105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 50

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Whereas on September 4, 1997, 3 bombs exploded in Jerusalem on Ben Yehuda Street, killing at least 7 people and

injuring more than 165 others;

Whereas HAMAS, a terrorist organization, has a ‘‘military

wing’’ which has claimed responsibility for this cowardly

act;

Whereas Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, has made statements in which he said ‘‘HAMAS,

even its military wing, is a patriotic movement.’’;

Whereas on August 20, 1997, Chairman Arafat publicly embraced the leader of HAMAS, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi;

Whereas Yasser Arafat has recently ordered the release of

several HAMAS terrorists being held in Palestinian Authority jails, including Nabil Sharihi, who is suspected in

a bombing that killed Alisa Flatow, an American citizen;

Whereas Israel has recently given Yasser Arafat a long list

of suspected terrorists who are presently residing in Palestinian-controlled territory;

Whereas Yasser Arafat has made public statements in which

he vowed not to ‘‘bow down’’ to Israeli requests that he

arrests suspected terrorists;

Whereas since the beginning of the Oslo peace process, more

than 100 Israelis have been killed, and hundreds more
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have been injured, far more than in a similar period before the peace process began; and

Whereas in violation of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority has withheld full security cooperation with the

State of Israel, which may have made this attack more

likely: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives

2 concurring), That Congress—

3 (1) condemns in the strongest possible terms

4 this latest bombing and those responsible for encour5 aging or inciting such cowardly acts;

6 (2) expresses its deepest condolences to the

7 families of the victims of this latest bombing and ex8 presses its solidarity with the people of the State of

9 Israel in this tragic time;

10 (3) reaffirms that the United States should

11 fully cooperate with the State of Israel in helping to

12 stem the tide of terrorism, which has threatened the

13 Oslo peace process and the stability of this vital re14 gion; and

15 (4) affirms that the United States will only pro16 vide monetary or other assistance to the Palestinian

17 Authority once it has fulfilled its obligations under

18 the Oslo Accords, including—

19 (A) taking affirmative steps to arrest and

20 prosecute suspected terrorists;
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1 (B) resuming full security and intelligence

2 cooperation with the State of Israel;

3 (C) taking affirmative steps to confiscate

4 all unlicensed weapons and explosives;

5 (D) prohibiting participation in the Pal6 estinian security services of individuals sus7 pected of committing terrorist acts;

8 (E) ceasing all anti-Israeli rhetoric, includ9 ing statements which refer to terrorist groups

10 as ‘‘patriotic’’, statements which praise terror11 ists or terrorist leaders, and statements encour12 aging a ‘‘battle’’ or ‘‘jihad’’ against Israel;

13 (F) cooperating with Israel in the transfer

14 of suspected terrorists to Israel to stand trial;

15 (G) ceasing the use of maps depicting

16 ‘‘Palestine’’ as encompassing the entire State of

17 Israel;

18 (H) completing the process of amending

19 the covenant of the Palestinian Liberation Or20 ganization, including the recession of those spe21 cific articles which call for armed struggle to

22 liberate ‘‘Palestine’’ or question the legitimacy

23 of Zionism or the State of Israel; and

24 (I) taking affirmative steps to ensure that

25 the size of the Palestinian police force is in ac-
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1 cordance with the limits set forth in the Oslo

2 and subsequent accords.

Passed the Senate September 11, 1997.

Attest:

Secretary.
105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. CON. RES. 50

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Condemning in the strongest possible terms the

bombing in Jerusalem on September 4, 1997.