[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 60 (Tuesday, May 16, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H3152]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       INSIGHT INTO CAUSES OF RENEWED ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN VIOLENCE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from West Virginia, (Mr. Rahall) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, we have all seen recent news reports of 
renewed confrontations between Palestinians and the Israelis. This 
violence is deeply troubling and cannot be condoned. It is all the more 
worrisome because the deadline for concluding a Final Status Agreement 
is quickly approaching. I think it is fair to say that we all hoped the 
days of such confrontation had passed.
  Israel's legitimate interests in stopping terrorism and achieving 
security are well understood and strongly supported in Washington. 
Sources of Palestinian frustration, however, are less well known.
  The Palestinian aggravation that boiled over recently stems from 
their view that seven years of peace negotiations have produced few 
tangible improvements in the lives of Palestinians.
  For example, Mr. Speaker, Palestinians continue to see their land 
confiscated by Israel for the building of roads and Israeli 
settlements. This issue, among all others may be the most frustrating 
to Palestinians. Gaining control of their land is the Palestinian goal 
in peace negotiations. Watching land confiscations continue while 
negotiating deadlines pass undermines confidence among Palestinians 
that the peace process is worthwhile.
  I would like to share with my colleagues an editorial on land 
confiscations that appeared recently in the Chicago Tribune. It is 
written by the head of the Palestinian Final Status Negotiating Team, 
Yasser Abed Rabbo, and it explains clearly the Palestinian viewpoint on 
this issue.
  Mr. Speaker, achieving a peaceful, stable Middle East is in America's 
best interest. We have therefore spent considerable time and resources 
supporting that goal. Israelis and Palestinians have all suffered 
tremendously because of their on-going conflict and the majority of 
both peoples clearly long for peace. All parties must renew their 
efforts and truly seek compromise on their remaining differences so 
that Israeli and Palestinian people alike see real benefits in peace 
and support negotiated agreements.
  I submit the Editorial written by Palestinian chief negotiator, 
Yesser Rabbo, from the April 27, 2000 edition of the Chicago Tribune, 
entitled: ``Israeli Settlements Undermine Change for Peace in the 
Middle East,'' for the Record.

               [From the Chicago Tribune, Apr. 27, 2000]

     Israeli Settlements Undermine Chance for Peace in Middle East

                         (By Yasser Abed Rabbo)

       The Israeli-Palestinian peace process is based on the 
     acceptance of both sides that no action will be taken that 
     will prejudice the final negotiated arrangement.
       From the Palestinian perspective, continued Israeli 
     confiscation of land and the construction of new Israeli 
     settlements, whether approved by previous governments or not, 
     prejudices the final outcome more than all other actions 
     combined. A day does not go by that Palestinians are not 
     confronted by the expansion of Israeli control of Palestinian 
     lands. Public support among Palestinians for the peace 
     process is rapidly being eroded in face of this increased 
     activity, causing Palestinian negotiators to take a firmer 
     stance in negotiations over land confiscation and settlement 
     activity. Negotiators are making if clear that if settlement 
     activity does not halt, the peace process very well may.
       Some see this as a sign of Palestinian intransigence; 
     others have accused us of trying to cause a crisis in order 
     to force the United States to become directly involved in the 
     talks. Both assertions are wrong. For Palestinians, Israeli 
     settlement activity is a critical issue because it makes 
     attainment of our foremost goal more difficult.
       We seek to establish an independent state comprised of the 
     West Bank and Gaza Strip. This goal represents an enormous 
     lowering of aspirations on the part of Palestinians. It 
     places under Palestinian sovereignty less than one-fourth of 
     the pre-1948 Mandate of Palestine--and less than half of the 
     territory the United Nations recommended allocating to the 
     Palestinians in 1947. The expansion of Israeli settlements, 
     and the continuing confiscation of Palestinian land, 
     undermine the very reason Palestinians have chosen to enter 
     the peace process: to regain control of our territory.
       The U.S. and the international community have repeatedly 
     condemned Israeli settlements as obstacles to peace. It is 
     important to emphasize, however, that the obstacles posed by 
     settlements are not abstract or rhetorical. With each new 
     Israeli settlement or expansion of an existing settlement, 
     new housing units are built, military installations to guard 
     the settlement are expanded and new ``by-pass'' roads devour 
     limited land. With the loss of land, Palestinian towns and 
     villages become less economically viable and more isolated 
     from one another. Most important, the ever-expanding 
     patchwork of settlements and roads risks making it impossible 
     for Palestinians to create a secure, contiguous, governable 
     state. Palestinians do not aspire to become a Middle Eastern 
     Bantustan.
       Palestinians' commitment to the peace process is resolute, 
     but it is not absolute. We have made every effort to 
     understand and respond to Israel's concerns. We recognize, 
     for instance, that security is of paramount importance to 
     Israel. The Palestinian Authority is doing all in its power 
     to prevent violence against Israelis. In testimony before 
     Congress last year, Martin Indyk, then-U.S. assistant 
     secretary of state, praised the Palestinian Authority for its 
     commitment to counter-terrorism. Palestinian actions, Indyk 
     said, are ``beginning to pay real dividends in terms of 
     improving the security of the Israeli people.'' The 
     Palestinian Authority has taken these steps even at the risk 
     of alienating and angering some segments of our population, 
     because we understand the consequences for peace if we do 
     not. We know we will never achieve lasting peace unless 
     Israelis believe they will be secure.
       Israel, however, has not taken comparable steps to address 
     the Palestinians' greatest concern by halting settlement 
     activity. In November, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak 
     ordered the dismantling of a dozen so-called ``illegal 
     outposts,'' (tiny Israeli settlements that were not 
     authorized by the government) in the West Bank. Barak was 
     applauded by peace advocates in Israel and the West. 
     Palestinians, however, saw no cause for celebration. The fact 
     is, Barak allowed 30 newly built outposts to remain. More 
     disturbing, more than 5,000 new houses for Israeli settlers 
     are being constructed in the West Bank with Israeli 
     government approval and another 3,000 have been authorized. 
     Meanwhile, Israeli authorities have repeatedly authorized 
     confiscation of even more Palestinian land. In Gaza--which 
     many people incorrectly believe is under full Palestinian 
     control--6,200 Israeli settlers remain and Israel has full or 
     partial control of more than 42 percent of the land. The 
     1,000,000 Palestinians in Gaza are confined to a very small 
     area and are deprived of potable water and employment 
     opportunities.
       The Israeli government and people must understand that just 
     as they cannot make peace without security, we cannot make 
     peace in the face of the relentless expansion of Israeli 
     settlements. To talk of peace on the one hand, and to 
     continue destroying Palestinian houses and confiscating 
     Palestinian private property on the other, undermines the 
     process of peace the Palestinians and Israelis both want and 
     need. It is time for Prime Minister Barak to unequivocally 
     declare and strictly enforce a total and permanent freeze on 
     all Israeli settlement activity and cease the confiscation of 
     Palestinian land. To do so would go a long way toward 
     securing the hopes and dreams of both our peoples.

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