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.
“TROUBLING DEVELOPMENTS IN MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H9358-H9363 on Oct. 8, 2003.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
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.
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 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 asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)
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 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.
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.
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.
____________________
