[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 15]
[Senate]
[Page 20047]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 COMMENDING THE ISRAELI GOVERNMENT FOR DISENGAGEMENT IN GAZA AND WEST 
                            BANK SETTLEMENTS

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                            HON. TOM LANTOS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 12, 2005

  Mr. LANTOS. Mr. Speaker, I invite my colleagues to join me in 
commending the Government of Israel for its bold action in disengaging 
from the Gaza Strip and four West Bank settlements in the past few 
weeks. At considerable political risk, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has 
demonstrated his resolve by following through on his commitment to 
withdraw the Israeli presence from these areas. His government has made 
an unprecedented and unilateral sacrifice in the name of peace, 
surrendering land on which Israelis have lived continuously for almost 
four decades--land won in a war that was thrust upon them.
  To be sure, the disengagement serves Israeli security interests, 
since it establishes a defensible line of separation that improves 
Israel's ability to defend its citizens from terrorist attacks. That is 
good news for both Israelis and Palestinians. Every day without 
bloodshed brings us one day closer to peace.
  Mr. Speaker, I would particularly like to commend Israeli military 
and government officials for implementing disengagement in a way that 
allowed as many settlers as possible to express their remorse or anger 
while still encouraging them to vacate the area without resorting to 
violence. Even when some individuals or groups sought to provoke 
confrontations, Israeli authorities wisely avoided being drawn into 
fighting and, in the end, successfully and patiently evacuated even the 
most determined of dissidents. I am full of admiration for the Israeli 
military's achievement.
  A significant majority of Israelis favored disengagement, and I think 
it is important for them to know that the American people are behind 
them, supporting them in their struggle against terrorism and in the 
search for peace.
  But the decision of Prime Minister Sharon and his government to 
relinquish the settlements also creates an unprecedented opportunity 
for Palestinians who seek a state of their own. After this historic 
Israeli gesture, the burden to act now rests with Palestinian Authority 
leaders, who must prove that they can take on the challenge of securing 
and administering the territory just now coming under their control.
  It is my hope, Mr. Speaker, that we will soon see a concerted effort 
on behalf of the Palestinian Authority to move against terrorist 
organizations. This means not only bringing to a halt the attacks 
against Israel, but disarming the terrorists as well. A lull in 
violence is simply not enough. Terrorist infrastructure must be 
dismantled if Gaza is not to become a permanent launching pad for 
attacks by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other murderous fanatics. And I 
would urge President Mahmoud Abbas to insist that any group that wishes 
to participate in the January elections for the Palestinian Legislative 
Council first renounce violence in word and deed and divest itself of 
all arms.
  President Bush recently noted in his first-ever interview with 
Israeli television that we are witnessing in Gaza ``an opportunity for 
the Palestinians to show leadership and self-government'' as well as 
``an opportunity for democracy to emerge.'' Mr. Speaker, I invite 
Palestinian leaders to make this vision a reality, building a Gaza that 
is democratic and peaceful, free and open.
  In the wake of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, the international 
community should also do its part to assist the Palestinian Authority 
to move in the right direction, and Special Envoy James Wolfensohn is 
impressively leading the way. But there are additional responsibilities 
that fall squarely on the shoulders of Egypt and the Arab and Islamic 
nations.
  Mr. Speaker, one of the most dramatic but least publicized aspects of 
the disengagement was Israel's decision to underscore the completeness 
of its withdrawal by removing its forces from Gaza's border with Egypt 
and allowing Egypt to send 750 troops to guard that border. This 
effectively alters the longstanding arrangement, based on the 1979 
Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, which prohibited Egyptian troops from 
that region. Egypt has now assumed the major responsibility for 
ensuring that terrorists and arms do not penetrate that border. 
Terrorists seek to make a mockery of Israel's disengagement by making 
Gaza an unrestrained launching pad for terrorism into Israel--just as 
opponents of disengagement predicted they would. It is the 
responsibility of Egypt, in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, 
to win the confidence of the Israeli people by keeping Gaza peaceful.
  The wider Arab and Islamic worlds also have a significant part to 
play. By pursuing normalization with Israel, they will demonstrate that 
steps toward peace will be met in kind. The very significant meeting 
last week between the Israeli and Pakistani foreign ministers is 
encouraging in this regard, as are recent reports of stepped-up Israeli 
contact with the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud Prime Minister Sharon and his government for 
taking this wise and exceptionally courageous step toward peace--a step 
that is fraught with more risks than the media have acknowledged. I 
encourage the Palestinians to capitalize on this unique opportunity to 
demonstrate their own competence in governance and commitment to peace. 
And I call on the Arab and Islamic world to assume responsibility for 
proving to Israel that unilateral steps toward peace are not only 
appreciated but reciprocated.

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