[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 148 (2002), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3472-3473]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                ARAFAT IS THE PROBLEM, NOT THE SOLUTION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the order of the House of 
January 23, 2002, the gentleman from New

[[Page 3473]]

York (Mr. Engel) is recognized during morning hour debates for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, as we speak here today, Vice President Cheney 
and General Zinni are both in the Middle East trying to help in the 
peace efforts. I think it is very important, though, to put things in 
perspective as the fights and the clashing between the Palestinians and 
the Israelis continue.
  For a number of months now, many months, there has been the question 
of what is Arafat doing to stop terrorism and can Arafat actually stop 
terrorism? Is he able to do it and does he want to do it? I would like 
to call the attention of my colleagues to an article last week that 
appeared in USA Today, and it is right here, blown up, and it says, 
``Terrorist says orders come from Arafat. Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade 
leader says group is integral to Palestinian chief's Fatah.''
  I think it has been very, very clear that not only is Yasir Arafat 
not the solution to stopping terrorism in the Middle East, he is the 
problem. He is the one that is sanctioning the terror in the Middle 
East. Three-quarters of the terrorist attacks directed against innocent 
Israeli civilians in the past several months all come from 
organizations to which Arafat is the leader, the Al-Aqsa Brigade, Fatah 
Tanzim, these are all groups under the control of Yasir Arafat.
  So it is not simply a matter of can he control terrorism and will he 
control it, it is simply a matter of he is the terrorist. He has never 
changed. Some people can change and grow, but he has never changed. 
Terrorism is used as a negotiating tool, and it is something that 
countries cannot tolerate.
  It does not matter what one feels about the Israeli response. It does 
not matter what one feels about how terror is being fought. President 
Bush put it best. He said, you are either with the terrorists or you 
are with us.
  We launched a campaign in Afghanistan to root out terrorist cells not 
because the Government of Afghanistan, the Taliban, as abhorrent as 
they are, were doing the terrorist attacks, but the Taliban were aiding 
and abetting al Qaeda, which was carrying out the terrorist attacks.
  Now, if we go to Afghanistan, and rightfully so, and I support 
everything President Bush has done and everything our brave men and 
women are doing over there, but if it is right for us to fight 
terrorism against innocent civilians, and as a New Yorker we all know 
the pain of the World Trade Center, and as someone who works in 
Washington, we all know the pain of what happened at the Pentagon, but 
if we have the right to fight terrorists on the other side of the 
world, surely Israel has the right to fight terrorism right in their 
own back yard. Repeatedly, Arafat has been asked to curb terrorism. And 
again not only is he not doing it, according to this article, which is 
very accurate, he is directing the terrorist attacks.
  Now, I am glad Vice President Cheney has not met with Arafat. He is 
in the Middle East now and he said he would meet with Arafat under one 
condition, that the Palestinians need to embrace the Tenet plan. And 
what does the Tenet plan say? It simply says, stop the violence as a 
first step to negotiations. But the Palestinians, under Arafat, do not 
want to stop the violence; they want to use it as a negotiating tool. 
This has been a constant with them.
  Violence and terrorism against innocent civilians cannot be used as a 
negotiating tool, and it is never acceptable no matter what the 
grievances are. Blowing yourself up and taking 15 people with you, 
killing innocent kids at pizza shops and discotheques is not 
acceptable. And if it is not acceptable in New York or in Washington or 
Virginia, it is not acceptable in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem either. It is 
not acceptable anywhere in the world. So I think it is very, very 
important that we look and see what is happening in the Middle East, 
who is carrying out these terror attacks against innocent civilians.
  Now, I hope that when Vice President Cheney is going around to the 
capitals to try to line up U.S. support for whatever we wind up doing 
in Iraq, I think it is important that he is doing that, but I, frankly, 
do not think the security of innocent civilians in Israel should be 
sacrificed. And if the people in the Arab capitals are saying, well, 
you know, this Palestinian-Israeli question is a problem and we cannot 
get Arab support for any incursion in Iraq unless that ends, Israel 
should not be used as a sacrifice because we want Arab support for 
Iraq.
  Let us say the way it is. Arafat is the terrorist, he is the problem, 
he is not the solution.

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