[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Pages 22779-22780]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                      SITUATION IN THE MIDDLE EAST

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, I come to the floor today to discuss the 
troubling developments in the Middle East. Given what has happened in 
the past several days, it is increasingly apparent that we are at a 
dangerous juncture in a critically important region of the world. The 
United States can and must stay engaged in the Middle East.
  First and foremost, Mr. President, my heart goes out to the families 
of the seventeen sailors reported killed and the 36 injured in the 
explosion yesterday on the U.S.S. Cole off the coast of Yemen. These 
brave individuals lost their lives or suffered injury in defense of our 
country, our values, and our future. This explosion underscores the 
danger that the men and women of our Armed Forces face every day, and 
our debt of gratitude for the duty they undertake.
  All evidence strongly suggests that yesterday's explosion was a 
terrorist attack. Such an attack is senseless and cowardly, and those 
responsible will be found and brought to justice. The world should know 
that the President and the Congress stand united on this score.
  We will not grant the perpetrators an ounce of satisfaction that they 
have succeeded in altering the way the United States conducts business. 
We will remain a force for stability. We will continue to press for a 
negotiated peace in the Middle East. We will stand against insecurity 
and senseless violence in the Middle East and throughout the world. We 
owe that much to the brave sailors who were killed yesterday.
  Recent days have also confronted us with a stream of horribly violent 
incidents in Israel and the territories. Unfortunately, efforts to end 
unrest have yet to succeed. Yesterday two Israeli soldiers were killed 
in a distressing scene of mob violence as protests gave way to deadly 
confrontation. I deplore that violence, Mr. President, and I call on 
Chairman Arafat to raise his voice in favor of peace.
  I have followed with grave concern the violence that has gripped 
Israel and the territories for more than two weeks. After years of 
instability and violence, this region of the world--so riven with 
religious and strategic interests--was experiencing relative calm. This 
state of affairs was born out of an emerging consensus among all 
parties in the region that the future peace and security of Israel and 
the territories could be decided only through negotiation. The outlines 
of and expectations for a lasting peace were beginning to take shape. A 
successful conclusion to these negotiations seemed tantalizingly close 
just two short months ago when Israel made unprecedented compromises in 
the name of peace.
  In addition to the human toll exacted by the recent string of violent 
incidents, there has been another equally tragic casualty--at least in 
the short term. The events of the past week or so have apparently 
punctured the hope for a quick peace settlement, putting at risk the 
great progress that had been made toward settling long-standing 
Israeli-Palestinian differences. Moreover, the latest crisis in Israel 
and the territories also threatens wider regional conflict, as 
evidenced by the abduction of three Israeli soldiers by

[[Page 22780]]

Hezbollah guerrillas operating out of Lebanon as well as Iraqi troop 
movements. The stakes, Mr. President, are high and the time is short.
  If we are to return to the path of a peaceful settlement after the 
events of the last two weeks, we must first end the violence. A 
cessation of hostilities can only be accomplished if all sides 
demonstrate leadership by condemning the violence. I am sorely 
disappointed in Arafat and the Palestinian Authority and in the fact 
that they have allowed violence to be carried out without restraint or 
comment.
  Preferring instead to blame the violence on what he terms Israeli 
provocations, Arafat has refused to publicly and unequivocally call for 
an end to violent protests and confrontations. Palestinian police have 
failed to control mob violence. And efforts at re-establishing 
negotiations have been rebuffed. The result is despicable violence that 
has cost far too many innocent lives.
  Rather than being unable to control the violence--as Chairman Arafat 
claims--his silence leaves the impression that he condones it. The on-
again off-again cooperation with Israeli security forces suggests that 
Arafat prefers using violence and the threat of wider war as a 
negotiating tool. Such tactics are cynical, dangerous and stand in 
stark contrast to the Oslo process that brought the region to brink of 
a comprehensive peace just two short months ago.
  Meanwhile Prime Minister Barak has remained committed to negotiations 
and the Oslo Process. He took great risks at Camp David in July. He 
offered remarkable concessions on issues that go to the very core of 
his country's history and identity--compromises that no one had 
considered possible before President Clinton convened the Camp David 
talks.
  Despite subsequent violence provocations, Barak has repeated his 
interest in restoring calm, ending the violence and returning to the 
negotiating table. When he was approached by President Clinton to join 
an emergency summit, he readily stated his interest and willingness in 
participating.
  And unlike Arafat, Barak has clearly denounced violence. He implored 
Israelis not to participate in the violence when he said, ``I urge our 
Jewish citizens to refrain from attacking Arabs and their property 
under any circumstances.''
  Time is short in the Middle East, Mr. President. The risk of a wider 
regional conflict is very real. The first step toward assuring that the 
situation improves is a strong public statement from Chairman Arafat 
calling for an end to the violence.

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