[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13832-13834]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



   LOCATING AND SECURING RETURN OF ISRAELI SOLDIERS MISSING IN ACTION

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1175) to locate and secure the return of Zachary Baumel, an 
American citizen, and other Israeli soldiers missing in action, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 1175

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS.

       The Congress finds that--
       (1) Zachary Baumel, a United States citizen serving in the 
     Israeli military forces, has been missing in action since 
     June 1982 when he was captured by forces affiliated with the 
     Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) following a tank 
     battle with Syrian forces at Sultan Ya'akub in Lebanon;
       (2) Yehuda Katz and Zvi Feldman, Israeli citizens serving 
     in the Israeli military forces, have been missing in action 
     since June 1982 when they were also captured by these same 
     forces in a tank battle with Syrian forces at Sultan Ya'akub 
     in Lebanon;
       (3) these three soldiers were last known to be in the hands 
     of a Palestinian faction splintered from the PLO and 
     operating in Syrian-controlled territory, thus making this a 
     matter within the responsibility of the Government of Syria;
       (4) diplomatic efforts to secure the release of these 
     individuals have been unsuccessful, although PLO Chairman 
     Yasser Arafat delivered one-half of Zachary Baumel's dog tag 
     to Israeli Government authorities; and
       (5) in the Gaza-Jericho agreement between the Palestinian 
     Authority and the Government of Israel of May 4, 1994, 
     Palestinian officials agreed to cooperate with Israel in 
     locating and working for the return of Israeli soldiers 
     missing in action.

     SEC. 2. ACTIONS WITH RESPECT TO MISSING SOLDIERS.

       (a) Continuing Communication with Certain Governments.--The 
     Secretary of State shall continue to raise the matter of 
     Zachary Baumel, Yehuda Katz, and Zvi Feldman on an urgent 
     basis with appropriate government officials of Syria, 
     Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, and with other 
     governments in the region and elsewhere that, in the 
     determination of the Secretary, may be helpful in locating 
     and securing the return of these soldiers.
       (b) Provision of Economic and Other Assistance to Certain 
     Governments.--In deciding whether or not to provide United 
     States economic and other forms of assistance to Syria, 
     Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, and other governments in 
     the region, and in deciding United States policy toward these 
     governments and authorities, the President should take into 
     consideration the willingness of these governments and 
     authorities to assist in locating and securing the return of 
     the soldiers described in subsection (a).

     SEC. 3. REPORTS BY SECRETARY OF STATE.

       (a) Initial Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date 
     of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall 
     prepare and submit to the Committee on International 
     Relations of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
     on Foreign Relations of the Senate a written report that 
     describes the efforts of the Secretary pursuant to section 
     2(a) and United States policies affected pursuant to section 
     2(b).
       (b) Subsequent Reports.--Not later than 15 days after 
     receiving from any source any additional information relating 
     to the individuals described in section 2(a), the Secretary 
     of State shall prepare and submit to the committees described 
     in subsection (a) a written report that contains such 
     additional information.
       (c) Form of Reports.--A report submitted under subsection 
     (a) or (b) shall be made available to the public and may 
     include a classified annex.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Gilman) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman).
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.


                             GENERAL LEAVE

  Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 
legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on 
this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, this measure before us today, H.R. 1175, is 
on behalf of three Israeli MIAs, one of whom, Zachary Baumel, is a dual 
American-Israeli national.
  I want to thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) for 
sponsoring this measure. I have worked closely, as has the gentleman 
from California (Mr. Lantos), with the Baumel, the Feldman and the Katz 
families since 1983 trying to locate and to secure the return of sons 
from the battle of Sultan Yakub in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley in 1982 while 
they were engaged against Syrian forces.
  It has been a long 17 years since those Israeli soldiers faced Syrian 
forces in Lebanon's Bekaa valley on June 11, 1982. These soldiers were 
declared missing on that day, and all efforts since then, which have 
spanned the globe, have not brought them back to their families.
  Mr. and Mrs. Baumel deserve answers, as do the Feldman and Katz 
families. I want to acknowledge Mr. and Mrs. Baumel, who are with us 
today to witness House consideration of this measure on behalf of their 
son and his military colleagues. They have been tireless in their quest 
to obtain their son's release or information with regard to their son.
  Accordingly, H.R. 1175 emphasizes the importance which Congress 
places on helping these families locate their sons. We hope the State 
Department

[[Page 13833]]

appreciates the priority that we have given to this critical 
humanitarian issue.
  It reflects language that has been negotiated with the State 
Department which requires the Department of State to raise the missing 
in action of Zachary Baumel, Yehuda Katz, and Zvi Feldman with 
appropriate government officials of Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian 
Authority.
  This measure also requires our Nation to raise the issue with other 
governments which may be helpful in locating and securing the return of 
these soldiers.
  H.R. 1175 also requires a written report and follow-up action from 
the Department of State to the Congress.
  The legislation further notes that our Nation should take into 
consideration the willingness of regional governments to assist in 
locating and securing the return of these soldiers when reviewing U.S. 
financial assistance programs.
  Regrettably, despite the fact that the Syrian government is in a 
position to assist with this investigation, appeals made to President 
Hafiz al-Assad has gone unanswered. Moreover, inquiries to PLO Chairman 
Yasser Arafat have met with a dead end.
  Nonetheless, Congress continues to be extremely concerned about the 
lack of resolution of these cases and wants to make certain that the 
administration utilizes all of our available avenues in order to return 
these men to their families. This is evidenced by the fact that H.R. 
1175 has now been cosponsored by almost 100 Members of this body.
  Accordingly, Mr. Speaker, I urge our colleagues to strongly support 
H.R. 1175, as amended.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. 
First I want to pay tribute to the distinguished chairman of the 
Committee on International Relations for his outstanding leadership on 
this very important issue. I also want to thank over 100 of my 
colleagues across the political spectrum who have chosen to cosponsor 
my legislation.

                              {time}  1500

  Mr. Speaker, I want to associate myself fully with the remarks of the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), and I would like to add a few 
thoughts.
  In 1991, our ambassador to Israel, the distinguished ambassador, 
William Brown, wrote a letter to the Israeli Coordinator for Lebanese 
Affairs, and I would like to quote from that letter: ``Without the 
statesmanship that Israel demonstrated, I do not believe that we would 
be celebrating so soon the release of all American hostages.''
  This is the time, Mr. Speaker, as my colleagues will recall, that 
there were numbers of American hostages held by various Palestinian and 
Arab terrorist groups and governments, and the Israeli government 
played a pivotal role in the release of these hostages, including Terry 
Anderson. It is only appropriate that we now do the same thing for 
Israel that they did for us.
  This bill calls on our State Department to do everything in its power 
in contacting all the relevant governments and other groups in the 
region to obtain the release of these three young men who have been 
imprisoned for 17 long years. The time is long overdue to bring their 
nightmare and the anguish of their families to an end.
  We Americans know all too well, Mr. Speaker, the bitter legacy of 
missing soldiers and prisoners of war. That legacy can haunt a Nation, 
and it interferes with the effort of building new and better relations 
with the countries that are involved. At a time when Israel has a new 
government, at a time when there is new consideration being given to 
Syrian-Israeli negotiations and the achievement, at long last, of peace 
between those two nations, I believe it is incumbent on Mr. Asaad, 
President of Syria, and all other leaders in the region to deal with 
the issue of these three young men who have been languishing in prisons 
for 17 years.
  In 1993, Mr. Speaker, Yasser Arafat conveyed to the late Prime 
Minister Rabin half of the dog tag of one of these young men. We have 
had constant indications over the years that these three young men are 
alive and in prison. The time has come to put an end to their 
incarceration and suffering and to allow their families to be reunited 
with them.
  I want to pay particular tribute, Mr. Speaker, to the parents of 
Zachary Baumel, Miriam and Yona Baumel, who are sitting in the gallery 
today. As a parent myself, I do not think I can fully appreciate the 
17-year ordeal they have endured. They have worked tirelessly on behalf 
of their son and the other two soldiers. They have visited communities 
across this Nation. They have met with countless Members of this House 
and of the Senate. I hope and pray that at long last their heroic 
efforts on behalf of these three young men will come to a fruitful 
conclusion.
  I also want to applaud the efforts of the International Coalition for 
Missing Israeli Soldiers for spearheading the grassroots effort to 
bring this bill to passage.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.


                Announcement By The Speaker Pro Tempore

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Pease). The Chair reminds all Members to 
refrain from references to visitors in the gallery.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 
1175, a bill introduced by my distinguished colleague from California, 
Representative Tom Lantos. I am proud to be one of 91 cosponsors of 
this important bipartisan initiative, which will help to locate and 
secure the return of Zachary Baumel, an American citizen, and other 
Israeli soldiers missing in action.
  The United States has a unique responsibility to ensure the security 
of Israel--a steadfast ally and strategic partner in democracy. The 
United States also has an unquestionable responsibility to secure the 
well-being of its citizens when possible, no matter where they may be 
located.
  Zachary Baumel is an American citizen. He has been missing since 
1982, when he was captured following a tank battle with Syrian forces 
at Sultan Ya' akub in Lebanon. At the time, Mr. Baumel was serving in 
the Israeli military. It is important to note that Mr. Baumel's service 
in Israel at no time altered his status as an American citizen.
  I feel strongly that the United States should make every effort to 
secure information as to the whereabouts of Zachary Baumel as well as 
insist upon his release. I also would hope that the United States would 
support efforts made by Israel to secure the release of Zvi Feldman and 
Yehuda Katz, two Israeli citizens who served in the Israeli military 
and were captured along with Zachary Baumel at Sultan Ya' akub in 
Lebanon.
  Yasser Arafat of the PLO provided evidence to Israeli government 
officials that Zachary Baumel was alive and that Mr. Arafat had 
information as to his whereabouts. In the Gaza-Jericho agreement 
reached between the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government, 
Palestinian officials agreed to cooperate with Israel in locating and 
working for the return of Israeli soldiers missing in action. Five 
years have passed since the Gaza-Jericho agreement and Zachary Baumel, 
Yehuda Katz, and Zvi Feldman are still missing.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill. It is 
imperative that the U.S. Department of State raise the issue of Zachary 
Baumel, Zvi Feldman, and Yehuda Katz on an urgent basis with the 
appropriate government officials which may be helpful in locating and 
securing the return of these soldiers. The United States government 
must remain vigilant in its efforts to locate these brave soldiers, who 
have been missing for more than 17 years.
  Mr. WEXLER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1175, 
introduced by Congressman Lantos.
  Mr. Chairman, for seventeen years, the fate of three missing Israeli 
soldiers has remained a mystery that has haunted their families and 
their nations.
  On June 11, 1982, Zachary Baumel, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, Yehuda 
Katz, and Zvi Feldman were captured in northeastern Lebanon, in a 
battle with Syrian and Palestinian forces. The PLO had custody of the 
three soldiers for the first year and a half of their captivity. When a 
pro-Syrian faction split with the PLO, they took the three Israeli 
soldiers with them and their whereabouts are unknown.
  The Syrian government currently claims they have no knowledge 
concerning the fate of the soldiers. However, western journalists and 
Syrian radio reported that the three soldiers were paraded through 
Damascus several

[[Page 13834]]

hours after they were captured. Three weeks later, on July 4, 1982, the 
Syrian secret police delivered four bodies for burial to the Jewish 
cemetery in Damascus claiming they were the bodies of the Israeli 
soldiers. The Syrians also provided name tags, which Israeli 
intelligence sources reported were supplied by the PLO's Fatah faction. 
Fifteen months later, the Red Cross exhumed the four graves, finding 
only one Israeli body.
  The most recent evidence which indicates that Zachary Baumel may 
still be alive came from PLO leader Yasser Arafat. In 1993, Arafat 
delivered half of Zachary Baumel's dog tags to Israeli officials. 
Chairman Arafat promised that more information was forthcoming, but it 
was never received. As recently as 1997, information has been obtained 
that Baumel, along with two other men, may still be in custody in 
Lebanon.
  With the resumption of the Middle East peace process, the State 
Department should urge the Syrian and Lebanese governments, along with 
Chairman Arafat, to secure information that will resolve the fate of 
the missing soldiers. The State Department should communicate to these 
governments that their willingness to assist efforts in the search for 
the missing soldiers will be considered among other factors in the 
provision of future economic and foreign assistance.
  The plight of the missing soldiers was brought to my attention by 
Miriam and Yona Baumel, who have asked me to help find more information 
concerning their son and the other missing soldiers and to secure their 
return. They believe, as I do, that the soldiers may still be alive. 
One cannot imagine the pain of uncertainty and fear they have felt for 
the past 17 years waiting to hear about the fate of their son.
  I urge my colleagues to support House Resolution 1175. The three 
missing Israeli soldiers are the longest held hostages in the Middle 
East, and it is time that they are released to return to their 
families.
  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1175, a bill 
authorizing an investigation into the disappearance of Zachary Baumel.
  Zachary Baumel, an American citizen who was serving in the Israel 
Defense Forces, was captured alive along with two of his colleagues in 
June 1982 following a tank battle against Syrian and terrorist forces 
during the course of Operation Peace for Galilee. It is believed that 
they were captured by forces affiliated with the Palestine Liberation 
Organization and subsequently transferred to a splinter group of the 
PLO. Since June of 1982, the world has heard nothing from Zachary 
Baumel.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a cruel fate indeed. Zachary Baumel's parents 
have had to live with their son's missing in action status, knowing 
full well that he might be alive and well in some prison cell in 
Lebanon or Syria. They cannot mourn because they can't be sure that he 
is dead, only that he is missing.
  It is for this reason, to end the suffering of the Baumel family and 
to restore their son to their care, that this bill has been introduced. 
The bill would require that the State Department investigate the 
circumstances surrounding the capture of Zachary Baumel and his 
colleagues and initiate discussions at the highest levels with the 
governments of Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority with the 
intention of securing the return of these prisoners of war if possible. 
This is a worthy cause and I urge my colleagues to support this 
important measure.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I have no requests for time, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I have no more requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1175, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8, rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________