[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Pages 9234-9235]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      MIDDLE EAST VISIT--WEST BANK

  Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, over the recess last week, I had the 
opportunity to travel to Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and 
Egypt. Yesterday, I reported on the Israel leg of my fact-finding 
mission. Today I will continue briefly with that discussion of some of 
my observations of the West Bank.
  It was an invaluable experience. I and my entire group learned a 
tremendous amount about the Palestinian perspective. Following my 
meetings in Jerusalem, we made our way to Ramallah in the West Bank to 
meet with the leadership of the Palestinian Authority. As we drove 
toward the city, we could see from our windows that everyday life for 
Palestinians in the West Bank is, indeed, a struggle. We had to pass 
through multiple checkpoints, predominantly through the security 
barrier, the so-called fence, much of which is newly constructed.
  As I learned on my visit to the Middle East, the fence has been, in 
truth, very successful in preventing terrorist attacks, although it was 
quite remarkable that you had to stop and be checked out before passing 
this fence, which sometimes you had to cross multiple times.
  We could also see the toll the Intifada has taken on the lives of the 
Palestinian people. Streets were pockmarked, buildings were run down, 
and a pall hung over the landscape itself. It is clear the Palestinians 
need one thing; that is, hope--hope for the future, hope for a better 
life, hope for a more secure life. They need their economic services 
improved. They need their social services improved. They need to 
believe there will be tangible benefits from choosing dialog over 
violence.
  This view was reinforced during my meeting with Palestinian Finance 
Minister Salam Fayyad. I learned from him that the unemployment rate in 
the West Bank is officially 27 percent, but it far exceeds that number. 
The people are suffering. That is why I strongly support President 
Bush's efforts to increase assistance to the Palestinian people. 
President Bush has pledged to help improve economic support programs 
and strengthen Palestinian democratic institutions.
  The Finance Minister and I discussed President Bush's generous 
proposal to provide assistance to the Palestinian Authority. The 
Finance Minister agrees this assistance is crucial as President Abbas 
seeks to strengthen the mandate he earned in the January Palestinian 
elections.
  From the Finance Minister's office we went on to the Presidential 
compound in Ramallah to meet with President Mahmoud Abbas. The meeting 
was constructive. The parties on all sides appear to appreciate the 
importance of a longstanding and meaningful dialog on ways to bring 
peace and security to the Middle East. We had a very open and candid 
discussion about the status of the peace process, the Palestinians' 
obligations under the roadmap, and the need for both sides to establish 
greater trust. In particular, we talked of the need to coordinate the 
Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip so that the Palestinian 
Authority can reestablish a strong presence in that territory. This 
whole concept of coordination seemed and is so critical to that 
successful disengagement.
  It is crucial that after that withdrawal the Palestinian Authority is 
able to strengthen its democratic institutions and maintain security 
and maintain law and order.
  We discussed Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. I believe that 
is a courageous decision on the part of the Israelis. President Abbas 
expressed his concern over unilateral Israeli measures, stressing that 
progress toward peace should be made through dialog, bringing people 
together through negotiation and through coordination.
  To that end, President Abbas expressed his commitment to dismantling 
the terrorist organizations and preventing terrorist attacks against 
Israel. This came up again and again. He conveyed to me his firm belief 
that

[[Page 9235]]

nonviolence is the path to a Palestinian State.
  In our discussions it was evident that President Abbas is a serious 
leader, an elected leader, but also a leader who is in a very difficult 
situation. His election victory gave him a strong mandate to depart 
from his predecessor's legacy, Arafat's legacy, of violence and 
terrorism. But he must also compete for that popular support with 
violent factions such as Hamas that continue to reject peace with 
Israel, and at the same time they garner support among the people by 
providing social services to the people. That is what President Abbas 
faces.
  I strongly believe it is, therefore, necessary that the United States 
continue to support President Abbas in his efforts to transform the 
Palestinian Authority's reputation for cronyism, corruption, and 
nontransparency. We need to actively help his administration reform and 
strengthen the Palestinian security and improve economic services. We 
must continue to support both economic and social services and offer a 
stable and peaceful alternative to the radicals that reject peace.
  We also had the opportunity to talk with an independent Presidential 
candidate who lost in the election but garnered significant support--a 
physician, Dr. Mustafa Barghuti, who ran as an independent in the 
Presidential elections 5 months ago. He spoke of a need for a strong, 
viable, independent party to serve as an alternative to Hamas. Like 
President Abbas, he believes peace is the only path to an independent 
Palestinian State.
  Dr. Barghuti took me on a tour of his medical relief prevention and 
diagnostic center for cardiovascular disease in Ramallah. It was quite 
impressive. It is a model he developed as a physician that he hopes, 
with the appropriate resources, he will be able to spread through the 
West Bank. We share that common bond of being physicians and had a 
great dialog on the importance of social services provided through 
health care to further build that support of this new government.
  My experience in the West Bank in my meetings with the various 
leaders of the Palestinian Authority bolstered my belief that President 
Abbas is a genuine partner for peace in the Middle East. I also 
witnessed firsthand how the conflict has deeply affected the daily 
lives and routines of many Palestinians.
  I take this opportunity to urge my colleagues to support President 
Abbas in his efforts to improve the lives of the Palestinian people and 
make their governing institutions more accountable and responsible to 
all. I am hopeful his nonviolent approach to relations with Israel will 
eventually lead to a viable, independent Palestinian State that is able 
to live side by side with Israel in peace and security for both.
  I yield the floor.

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