[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9058]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                          MIDDLE EAST VIOLENCE

  Mr. SMITH of New Hampshire. Mr. President, on May 18th, yet another 
grave terrorist attack occurred in Netanya, the fifth such attack this 
year. Six Israelis were killed and over one hundred wounded in the 
bombing.
  The target of the attack was innocent civilians, targeted solely 
because they were Israelis. The recent bludgeoning to death of 14-year 
old Jewish boys in a cave demonstrates a new level of barbarism and 
inhumanity.
  The Palestinian Authority is obligated, according to agreements it 
concluded with the State of Israel, to prevent terrorism and to cease 
incitement in the areas under its jurisdiction.
  Regrettably, the Palestinian Authority has abandoned its obligations 
and is committing acts of terrorism and inciting violence against 
Israelis, both in Palestinian controlled media and in the curriculum 
taught to its school-age children. With such hatred and venom spewed by 
Palestinian Government organs, it is hard to imagine there is any true 
desire for peace, rather, there appears to be a deliberate attempt to 
destroy any foundation for peace that is necessary among the 
Palestinian people.
  The Israeli Government has made a renewal of peace negotiations with 
the Palestinians its foremost goal. But negotiations cannot take place 
until there is a cessation of the violence.
  The Government of Israel has repeated its desire to move forward in 
accordance with the four phases detailed in the recent report of the 
Mitchell Fact Finding Committee:
  A. A complete cessation of violence; B. A substantial cooling-off 
period, accompanied by confidence building measures--together with 
proof on the part of the PA that it intends to maintain the calm 
(arresting terrorists, ending incitement, etc.); C. The implementation 
of signed agreements; D. The conduct of negotiations on all outstanding 
issues.
  As Secretary Powell and the U.S. State Department prepare to re-enter 
the difficult world of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, we can make a 
few observations about the recent brutality and violence by the PA.
  First, the attack puts the lie to the claim that Palestinian violence 
is directed against so-called Israeli ``occupation.''
  Second, we can question the effectiveness of peace negotiations with 
a group that embraces terrorism--and which belies the U.S. policy, that 
is, policy for the United States, that we do not negotiate with 
terrorists, while the Palestinian Authority was removed from the annual 
U.S. list of terrorists, it continues to commit acts of terrorism and 
we have helped to reinvent the PA as a ``negotiating partner'' for the 
Israelis. This looks hypocritical, dishonest and unrealistic.
  Secretary Powell and the Department of State have an enormous 
undertaking in trying to find common ground between Israelis and 
Palestinians. The conflict appears intractable, and peace, despite 
decades of efforts, remains elusive. Yet we can only keep trying--
trying to stop the bloodshed that seems synonymous with the Middle East 
and trying to seek stability in such an important and strategic part of 
the world.

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