[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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