III 

110TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 321 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the Israeli-Palestinian peace 

process. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 19, 2007 

Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. DODD, Mr. HAGEL, Mr. 

AKAKA, Mr. BAUCUS, Mr. BINGAMAN, Mr. BROWN, Mr. BYRD, Mr. 

BURR, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. CASEY, Mr. CRAIG, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. FEINGOLD, Mr. HARKIN, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. KERRY, Ms. 

KLOBUCHAR, Mr. KOHL, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. LOTT, Mr. NELSON of Florida, Mr. REED, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. SUNUNU, Mr. VOINOVICH, 

Mr. WEBB, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. SMITH, Mr. SPECTER, 

Mrs. MURRAY, and Ms. STABENOW) submitted the following resolution; 

which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the IsraeliPalestinian peace process. 

Whereas ending the violence and terror that have devastated 

the State of Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza since September 2000 is in the vital interests of the United States, 

Israel, and the Palestinian people; 

Whereas the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict strengthens 

extremists and opponents of peace throughout the region; 


bajohnson on PRODPC68 with BILLS
2 

•SRES 321 IS 

Whereas more than 7 years of violence, terror, and military 

engagement have demonstrated that armed force alone 

will not solve the Israeli-Palestinian dispute; 

Whereas the vast majority of Israelis and Palestinians want 

to put an end to decades of confrontation and conflict 

and live in peaceful coexistence, mutual dignity, and security, based on a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace; 

Whereas on May 24, 2006, addressing a Joint Session of the 

United States Congress, Prime Minister of Israel Ehud 

Olmert reiterated the Government of Israel’s position 

that ‘‘In a few years, [the Palestinians] could be living 

in a Palestinian state, side by side in peace and security 

with Israel, a Palestinian state which Israel and the 

international community would help thrive’’; 

Whereas, in his speech before the Palestinian Legislative 

Council on February 18, 2006, Palestinian Authority 

President Mahmoud Abbas said, ‘‘We are confident that 

there is no military solution to the conflict. Negotiations 

between us as equal partners should put a long-due end 

to the cycle of violence . . . Let us live in two neighboring 

states’’; 

Whereas, in June 2002, the President of the United States 

presented his vision of ‘‘two states, living side by side in 

peace and security’’, and has since repeatedly reaffirmed 

this position; 

Whereas events of the past 18 months, including the victory 

of Hamas in Palestinian legislative elections, the continued firing of rockets from Gaza into Israel, and the escalating intra-Palestinian violence and chaos, culminating 

in the June 2007 brutal takeover of Gaza by Hamas, 


bajohnson on PRODPC68 with BILLS
3 

•SRES 321 IS 

make the achievement of President Bush’s vision even 

more difficult; 

Whereas, on June 27, 2007, the Quartet (the United States, 

Russia, the European Union, and the United Nations) 

appointed former British Prime Minister Tony Blair special envoy to the Middle East with a focus on mobilizing 

assistance to the Palestinians and promoting economic 

development and institutional governance; 

Whereas a robust and high-level American diplomatic presence on the ground is critical to bringing Israelis and 

Palestinians together to make the tough decisions necessary to achieving a permanent resolution to the conflict; 

Whereas June 2007 marked the 40th anniversary of the SixDay War between Israel and a coalition of Arab states; 

Whereas all parties should use the occasion of this anniversary to redouble their efforts to achieve peace; and 

Whereas achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace could have significant positive impacts on security and stability in the 

region: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) reaffirms its commitment to a true and last3 ing solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, based 

4 on the establishment of 2 states, the State of Israel 

5 and Palestine, living side by side in peace and secu6 rity, and with recognized borders; 

7 (2) denounces the use of violence and terror 

8 and reaffirms its unwavering commitment to Israel’s 

9 security; 


bajohnson on PRODPC68 with BILLS
4 

•SRES 321 IS 

1 (3) calls on President Bush to pursue a robust 

2 diplomatic effort to engage the State of Israel and 

3 the Palestinian Authority, begin negotiations, and 

4 make a 2-state settlement a top priority; 

5 (4) urges President Bush to consider appoint6 ing as Special Envoy for Middle East Peace an indi7 vidual who has held cabinet rank or someone equally 

8 qualified, with an extensive knowledge of foreign af9 fairs generally and the Middle East region in par10 ticular; 

11 (5) calls on Hamas to recognize the State of 

12 Israel’s right to exist, to renounce and end all terror 

13 and incitement, and to accept past agreements and 

14 obligations with the State of Israel; 

15 (6) calls on moderate Arab states in the region 

16 to intensify their diplomatic efforts toward a 2-state 

17 solution and welcomes the Arab League Peace Ini18 tiative; and 

19 (7) calls on Israeli and Palestinian leaders to 

20 embrace efforts to achieve peace and refrain from 

21 taking any actions that would prejudice the outcome 

22 of final status negotiations. 

Æ 


bajohnson on PRODPC68 with BILLS