The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“U.S. ASSISTANCE TO THE PALESTINIANS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1582-E1583 on Aug. 1, 1997.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
U.S. ASSISTANCE TO THE PALESTINIANS
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HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES
of new york
in the house of representatives
Thursday, July 31, 1997
Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I applaud the House, especially my good friend Jim Saxton, who has been a leader in Middle East issues, in adopting the Forbes-Saxton amendment that temporarily suspends U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority and PLO until the President can report and certify that they are complying with various elements of the Oslo accords and other human rights. It's the right amendment at the right time. As a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, I am in a unique position to follow the progress of the Middle East peace process in great detail and have done so since coming to Congress 3 years ago. My friends, it is with great disappointment that I report to you--there hasn't been any progress. Since the signing of the Oslo accords in 1993, have we had peace? Have the Palestinian Authority and the PLO lived up to their commitments in the Oslo accords? No we have not and no they have not.
Year after year, the violations and gross misconduct of the Palestinian Authority and PLO continue to grow. History is sometimes a cruel, but honest teacher. We can never allow politics of the moment to obscure the essential facts: The Palestinian Authority and the PLO openly violate the Oslo accords and continue to disregard the human rights of Israelis and Americans in Israel.
Yesterday we witnessed the brutal bomb explosion in Israel killing at least 13 and wounding more than 150. Hamas later claimed responsibility. Living with this kind of senseless violence is unbearable for all in the region and my deepest condolences go out to those who lost a loved one in the explosion. This latest example of terrorism leads me to ask the question--why isn't there peace between the Israelis and Palestinians? Since the Oslo accords in 1993, the world has witnessed rioting and bombs exploding in the streets of Israel, buses exploding, and Prime Ministers assassinated. With the stroke of a pen or an impassioned speech, one man could help restore peace to the region--Yassir Arafat. Instead, his silence and inaction has allowed the spigot of violence to flow. With the passage of the Forbes-Saxton amendment, the House is rejecting the policies of Arafat, an international terrorist.
For the benefit of all who are following this debate, allow me to summarize some of the more egregious violations and examples of blatant misconduct by the Palestinian Authority and the PLO. There's no qustion about it--Arafat has blood on his hands. I ask you why should we squander taxpayer money on a regime that has since September 1993, the signing of the Oslo accords:
First, Arafat announced that he was setting aside seats in his cabinet for representatives of four terrorist groups: Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. In January 1997, Arafat appointed Imad Halouji, a Hamas activist from Gaza, as a Minister Without Portfolio; and Arafat named Sheikh Talal Sidr, a Hamas activist from Hebron, as Minister of Youth and Sports. He was one of the Hamas terror leaders deported to Lebanon in 1992 by Prime Minister Rabin.
Second, Arafat's cabinet announced, on May 3, 1997, that it would impose the death penalty for any Arab who sells land to Jews. During the weeks following the announcement, 3 Arab landsellers were found murdered.
Third, there has never been an overall disarming of the terrorists or seizure of the tens of thousands of illegal weapons in the hands of private Arab citizens in PLO-controlled areas. Arafat has estimated that there are 26,000 such weapons in Gaza alone, according to other estimates, there are 40,000.
Fourth, the PLO has not honored any of Israel's requests for extradition.
Fifth, Palestinian Arab newspapers that fail to toe the Arafat line are shut down. During the past 2 years, 6 newspapers have all suffered this fate. The U.S. group, Human Rights Watch found that the PLO regime
``has often acted in an arbitrary and repressive fashion, carrying out large numbers of political arrests, censoring the press, and failing to conduct credible investigations into suspected abuses.''
Sixth, the PLO's Palestine National Council [PNC] has not revised or annulled the articles in the PLO National Covenant that conflict with the Israel-PLO accords.
Seventh, the Palestinian Authority has failed to adhere to security provisions of the January 17, 1997 Hebron accord. According to the agreement, the Palestinians may have a total of up to 400 policemen, equipped with 20 vehicles and armed with 200 pistols, and 100 rifles for the protection of the police stations. The PA has deployed approximately 1,500 policemen in Hebron, nearly four times the number permitted under the agreement.
If you choose to dismiss the violations I've mentioned, and keep in mind these are only a few, one thing is certain--the practice of murdering Palestinians for selling land to Jews is a violation of international norms and practices and the spirit of the Oslo agreements, casting strong doubt whether the Palestinians are in compliance with any of their commitments to Israel. Any kind of U.S. encouragement or tolerance for this practice by the most senior leadership of the Palestinians Authority is unacceptable. Sending taxpayer money to help sustain a killer like Arafat should not be the policy of the U.S. Government.
Personally, I would like to eliminate all assistance for the Palestinians, however, I offered this amendment because it is the right amendment at the right time. The State Department has failed the peace process by allowing Arafat's reign of terror to continue and by not demanding better compliance. I don't want to see the Israelis and Palestinians retreat from the principle of peace so an immediate prohibition of assistance may not be in order just yet. However, there are too many violations and instances of misconduct on the part of the Palestinians for us as a nation to ignore. We need to step back and reexamine what we're getting for our money. Are we getting an honest peace partner who respects its commitments to the Oslo accords? Is the U.S. assistance furthering the peaceful coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians? Currently, this is not the case.
That's why it is necessary to suspend aid to the Palestinian Authority and PLO for 3 months until the President can report and certify to Congress that yes, indeed, the Palestinians are complying with the letter and the spirit of the Oslo accords. Nothing more nothing less. We're not imposing new requirements on the Palestinians, merely asking them to play by the rules they agreed to in 1993 when they signed the Oslo accords.
It is important that my colleagues in the House are aware of the objective of this amendment. It is intended to suspend aid benefiting the Palestinian Authority and the PLO. Currently, the United States does not provide direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority or PLO, however, there are instances where U.S. assistance has been provided to them through a third party. Earlier this year, USAID was prepared to award a $1.2 million contract for the purpose of providing technical assistance to the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Finance. Recent reports of vast corruption within the Palestinian Authority worries me. Up to $340 million, half the Palestinian Authority's budget, is estimated to have been misspent or embezzled. Does the Palestinian Ministry of Finance really deserves $1.2 million in technical assistance? Talk about throwing good money after bad.
This amendment is intended to suspend the type of assistance where the Palestinian Authority or the PLO are benefiting from the assistance. The amendment is not intended to cut off all humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people. To accommodate any reservations members may have about this amendment cutting off humanitarian assistance, it is our intention that the executive branch consult with Congress in determining what constitutes assistance benefiting the PLO or the Palestinian Authority. This is a reasonable, good government approach. Until we can be guaranteed compliance by the Palestinians, aid should be suspended. U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority equals U.S. tolerance to terrorist acts in the Middle East.
I congratulate my colleagues for supporting this amendment. It will help get the peace process back on track and will allow the President to verify that no U.S. assistance is making its way into the Palestinian Authority or the PLO or any of its affiliated entities.
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