[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 18]
[House]
[Pages 24376-24381]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          TROUBLING DEVELOPMENTS IN MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 7, 2003, the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hill) is recognized 
for 60 minutes as the designee of the minority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on the subject of this Special Order.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Indiana?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, in the August break, several Members had the 
opportunity to take a trip to Israel. As a matter of fact, there were 
28 Members. It was lead by the minority whip, the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer). This evening we would like to offer Members who 
went on that trip the opportunity to share their experiences and to 
give their opinions and give their support for the State of Israel.

[[Page 24377]]

  Mr. Speaker, as the only democracy in the Middle East, Israel has 
been a strong and important ally to the United States for over 50 
years. Maintaining that relationship is imperative to the strength and 
security of the United States.
  When I was approached several months ago about joining a 
congressional delegation to Israel, I welcomed the opportunity. Though 
I had been to Israel once before in the early 1990s, it was during a 
very different time, a time when peace seemed near.
  Given the events over the last several years in both Israel and the 
United States, I felt it was my duty as a Member of Congress to gain a 
better understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how it 
relates to the security of the United States.
  One of the most important aspects of this congressional delegation 
trip were our meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. We were 
greeted by both leaders with optimism regarding the peace process. 
These meetings shed light on the challenges that both sides face in 
beginning meaningful peace negotiations, and they highlighted the 
importance of U.S. involvement in the peace process. Unfortunately, 
that optimism has turned to violence, as the road map to peace has 
crumbled. Israel has been forced to defend herself against terrorist 
attacks much like the United States did in the wake of September 11. I 
continue to strongly support Israel in its stand against terrorism. 
However, I am hopeful that all parties will exercise restraint so that 
they may, once again, focus on the process of achieving peace.
  Mr. Speaker, when we were over there, both the at-that-time 
Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, and Mr. Sharon, the Prime Minister 
of Israel, were very optimistic about the chances for peace in Israel. 
They believed that they could achieve it. But, once again, we have 
negotiations breaking down. Our thoughts and our prayers are with both 
Israel and the Palestinian people, that they will try to reach out to 
one another in a peaceful way and bring peace to the area.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone).
  Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Indiana 
for organizing this Special Order and also the gentleman from Maryland 
(Mr. Hoyer) for organizing the trip to Israel which, as was mentioned, 
so many of us on the Democratic side of the aisle went together. I 
think it was actually the largest number of House Members ever that 
traveled to Israel, at least in anyone's memory.
  I wanted to discuss the trip but, in particular, discuss the 
troubling developments in the Middle East peace process that have 
occurred since the trip when we were there in early August. I have to 
admit that for myself and probably all of my colleagues on the trip, we 
were hoping to return from Israel with stories of remarkable steps 
being taken towards peace in the region. I wanted to be able to return 
and tell my constituents that progress was being made, that things were 
getting better, and that families were safer.
  However, many of us returned from Israel, and I know I did, uneasy 
about what we saw and concerned about the future of the peace 
negotiations. In our meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon 
and then Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas, they both expressed a 
willingness to work towards a peace settlement. But while the talk was 
positive, there seemed to be no action on the part of the Palestinian 
Authority to eliminate Hamas and the other violent factions of the 
organization, despite concessions by Israel on political prisoners and 
the control of territories.
  Even more troubling to us was the overriding concern that Prime 
Minister Abbas did not have the ability to negotiate peace with Israel 
or the power to reign in the Palestinian terrorist factions. At every 
turn, it seemed, Yasir Arafat worked to undermine the Abbas government. 
So it came as no surprise that only a month after we returned from 
Israel, Abbas resigned as Prime Minister, citing his inability to 
effectively do his job in the shadow of Yasir Arafat. It was even less 
a surprise that a member of Arafat's inner circle was then tapped to 
step into the position.
  Mr. Speaker, since our trip, as we all know, violence has once again 
escalated in the region. Just this past weekend on the eve of Yom 
Kippur, another suicide bomber stepped into another crowded Israeli 
seaside restaurant and killed another 19 people. Mr. Speaker, since the 
start of this year, over 100 people have been killed in Israel as a 
result of suicide attacks. This is not a combined total of several 
years; this is over 100 people killed in the last 9\1/2\ months alone.
  In response to this weekend's bombing, Israel conducted an air strike 
inside Syria in a terrorist camp believed to be used by Hamas and its 
Islamic Jihad.

                              {time}  1900

  This was a measured response by the Israeli government against the 
groups who carried out the attack.
  As a side note, Mr. Speaker, I have spoken several times on the House 
floor regarding the need for Congress and the President to implement 
sanctions against Syria. I am a cosponsor of legislation that was 
approved today by the House Committee on International Relations that 
would place economic sanctions against Syria and hold Syria accountable 
for their actions. Syria has long been known to support and sponsor 
terrorist organizations. It is on the State Department list of 
terrorist nations. This Congress and the President must show to Syria 
that there are consequences for their actions. So I would urge that 
this bill come to the floor of the House and be passed as soon as 
possible.
  Not surprisingly, Arafat has used Israel's strike against Syria to 
his advantage. Arafat has taken the attack as an opportunity to declare 
a ``state of emergency,'' passing a presidential decree that institutes 
his chosen group as the new prime minister and cabinet.
  This step by Arafat only confirms my fears that Arafat continues to 
exert enormous influence over the Palestinian government. Israel has to 
come to grips with Arafat's ability to derail the peace process and has 
faced serious international opposition when the Israeli government 
issued a decision to take steps to remove Arafat from power.
  Recent actions by Arafat make it painfully clear that Arafat 
continues to be a roadblock to peace. When one government does not 
follow his orders, he undermines that government until its leaders 
resign, and he puts his own people in charge. Peace cannot be achieved, 
in my opinion, as long as Arafat is in power.
  Mr. Speaker, I am sure I can speak for many of my colleagues on the 
trip when I say that we all want nothing more than to see peace 
negotiations move forward. So, for now, the Palestinian Authority has a 
new prime minister. However, many of the same questions remain: Will 
steps be taken to dismantle the terrorist networks? Will the new prime 
minister be able to govern or will Arafat continue to pull the strings? 
I guess only time will tell the answers to those questions.
  In closing, I just want to urge all of my colleagues in Congress to 
visit Israel and meet with government officials and see the region 
firsthand. I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) for 
organizing this trip, giving us the ability tonight, through the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hill), to discuss our trip. It was a 
wonderful trip. It was at a time when peace seemed possible. I know it 
does not seem very possible right now, but I am still hopeful that 
again we will see peace in the Middle East.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, it was a pleasure to have the gentleman from 
New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) on the trip. He contributed a great deal to 
the success of the trip.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. 
Sanchez) who is a new Member in Congress but is really doing an 
outstanding job.
  Ms. LINDA T. SANCHEZ of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today and 
join my colleagues in our continuing desire to establish peace in the 
Middle East. I joined several of my Democratic colleagues this past 
August in a trip to

[[Page 24378]]

Israel to see firsthand the impact that violence has had on the people 
of the Middle East.
  It seems that almost daily we turn on our television sets and read 
newspapers and learn about another bombing or missile attack in the 
Middle East. Just this past Saturday 19 people were killed and 50 
people were injured when a suicide bomber set off an explosion in a 
packed restaurant in Israel.
  My trip to Israel in August impacted me profoundly. One cannot begin 
to understand what it is like for the people of Israel to try to live 
under such conditions until one have traveled to the country and has 
seen it firsthand. There is a difference between understanding their 
situation by reading about it in the newspaper and actually being 
there, living it and seeing it with your own eyes.
  Israel is a tiny country and is practically surrounded by countries 
that consider Israel and Western-style democracy an enemy. Israel lives 
with the fear of attack every day, and Israeli citizens need to protect 
themselves and defend their homes. There are many regions of the 
country that the Israeli government holds on to simply because they 
improve the security and safety of their citizens.
  While I was in Israel I and my colleagues saw firsthand the 
construction of an enormous security fence to prevent violent attacks. 
Once completed, this barrier will stretch for approximately 150 miles. 
It is a combination of ditches, barbed wire, and electric sensors. Many 
people have spoken out against the fence and say that it is an obstacle 
to achieving peace in the region. But until you have been to Israel, 
you cannot possibly understand what that fence means in terms of the 
safety and security of women and children and civilians.
  I also recall during our trip being taken to border regions and being 
shown security footage of people trespassing over the security barriers 
and entering Israel without authorization. These constant dangers 
impact the people of Israel every day, and I was impressed with how 
committed the Israeli people were to protecting their country and their 
families in the face of so many threats. In fact, many citizens carried 
guns with them, ready to defend their country at a moment's notice.
  It is easy for people outside of Israel to criticize them for 
carrying guns and constructing a security fence. But the fear and the 
danger that faces the people of Israel is real, and they must be 
allowed to protect themselves. Because of this danger, they alone know 
the best way to protect their citizens and secure their communities.
  Mr. Speaker, I hope that our country continues to support the 
government and the people of Israel. I hope that we recognize Israel's 
right to be a sovereign nation and Israel's right to protect itself. 
Most of all, I hope that peace comes to the people of Israel and all of 
the citizens of the Middle East.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  The gentlewoman from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) spoke about 
the fence. The fence takes on symbolic proportions just by the idea 
that we are putting up a wall, some people like to call it. But this 
fence is not designed to keep the Israeli people out of Israel like the 
East Germans tried to do in East Germany trying to keep their people 
in. This is to protect the Israeli people.
  As the gentlelady from California (Ms. Linda T. Sanchez) so 
eloquently said, until you have been there and seen if for yourself, 
you really do not have a great appreciation for it.
  Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield to the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. 
Bordallo).
  Ms. BORDALLO. Mr. Speaker, as a Member of the House Committee on 
Armed Services, I have worked to further my understanding of the 
threats posed to our national security by state sponsors of terrorism 
and the role of our allies in countering this growing threat; and I am 
well aware that Guam's neighbor, North Korea, exports missile 
technology to Iran and other nations that seek to acquire both weapons 
of mass destruction and the means to deliver them.
  The people of Guam have a keen interest, Mr. Speaker, in developments 
in the Middle East where so many of our sons and daughters are proudly 
serving. Mr. Speaker, you may be interested to know that Guam is 
actually the closest American soil to the Middle East region.
  I, too, Mr. Speaker had the opportunity to visit Israel with my 
colleagues, and I thank the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Hill) for this 
opportunity to speak tonight.
  I was very pleased to join my colleagues on this recent mission to 
Israel. The State of Israel has come a long way since my last visit 
there over 20 years ago. The people have maintained the ancient 
heritage of the Holy Land and its sacred sites, while bringing economic 
development and opportunity to a very young nation. They have worked at 
bringing peace with their neighbors, Egypt and Jordan, and stand ready 
to negotiate a final settlement with the Palestinians.
  What I saw in Israel confirmed my belief that our assistance to 
Israel has been an important investment in regional security, for much 
has been achieved with our assistance from the leadership of President 
Carter to President Bush's efforts today.
  In prosecuting the war on terrorism globally, we should never forget 
our steadfast ally Israel and the responsibility we have to engage 
there. In Israel, I saw a people who share our democratic values in and 
long for peace being forced to live with the ongoing threat of 
terrorism. All too often, we focus our attention on CNN footage of a 
burning bus or a shattered restaurant. We must not forget these people 
after the cameras have moved on.
  For the women and the children that took the number 2 bus in 
Jerusalem, we must not delay in moving our embassy to Israel's capital. 
For the families who sat down to lunch at the Maxim Cafe, we must 
demand accountability from nations such as Syria that sponsor terrorism 
against Israel. To prevent future victims of terrorism, we must support 
increased defense cooperation with Israel; and, above all, we should 
encourage President Bush to continue the U.S.-led effort to facilitate 
the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians that are crucial 
to our peace in the Middle East.
  The decisions of the 108th Congress will have a historic impact on 
our foreign policy and the security of our nation, and I look forward 
to sharing in those decisions with the understanding that I have gained 
from visiting Israel.
  So, Mr. Speaker, I would like to go on record to thank my colleagues 
who participated with me on this delegation and especially to the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) who led our group and for providing 
me with such a valuable opportunity.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Guam (Ms. 
Bordallo) for her kind remarks. It was an opportunity for us to get to 
know one another a whole lot better in our trip to Israel. I have a 
great amount of respect for the gentlewoman from Guam.
  Mr. Speaker, at this time, I yield to my colleague from California 
who I sit on the Committee on Armed Services with, the gentlewoman from 
California (Mrs. Davis of California).
  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the distinguished minority whip, 
for leading this trip and also for tonight's opportunity to share our 
thoughts with our colleagues and the American people.
  It was my third trip since I had lived on a kibbutz in 1965 during 
what was then the infancy of the State of Israel. Each time I set foot 
there I am reminded of the rich history of the land. The way you drift 
from present to past and back again is simply indescribable. One is 
constantly reminded of the biblical origins.
  It is a place where time is measured in millennia, not decades, which 
helps me keep a perspective on everyday headlines.
  On this trip, I had the opportunity to go to the Golan Heights. As 
our bus climbed the corkscrew roads I looked down upon the kibbutz 
where I had lived 38 years ago, and I was struck by

[[Page 24379]]

its proximity. It was much closer than I ever thought. That geography 
reminds me of my own City of San Diego. There people live on bluffs, on 
mesas overlooking valleys, yet no one in the valley is concerned about 
being shot by their neighbors above.
  This highlights the stark differences in everyday life in the U.S. 
compared with everyday life in Israel. In Israel, normalcy is a 
challenge. But it is achieved every day. Life continues, but not 
without adjustments. Families have learned to live with the prospect of 
violence. Just like here, parents worry about getting their kids to 
school. Adult and youth join their friends at coffee houses, and 
families go shopping. Though it may look normal, there is much going on 
that one cannot see.
  Just take the example of going to the store. Here we might be 
thinking about the traffic and the availability of parking. In Israel, 
one would worry about security at the store, about which routes to 
take, and about the wisdom of taking public transportation.
  On recreation choices, I am reminded of the accomplished physician, 
the Israeli-American who went to the coffee house with his daughter the 
night before her wedding. A suicide bomber went also.
  When I learned of the 19 people killed in an Arab-managed restaurant 
in Haifa, I recalled the afternoon that we all lunched at an Arab-owned 
restaurant feeling safe.
  The differences extend beyond such day-to-day choices. As diverse as 
this body is, the Knesset's diversity impressed me. Though Democrats 
and Republicans joust in a war of priorities, our experiences are 
nothing like those of Jews and Arabs serving together in a Knesset 
while their brothers and sisters might be fighting one another.

                              {time}  1915

  And while the challenges we face are important and the problems we 
address are critical, again, they seem shadowed by the complexity of 
those in the Knesset.
  Finally, despite the grave security situation in Israel, I observed a 
free and open press. The plight of those living in the West Bank and 
Gaza was discussed and important questions were asked of the 
government. Surely the freedom to debate such sensitive issues is 
symbolic of the great potential for understanding and cooperation that 
exists in Israel. A free and open press underpins a free and open 
society. Israel is a democracy, a democracy that refuses to be 
handicapped by its dangers and a democracy that needs our continued 
attention and our support.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. 
Davis). I am always impressed at her presentation and her ability to 
ask the tough questions in such a nice way.
  Mr. Speaker, how much time remains?
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Murphy). The gentleman from Indiana (Mr. 
Hill) has approximately 39 minutes remaining.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Nadler).
  Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman.
  Mr. Speaker, I was very much pleased to participate along with my 
wife on this trip to Israel, and I appreciate the efforts of the 
gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) in organizing this trip. It is not 
my first trip. It is probably my 7th or 8th trip to Israel. And as 
always, I was impressed by looking at different facets of Israeli 
society and seeing a vibrant, free, democratic, modern country, so 
different from so many other countries in the Middle East.
  I had many experiences there, but one of the things I always do when 
I go someplace else is read the local newspapers. Reading the 
newspapers in Israel, you are struck by the debates on politics and on 
policy, on peace, you are struck on the political give and take, by the 
criticism in the newspapers of the government and its leaders, by the 
debate of the members of the various political parties, all of this so 
reminiscent of the democracy in our own country, in the United States.
  In the debates in the press, in talking to the people, one could feel 
the palpable yearning for peace that Israel is so desperate for. One 
could not escape the fact that Israel is a country fighting a war on 
terrorism alongside the United States. One could never escape the fact 
that Israel is targeted by hostile neighbors, by hostile terrorists who 
have had over 100 suicide bombings, homicide bombings, really, targeted 
at civilians, men, women and children.
  Sometimes we read in the papers here that in the last 3 years since 
violence began in September of 2000, about 800 Israelis have been 
killed and countless more wounded, maimed. And Palestinians were also 
killed. But what you do not read all the time is that most of the 
Israelis who were killed and maimed were children and old people and 
women, children simply at a pizza parlor or teenagers at a dance hall 
or people at a wedding or a Bar Mitzvah or just going about their 
business, on their way to work on a bus. Most of the Palestinians who 
were killed were armed people engaged in attacking someone engaged in 
terrorism.
  One is also struck when visiting Israel, in going around Israel, by 
how small the country actually is. It is one thing to look at a map and 
talk about Israel and the territories, the West Bank and Gaza and the 
Sinai and Egypt and what territories should constitute a new 
Palestinian state, what territorial concessions or compromises Israel 
should make. It is all very academic on a piece of paper; until you are 
there, and you see how small this country is. When you go to a place, a 
hill on a farm, and you can look and see on one side, the Jordan River, 
the boundary between the West Bank and Jordan, and on the other side, 
you can see from the same hill the Mediterranean, how narrow the 
country is and how remarkable, in those terms, is the willingness of 
Israel to give up so much territory to form an independent Palestinian 
state, as Israel offered to do at Camp David and at Taba in 2000.
  We saw the monitoring station in the north of the country. We visited 
a station, really a couple of trailers, a few hundred feet from the 
Lebanese border. We saw the balloon. It looked like a barrage balloon, 
tethered a couple of hundred feet up, but it did not hold weapons. It 
held cameras. And sitting in this monitoring station were young girls, 
18-year-old girls in army uniforms looking at the monitors to try to 
prevent terrorists from coming over the border to attack and killing at 
random, to kill men, women and children at random. And this is what the 
army has to occupy itself with.
  We saw also part of where the fence is going to be. The fence has 
been the object of some controversy. But the Gaza Strip has a fence 
around it. People go through the fence, through check points, but not 
one homicide bomber has come from Gaza. A million and a half people in 
Gaza, not one homicide bombing has come from Gaza into Israel 
successfully. Plenty have tried, but not one has succeeded to wreak 
mayhem and murder on civilians. Unfortunately, that is not the case 
with the West Bank.
  Someone once said that good fences make good neighbors. Well, you 
need a lot more than good fences to make good neighbors, but one might 
say that good fences are very important to make good neighbors. And no 
one can deny the necessity for Israel to try to prevent people from 
crossing over to attack villages and towns in Kibbutzim and just plain 
people going about their business.
  The United States is erecting a fence between at various places 
between the United States and Mexico to prevent illegal immigration. 
No, we do not have a problem, thank God, with people trying to cross 
from Mexico into San Diego to commit murder. If we have a problem, it 
is because people want to cross to get jobs. But the Israelis have that 
problem. And we saw where we were how narrow the place was. How there 
was an Israeli town and not 200 yards away an Arab-Palestinian village, 
which was not in Israel but was in the West Bank, and in between them 
simply a depression in the ground and nothing to stop people from 
walking across.

[[Page 24380]]

  That is why we need the fence. That is why Israel needs the fence, to 
protect the lives of men, women and children. And it ill-behooves 
anyone to criticize a defensive fence against terrorism.
  I must say, Mr. Speaker, that I believe in the necessity of a 
Palestinian state. Some people ask me, do I believe that the 
Palestinians have a right to a state? My answer is no, I do not think 
so. I do not see why the Palestinians have any more right to an 
independent state than the Baaths or the Kurds. On the other hand, if 
Israel is going to be a safe state and is going to achieve peace and is 
going to remain a Jewish democratic state, then there has to be a 
Palestinian state, because there is no alternative.
  The question, of course, is, can you have a Palestinian state with 
peace and security for Israel? Is there someone you can deal with to 
negotiate that, and that is what Israel tried to do. And if you read 
what Dennis Ross, President Clinton's chief negotiator at Camp David, 
or what some of the others have said, they offered, the Israelis 
offered a Palestinian state in 100 percent of Gaza, 97 percent of the 
West Bank, plus territory from Israel proper so that the Palestinians 
could say they got the equivalent of acreage of 100 percent and Arafat 
turned it down. And Arafat then started a war which is what we have had 
for the last almost 3 years, 3 years and a couple of weeks.
  So we hope and pray for peace. This trip showed us just how small 
Israel is; how necessary the fence is, how necessary the Israeli 
defense measures are; how important Israel's part in the war on 
terrorism is; and how, when people say that the main problem is the 
Israeli occupation, how wrong that is. The Israeli occupation will end 
when there is an ability to have a peaceful solution for Israel and to 
have security for Israel without Israel having to occupy the land for 
security purposes. We saw that very clearly and that is what we have to 
understand. And the United States must engage to continue our alliance 
with Israel, the only free democratic people in the area, the only 
reliable ally for the United States in the area, and the moral 
necessity of defending that freedom and democracy, and the political 
necessity of allying in the war on terrorism with our only reliable 
ally in the war on terrorism in the Middle East, Israel.
  Mr. LARSEN of Washington. Mr. Speaker, the resignation of Mahmoud 
Abbas and the appointment of Ahmed Queria as his replacement as the 
Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority has fully thrown off course 
the Road Map to Peace.
  Two months ago I traveled to Israel as a member of the largest 
Congressional delegation to ever visit Israel. While there, I had an 
opportunity to meet with both then Prime Minister Abbas and Prime 
Minister Ariel Sharon. At the time, both Israel and the Palestinian 
Authority were struggling to implement the Road Map requirements.
  Abbas's humble welcome to the delegation belied a history of being 
one of Yasser Arafat's right hand men in the Palestinian Liberation 
Organization's past terror campaigns. This history makes it all the 
more interesting that Silvan Shalom, Israel's Minister of Foreign 
Affairs, told us that it was official Israeli policy to take actions to 
enhance the credibility of Abbas within the Palestinian Authority.
  Abbas's message to us was a recounting of key issues that impact the 
Road Map peace process. He argued that the security fence, which he 
referred to as a wall, should be dismantled. However, when pressed on 
this issue, he conceded that the fence might be less of an issue if 
Israel built it on non-West Bank lands. He argued that Israel's 
announcement that they would release 545 political prisoners, in 
addition to those 248 released before the Akaba summit, was inadequate. 
His sentiment echoed Arafat's claim that the release was a fraud.
  What Abbas failed to explain is that the Israeli government's 
difficult decision to release prisoners was not a required element of 
the Road Map peace process. The Israeli government took this step 
unilaterally and specifically as a confidence-building measure for the 
peace process and to help enhance Abbas's credibility.
  Abbas's third issue was the continued presence of Israeli forces in 
Palestinian settlements and cities in the West Bank. Recent suicide 
bombers have come from these cities. The Israeli government's position 
is that, short of a Palestinian Authority effort to dismantle all 
terrorist infrastructure, Israeli troops will be present in the West 
Bank.
  Finally, the issue of terrorist infrastructure hung out there. The 
most important action that Abbas could have taken to silence all of his 
critics is the step necessary during the now dead temporary ceasefire 
to dismantle the infrastructure supporting terrorist groups like Hamas 
and others. The number one obstacle to that step was Yasser Arafat, a 
picture of whom hung over the meeting as a constant reminder of who was 
really in charge.
  We drove back to the bus for the 90-minute ride back to Jerusalem for 
our meeting with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Sharon met us in his 
office within the large government complex located on one of the many 
hills in Israel's capital.
  Sharon's message was simple: For real peace, Israel is ready to make 
painful compromises. He noted that Israel is a small country but has a 
determined people.
  He went on to echo Minister Shalom's earlier comments that Israeli 
policy is to enhance Abbas's credibility, and he went on to point out 
recent changes the Palestinian Authority have implemented. He noted 
that incitements, or the agitating of anti-Israeli opinion, have 
decreased. He emphasized that, except for the recent shooting north of 
Bethlehem, the temporary ceasefire had held.
  Sharon cautioned, however, that the Road Map peace process would not 
move forward to the next phase without completing the current phase in 
full. What he emphasized the most was a full cessation of terror. 
Sharon noted that Arafat's strategy of terror has not changed, and 
Arafat continues to undermine every step that Abbas takes.
  Thinking back to the Abbas meeting, the Palestinian Authority's Prime 
Minister expressed his sincere belief in two main goals for his 
government. First, a rule of law must exist for all Palestinian people. 
Second, it is his goal to have one security force. This was important 
because there are currently 13 separate security forces, ten of which 
Arafat controls.
  I bring this up because two things strike me most about this pair of 
meetings. Both men have a vision for their people. Sharon's vision is a 
vision that most Jews have, an Israel for the Jewish people with secure 
borders living in peace with its neighbors. Abbas's vision was not 
expressed as clearly but was still there: a state for Palestinians 
living securely under the rule of law.
  Abbas's resignation and the seeming resurrection of Arafat now mean 
these visions are on hold. If the Palestinian Authority cannot have 
leadership that is willing to wrest itself from the hold of Arafat and 
terrorist groups, then Israel must continue to defend itself from 
suicide bombers. As a strong supporter of Israel, however, I believe 
the United States has a responsibility to help Israel take steps 
forward--not backward--including improving the average Palestinian's 
quality of life. I am no supporter of Arafat. But, honestly, hints at 
efforts to assassinate Arafat took the peace process backward in the 
eyes of many. I applaud the foreign minister's efforts to back away 
from the statement made by the deputy prime minister.
  I am much less hopeful now than I was just two months ago about the 
short-term prospects for peace and resolution to the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict. However, I am more certain now than ever that the 
United States must stay involved for there to be any success of the 
Road Map or any long-term future peace process. The ground rules may 
have changed with Abbas's resignation but our interests have not.
  Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, until you actually spend time in Israel, 
it is hard to truly understand what it is like to live with the daily 
reality of terrorism.
  The horrific explosion this weekend makes it hard to remember that 
this summer was a time of relative quiet.
  People on both sides of the conflict were able to venture out of 
their houses. Palestinians went to the beach for the first time in 
years. Israeli cafes and restaurants were crowded. Tourism was up. But, 
unfortunately, in many ways that quiet was more illusion than reality.
  During the Hudna, 27 civilians were killed, and 133 were injured. 
Over 180 terrorist attacks, including 120 shooting attacks, were 
launched against Israeli citizens. At the same time, Israeli security 
forces prevented more than 40 attacks, including suicide bombers.
  Given the volume of attacks, perhaps we shouldn't have been surprised 
that during our brief one week visit this summer our lives were touched 
by two separate terrorist incidents. But, we believed in the ceasefire 
and the possibilities it seemed to offer.
  One incident occurred after we visited an area along the border 
between Israel and Lebanon.

[[Page 24381]]

  The very next day, a sixteen year old boy was murdered by a missile 
fired over the Lebanese border, close to the place we had strolled the 
previous day. A day earlier, a few yards in a different direction and 
the missile could just as easily have hit one of us.
  A few days later, we visited Hadassah Hospital and met a doctor who 
had been up all night saving the life of a woman. She had been driving 
on a highway with her family when a sniper's bullet pierced her car.
  The doctor's expertise gave her another chance at life, but she will 
spend years recovering from her wounds.
  9/11 awakened Americans to the ease with which terrorists can reach 
us. Our schools, our homes, our water and our air are so vulnerable. It 
just takes one angry person with a weapon.
  This weekend one angry person stole the lives of 19 people in Haifa. 
Some of them were Arabs, some of them were Jews. Hatred does not 
distinguish.
  At a time when violence seems to be taking over the region, it is 
hard to remember the optimism that so many of us felt this summer.
  As the largest delegation of Members of Congress ever to visit 
Israel, we had the opportunity to meet with many of the people who are 
key to the peace process. They were hopeful that better times lie 
ahead, and so were we.
  But peace cannot come as long as Arafat continues to call for a 
million martyrs. Peace cannot come as long as Palestinian children are 
taught to idolize terrorists. Peace cannot come as long as Palestinians 
refuse to crack down on terrorist groups.
  Terrorism wages war against children, old people, the defenseless. 
Terrorism seeks to destroy the most vulnerable.
  In a free and open society such as Israel's, the only response to 
terrorism is a determination to go on. In Israel we saw extraordinary 
creativity, energy and freedom.
  Despite their daily brush with terrorism, Israelis are determined to 
lead ordinary lives. In their very normalcy, they pose a daily 
challenge to terrorists.
  Let us hope that in the future they will not have to try so very hard 
to lead normal lives. Let us hope that freedom will prevail over 
terrorism.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. 
Nadler) for his eloquent remarks. As always, he has a lot to say.
  Mr. Speaker, there was no vacation that we took. We worked very hard 
and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer) worked us very hard. We 
were at it early in the morning and until late at night every single 
day. As a matter of fact, by the end of the trip, I was thankful that 
we were going home. But because of his leadership, we learned a great 
deal and we have a much greater appreciation.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield the balance of my time to the gentleman from 
Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the leader of this trip, our Democratic whip, for 
purposes of control.

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