[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 60 (Tuesday, May 10, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4797-S4798]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           MIDDLE EAST VISIT

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, last week, I had the opportunity to travel 
throughout the Middle East. My stops included Israel, the West Bank, 
Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt. It was a fascinating and illuminating trip 
for me.
  We saw firsthand many of the challenges facing that region. I came 
away with a much greater appreciation for the remarkable developments 
we have witnessed in that part of the world in recent months: The 
elections in the Palestinian Authority, the Cedar revolution in 
Lebanon, and the significant reforms taking place in Egypt. Progress 
and democracy are on the march.
  Our first stop was in Jerusalem where we had the chance to explore 
the rich history of the old city, the heart of three of the world's 
major religions. We visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the 
Temple Mount, the Western Wall. We had the opportunity to witness the 
site that is familiar to anyone who travels to that wonderful city of 
faiths. People were practicing their beliefs side by side, ways that in 
many ways are very different. That gives real confidence for the future 
when you experience it. I was truly overwhelmed, once again, by the old 
city's holiness and sense of history.
  We met with several Israeli political leaders. Senator Lieberman and 
I met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Much of our discussion focused 
on that roadmap. The Prime Minister discussed with us his courageous 
decision to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. We discussed all of the 
contentious issues, issues such as those surrounding settlements. We 
discussed the importance of coordinating the withdrawal from the Gaza 
Strip with the Palestinians in order to ensure stability in the Gaza 
Strip and to ensure security in the Gaza Strip after the withdrawal. A 
lot of attention was placed on the withdrawal out of the Gaza Strip 
wherever we moved throughout the Middle East.

[[Page S4798]]

I believe the Prime Minister's Gaza disengagement plan is a bold step. 
It is a historic step.
  The success of his plan, however, will ultimately depend on the 
Palestinians' ability to stop terrorist acts, to strengthen democratic 
institutions, to provide security and to deliver tangible benefits to 
the Palestinian people. The Palestinian people have great expectations. 
It will be up to their government to deliver tangible benefits to open 
their world to something that is concrete but more importantly, to hope 
for the future.
  We also met with former Cabinet member Natan Sharansky; Knesset 
speaker Reuven Rivlin, and foreign affairs and defense committee 
chairman Yuval Steinitz. All three of these individuals were opposed to 
the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. They are all gravely concerned 
about the militarization of the Sinai and weapons smuggling from the 
south up into Gaza. It was important to hear their views on these 
critical matters. I share their concern.
  The withdrawal plan is understandably controversial and difficult for 
many families living in the Gaza Strip. I also believe withdrawal is a 
crucial step toward securing a lasting peace in that part of the world.
  Our discussion confirmed my belief that the withdrawal must be 
coordinated with the Palestinian Authority so that the Palestinian 
Authority can prevent attacks against Israel and make tangible progress 
toward the roadmap.
  Right now, there is an opening for huge progress. Both sides have the 
opportunity to build the trust that will be necessary for negotiations 
on what we all know will be the most controversial issues. Both sides 
have to fulfill their obligations.
  To begin, Palestinians must dismantle the terrorist groups and stop 
all terrorist attacks against Israel. For the Israelis, it is critical 
to halt settlement activity and expansion. Much more will need to be 
done as we move along the roadmap.
  In our conversation with Prime Minister Sharon, we also discussed our 
mutual concern about Iran's nuclear ambitions. We agree that a nuclear-
armed Iran poses a threat to Israel, the region, to Europe, and to the 
United States. In my view, the United States must support the work of 
our European allies to end diplomatically Iran's nuclear ambitions. 
Failing that, we must take the issue directly to the United Nations 
Security Council for action.
  A final meeting was with Finance Minister and former Prime Minister 
Benjamin Netanyahu. He is working hard to ease the tax burden in order 
to stimulate his country's economy. He has made remarkable progress. 
His plan is gaining success. The Israeli economy right now is growing. 
The economic output, in fact, is growing at a robust annual rate of 4 
percent. If he is able to make further reforms, I believe we can expect 
continued and possibly even better growth in the future.
  As a physician, at most of these stops I take a few hours off to go 
to a hospital or a clinic where I have a little picture or window of 
the realities of what is going on in the country. I meet with doctors, 
nurses, and patients and ask them questions very directly. I went to 
the Hadassah Hospital, where I had not been, in Jerusalem. It is a 
large tertiary care hospital supported by a number of individuals in 
the United States. We toured the trauma unit, unique anywhere in the 
world in that it has seen more suicide attack victims than any trauma 
unit. In fact, they were telling me that there have been 32 suicide 
attacks in the last 3 years. Each of these suicide attacks--really, 
never thought about a decade ago there at the hospital--involved on 
average about 80 injured people; each one, on average, killing about 10 
individuals. From an observer's standpoint, it points to the reality of 
what has gone on in that part of the world over the last 4 years.

  We also talked a lot about the potential for biological attack as 
well as chemical attack and their preparedness from the hospital 
facility standpoint.
  All in all, my trip to Jerusalem confirmed my confidence in the 
strength of our very special relationship with Israel and the need for 
continued American support for this vital friend and ally. Israel 
stands for what America stands for. Ultimately, it is up to the 
Israelis and the Palestinians to meet face to face and make the 
difficult decisions that will lead to peace.
  My meetings with Israel's leaders reinforce my belief they are 
willing to take the difficult steps. I will continue to do what I can 
to support them in their efforts.
  In closing, tomorrow I will speak very briefly on my trip to the West 
Bank. I do believe peace can be achieved. I look forward to sharing 
with my colleagues some of the observations and the lessons I have 
learned in my interactions with the people in the Middle East.
  I yield the floor.

                          ____________________