycle of hatred. We must face tyranny and 
oppression where it exists, condemn it, and stand up for peace--real 
peace based upon security, freedom, and a change of heart.

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