[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 28 (Wednesday, March 13, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S1850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            THE MIDDLE EAST

  Mr. WELLSTONE. Madam President, I wish to speak about the Middle East 
because the news from the Israeli and the Palestinian territory grows 
dimmer and deadlier by the day.
  Terrorist attacks and reprisal raids have now merged into continuous 
carnage that looks increasingly indistinguishable from all-out war. The 
Israelis and the Palestinians are being drawn into a horrific cycle of 
revenge.
  Frankly, I think an eye for an eye and pain inflicted upon pain 
extended into the future will be an ever-wider river of blood that will 
be spilled. I wonder how wide the river of blood has to be before we 
get back to some kind of political settlement--some kind of political 
process. There is no future as I look at the status quo extended into 
the future--not for the people of Israel and not for the Palestinians.
  Let me start out on a personal note. I have used this example several 
times while talking to other Minnesotans and people I met with here in 
DC as well.
  I was at a gathering where I was in a fairly sharp debate with some 
citizens who were talking to me about what they consider to be the 
unfairness and the wrongness of Israeli policies towards the 
Palestinian people. In this discussion, I turned to them and said: 
Listen, you have a right to make the critique you are making. But I 
have not heard you express any indignation whatsoever about the 
Palestinian suicide bombers going to an Israeli teenager pizza parlor 
with fragmentation bombs and cluster bombs trying to basically murder 
as many Israeli teenagers as possible. I don't mind your critique of 
some of Sharon's policies. I have questions about some of them. But 
where is your indignation and your anger about the murder of Israeli 
teenagers? I condemn that. I condemn the deliberate targeting of 
innocent people and the murder of innocent people. As Camus said, 
murder is never legitimate.
  Frankly, some of Arafat's comments have become increasingly militant 
in the last several days. I certainly question some of his leadership. 
His statements in the last several days--and, maybe even more 
importantly, some of the actions taken by Arafat's people--give me 
pause.
  But, by the same token, I want to be really clear about this. I think 
it is really important that we have Tony Zinni in the Middle East. I 
think it is critically important that our country play a positive role. 
I think it is critically important, as the administration has made 
clear--I said this to Secretary Bill Burton as well--that we make it 
clear to the extremists that Zinni is not leaving on the basis of a 
terrorist act here, there, or somewhere else. We are engaged.
  Frankly, the only future is a political settlement. Senator Mitchell 
was right. The Mitchell report I think lays out a brilliant framework--
if we can just somehow get there again.
  I don't come to the floor with clear answers as to what to do, but I 
do know that an eye for an eye and the increasing cycle of violence 
takes us nowhere good--not for the Israelis, not for the Palestinians, 
not for our country, and not for the world in which we live.
  I do not know. I think there are many questions that can be raised 
about Crown Prince Abdullah's proposal and where Saudi Arabia is going. 
I myself have questions about some of the proposals. But, by the same 
token, at least there is some hope here. We shall see what happens at 
this Arab summit conference.

  We really need to be talking--on the part of Saudi Arabia and other 
countries--about the full normalization of relations with Israel. They 
cannot back down from that. That is the very essence of where we have 
to go. I am concerned that some of the Arab countries seem to be 
backing down from that.
  But I do not believe this proposal should be ruled out. I do not 
believe a proposal that at least attempts to move us towards some kind 
of negotiation and some kind of a peace process should be ruled out. 
Not all of it will be acceptable. I can tell you that right now. But I 
certainly would like to see the American Government in particular 
somehow play a role in moving from what has become an ever-growing 
cycle of violence and loss of life of innocent people to some kind of 
framework for negotiation and a political settlement.
  Ultimately, the truth of the matter is that I am an American Jew. I 
am the son of a Jewish immigrant who fled from persecution in Ukraine. 
And then his family moved to Russia. At the age of 17, he fled to our 
country. I will be clear. I speak out of love for Israel. And Israel as 
a country will exist. The security of Israel and the need of Israel 
have to be met.
  It is also true that the Palestinian people will have their own 
nation. Palestinians and Israelis have to live next to one another, and 
they will have to respect one another. That will happen. My only 
question is, How much wider a river of blood has to be spilled before 
we get back to where we all know we need to go? So I want to, I guess 
in a way, applaud the administration, applaud Secretary Powell for 
sending Tony Zinni there.
  I simply say that we need to be engaged. Our Government can play a 
decisive, critical, and positive role. And we must do so.

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