[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 135 (Monday, September 29, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12143-S12144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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  SENATE RESOLUTION 236--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE THAT THE 
LEADERSHIP OF THE PALESTINIAN PEOPLE BY YASSER ARAFAT IS A HINDRANCE TO 
 PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST, AND THAT SUCH PEACE DEPENDS ON INSTITUTIONS 
                    FREE FROM THE TAINT OF TERRORISM

  Mr. REID (for himself and Mr. Daschle) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 236

       Whereas unemployment among Palestinians has risen to 50 
     percent, and 59 percent of the Palestinian people live below 
     the poverty line;
       Whereas a June 2003 independent poll indicated that the 
     Palestinian people do not see Yasser Arafat, the president of 
     the Palestinian Authority, contributing to an end to their 
     suffering;
       Whereas the June 2003 poll found that 84 percent of 
     Palestinians believe corruption exists in the institutions of 
     the Palestinian Authority, and \2/3\ of those who believe 
     there is corruption also believe that corruption will 
     increase or remain the same in the future;
       Whereas Yasser Arafat has steadfastly blocked attempts at 
     political, judicial, and economic reforms by using the Fatah 
     Central Committee and the Palestinian Legislative Council to 
     obstruct efforts to bring greater transparency and 
     accountability to the Palestinian Authority;
       Whereas the international community has lost confidence in 
     the ability of the current Palestinian leadership to confront 
     terrorism;
       Whereas Palestinian Security Forces have refused to 
     confront and dismantle Palestinian Islamic Jihad, whose 
     express goal is the elimination of the State of Israel, and 
     Hamas, both of which have been responsible for terrorist 
     attacks that have killed over 800 Israelis in the last 3 
     years;
       Whereas Abu Mazen, the first ever Palestinian Prime 
     Minister, recently resigned because Yasser Arafat refused to 
     turn over full control of the Palestinian Authority's 53,000-
     man security apparatus to the duly appointed government and 
     continued to wield power over the General Intelligence 
     Apparatus, the National Security Force, and the elite 
     bodyguard unit known as Force 17;
       Whereas the dismantling of terrorist organizations is a 
     precondition to a comprehensive peace in the Middle East;
       Whereas Yasser Arafat can no longer be trusted by the 
     international community or the 3,500,000 Palestinian people 
     living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to be an honest broker 
     for peace; and
       Whereas Yasser Arafat has presided over a period of decay 
     in economic and security conditions affecting the Palestinian 
     people and has impeded any meaningful progress toward peace 
     in the Middle East: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) the leadership of the Palestinian people by Yasser 
     Arafat, who has condoned terror and refused to dismantle 
     terror organizations, is a hindrance to efforts to reach a 
     comprehensive peace in the Middle East; and
       (2) peace in the Middle East depends on the construction of 
     independent, transparent, and accountable institutions that 
     are free from the taint of terrorism.

  Mr. REID. Madam President, the struggle to win peace in the Middle 
East is at a critical juncture. In one direction lies more of the same: 
Constant fear, the old hatreds, terrorist murders and retaliations that 
too often claim innocent lives, as well.
  Down the other road are lasting peace and security for Israel and a 
self-ruled homeland for the people called Palestinians.
  If we want to move in this direction, we must shed the baggage of the 
past. If we stick with the same old formula, we will only repeat the 
violent cycle that has persisted for far too long. I don't claim to 
have all the answers about how to achieve peace in this very troubled 
region. But there is one thing I do know: Yasser Arafat must go. He 
must go now.
  We look all over at his tracks. They are tracks he cannot cover.
  In the Las Vegas Sun newspaper on September 28 there was an editorial 
written by Michael O'Callaghan who has been in the newspaper business 
since 1978. Prior to that he was Governor of the State of Nevada for 
two terms, probably the most popular Governor ever elected in the State 
of Nevada. But for many years he has been a newspaper man. He writes in 
this column, among other things:

       What peace lovers over the world have received from Arafat 
     is more bloodshed and the increased use of suicide bombers. 
     Arafat in return has become wealthy from funds provided by 
     the United States and other nations trying to encourage him 
     to practice good government to provide for his people. His 
     siphoning off of funds was exposed years ago . . .

  This practice is not acceptable even though it is by some leaders in 
that part of the world, he writes, in part.

[[Page S12144]]

  He further states:

       Ten days ago a new audit was released that shows that 
     Arafat has diverted at least another $900 million of public 
     money into his own special bank account. This is being done 
     while the Palestinian people continue to suffer from housing 
     shortages and high unemployment. Arafat makes sure they have 
     enough explosives and weapons to kill Israelis when they get 
     bored. The Palestinian people continue to live in misery 
     while Arafat's wife and daughter reside in France living in 
     luxury.

  Michael O`Callaghan writes more, but I think we get the point.
  Arafat must go. He is a man of hate. Arafat is a man of hate. Since 
1948 he has resented the very existence of Israel. He might say his 
views have changed, but as my mother used to say, actions speak louder 
than words. And by his actions we know Arafat for what he is, a 
bankrupt and corrupt leader of a badly suffering people, and someone 
who is not serious about achieving lasting peace.
  We know that elements with varying degrees of affiliation with the 
PLO, including the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and Force 17, have 
frequently been involved in violence against innocent Israelis.
  We know that documents found at Arafat's compound, with his 
signature, authorized cash payments to members of the Martyrs Brigade. 
We know the leader of the Martyrs Brigade said he is ``following the 
orders of Yasser Arafat.'' We know that former Palestinian Prime 
Minister Mahmoud Abbas resigned because Arafat refused to surrender 
security for Palestinian security forces.

  Why did Arafat undermine Abbas? It is simple. He does not want peace 
with Israel. Forget what he says, look at his actions.
  Since the cease-fire in the Middle East was announced 3 months ago, 
there have been at least 240 terrorist attacks on Israel. This happened 
while Arafat stood by failing to engage security forces of the 
Palestinians.
  Since Arafat took control of the Palestinian Authority, hundreds of 
Israelis have been murdered. But his stubborn refusal to accept peace 
has made life miserable for the 3.35 million Palestinian people in the 
west bank and the Gaza strip.
  We know that Prime Minister Barak courageously gave Arafat everything 
he asked, but Arafat could not take yes for an answer because he is a 
terrorist and cannot get that out of his blood.
  Today, half of all Palestinians are unemployed and 59 percent live in 
poverty. This misery breeds desperation which suits the purposes of 
Arafat and other terrorists. In the midst of this desperation he 
controls personal war chests of tens of millions of dollars, if not 
hundreds of millions, with investments across the world. He spends his 
money as he pleases and is accountable to only one person: Yasser 
Arafat, himself.
  It is in this milieu that Arafat stands by as desperate young men and 
women commit suicide murders in exchange for large sums of money for 
their families and a promise of eternal paradise for themselves. They 
waste their young lives and murder innocent Israelis.
  It is now time to hold Yasser Arafat accountable. If he cares about 
his people, there are other leaders there who could carry on and do a 
good job for the Palestinian people. But he cares about Yasser Arafat. 
It is time we hold this man accountable.
  I am submitting this resolution right now, along with Senator 
Daschle, calling upon Arafat to immediately resign his position as 
President of the Palestinian National Authority because he is a 
hindrance to peace in the Middle East and that such peace depends on 
institutions that are free from the taint of terrorism. That is the 
only way Palestinian people will ever achieve their dream of a free, 
self-governed homeland.
  Let me be clear, I support the people of Palestine. They have a right 
to self-rule. They have a right to control it themselves. But I also 
support strongly Israel's right to live in peace and to defend itself 
against terrorism. Israel is at war against terrorism just as we are, 
but even more amplified. We can never accept or tolerate terrorism in 
any form at any time any place in the world.
  In the name of peace in the middle East and in the world, in the name 
of prosperity and self-rule for the Palestinian people, Yasser Arafat 
must go.
  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I come to the floor and rise in strong 
support of the resolution submitted by the distinguished assistant 
Democratic leader, Senator Reid, this afternoon.
  It was 3 years ago that we had an opportunity to bring real peace to 
the region. In September of 2000 there was a great deal of optimism, a 
great deal of hope, a great promise that after months and months of 
negotiation we could have finally found a peaceful resolution and move 
to the next step in the peaceful coexistence of people in the Middle 
East.
  For reasons still unclear, Yasser Arafat walked away from that 
agreement, disappointing, disillusioning, and, in so many ways, 
undermining the peace process.
  Over the course of the last 3 years, 800 Israelis have been killed, 
2,400 Palestinians have died.
  Where he has had an opportunity to renounce violence, he has condoned 
it. Where he has had an opportunity to embrace peace, he has repelled 
it. At virtually every turn, regardless of circumstance, Mr. Arafat 
sends the wrong message about leadership, about commitment, about the 
spirit that was so alive just 3 years ago.
  In the creation of a new government, Mr. Arafat had yet another 
opportunity to stand behind his new Prime Minister, Abu Mazen, and to 
say, through him and through this new office: We will resolve our 
differences. We will bring violence to an end. We will find ways with 
which to establish a peaceful coexistence. Yet he chose once again to 
walk away from that opportunity, if not undermine it in every way.
  Now there is a new government, at least under consideration. Again, 
Arafat sends all the wrong messages about what he expects from that new 
government, its allegiance to him, not to the process, not to the 
people, not to a commitment for a better future--it is to him.
  Some of us want to use this occasion, through this resolution, to 
make it clear that Mr. Arafat has been an impediment to peace. Mr. 
Arafat has done virtually everything to thwart peace. As a result, we 
find ourselves in a situation far worse than it was just 3 years ago. 
It is a tragedy--a tragedy that has amounted to the loss of 3,200 lives 
in 3 years.
  I hope my colleagues will join us in sending a clear message that we 
cannot have peace, we cannot have any expectation, any hope of 
stability and the realization within our grasp that death can end, 
without sending a clear message to those responsible: We cannot 
tolerate this kind of leadership. We cannot tolerate this kind of 
irresponsible and dangerous direction. We will speak out in every way, 
shape, and form we can until this matter is resolved.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Fitzgerald). The Senator from Nevada is 
recognized.
  Mr. REID. I thank the Chair.
  (The remarks of Mr. Reid and Mr. Daschle pertaining to the submission 
of S. Res. 236 are located in today's Record under ``Submission of 
Concurrent and Senate Resolutions.'')

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