[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 167 (Thursday, December 16, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2161-E2162]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SUPPORTING A NEGOTIATED SOLUTION TO THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. ILEANA ROS-LEHTINEN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 15, 2010

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, 17 years have passed since the signing 
of the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993, but a final resolution to the 
Israeli-Palestinian conflict has yet to be achieved.
  The question is: Why?
  Only by first understanding the reasons that the conflict continues, 
can the United States set and implement a policy that can help to 
encourage a true and lasting peace.
  So let us consider the conduct of both sides.
  One Israeli government after another has been willing and able to 
make painful sacrifices, including territorial withdrawals, to achieve 
peace.
  As Secretary of State Clinton has noted, the current Israeli 
government has made unprecedented concessions in pursuit of peace, 
including a ten-month moratorium on housing construction in the West 
Bank in order to encourage the Palestinians to negotiate directly with 
Israel.
  In short, Israel has proven its commitment to peace.
  However, Mr. Speaker, Israel does not seem to have a partner in this 
endeavor.
  Palestinian leaders still never miss an opportunity to miss an 
opportunity, and continue to default on their international 
obligations.
  They continue to refuse to negotiate directly with Israel, without 
preconditions.
  Instead of encouraging the Palestinian people to accept Israel as a 
permanent neighbor with whom they should live in peace, the leaders in 
Ramallah continue to tolerate, encourage, and even participate in anti-
Israel incitement.
  They continue to refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist as a 
democratic, Jewish state.
  Even as the Palestinian leadership seeks a state for the Palestinian 
people, it would deny the right of the Jewish people to a state in 
their own homeland.
  We are not talking about isolated, fringe elements.
  Palestinian rejectionism and non-compliance flows from the very top.
  Earlier this year, the leader of the Palestinian Authority and the 
PLO, Abu Mazen, praised the recently-deceased mastermind of the PLO's 
massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
  Abu Mazen also expressed what he called his ``firm rejection of the 
so-called Jewishness of the state [of Israel],'' saying that ``This 
issue is over for us; we have not and will not recognize it.''
  Last year, Abu Mazen said that ``Presently, we are against armed 
struggle, because we cannot cope with it. But things could be different 
at some future phase.''
  And a former PA foreign minister and senior associate of Abu Mazen 
has announced that the PA would be intensifying its diplomatic and 
economic offensive against Israel, with the aims of isolating Israel, 
preventing it from building its ties with the European Union, and 
expelling Israel from the U.N.
  Already, the PA tried--unsuccessfully--to block Israel's candidacy 
for membership in the OECD.
  And now, instead of sitting down with the Israeli government to 
negotiate directly, the Palestinian leadership is conducting an 
extensive campaign to seek recognition of a Palestinian state by 
foreign governments and within the U.N. and other international 
organizations.
  Unfortunately, in response to a request from Abu Mazen, the Brazilian 
government recently agreed to recognize a Palestinian state, instead of 
urging the Palestinians to fulfill their commitments.
  The governments of Argentina and Uruguay have also indicated that 
they intend to recognize a Palestinian state.
  The Palestinian leadership is aggressively lobbying other nations to 
do the same.
  Mr. Speaker, this is not a partner for peace.
  But as we've seen over and over, Palestinian leaders are not going to 
make the tough decisions and change their ways unless they have to.
  By providing over $2 billion in assistance in the last five years 
alone--with hundreds of millions more planned--the U.S. is only 
rewarding and reinforcing bad behavior by Ramallah.
  Enough is enough.
  We should finally hold PA leaders accountable, which is why I will 
soon introduce legislation to clarify and tighten existing U.S. laws 
that deny funding to the PA until they meet their commitments.
  The Administration should also reverse its decision to allow the PLO 
office in DC to call itself a ``General Delegation'' and to fly the 
Palestinian flag.
  That decision sent the wrong signal to other governments, who 
concluded they should also upgrade the PLO's status in their countries.
  Furthermore, the U.S. should stop pressuring the Israeli government 
to make more and more concessions, and must not attempt to impose the 
terms of a solution.
  Mr. Speaker, I will support the resolution before us because it 
reinforces Congressional opposition to unilateral efforts by 
Palestinian leaders to gain recognition from other governments or 
within the U.N.
  I would draw particular attention to the fact that the resolution 
calls on the Administration to publicly affirm that it will: deny 
recognition to any unilaterally declared Palestinian state; and veto 
any U.N. Security Council resolution to establish or recognize a 
Palestinian state.
  The Administration must also oppose efforts by the Palestinians to 
seek recognition from, or membership in, any international 
organizations.
  I would like to thank my distinguished colleague from Texas, 
Congressman Poe, for introducing the resolution that served as the 
basis for the measure before us today.
  Judge Poe went out of his way to ensure that his resolution was fully 
bipartisan, securing the support of many Democrat cosponsors, including 
my distinguished colleague from Nevada, Ms. Berkley.
  We had requested that the Poe-Berkley resolution be considered on the 
floor.
  Regrettably, the Majority decided to introduce a new resolution on 
this issue instead.
  Supporting the pursuit of Middle East peace, and supporting our ally 
Israel, is one area that has strong bipartisan support in Congress, and 
by and large, the text of this resolution reflects that bipartisanship.

[[Page E2162]]

  But this matter could have and should have been handled better.
  I urge my colleagues to support the resolution before us.

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