IV

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 50

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 21, 1998

Referred to the Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Condemning in the strongest possible terms the bombing

in Jerusalem on September 4, 1997.

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;
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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

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
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1 (4) affirms that the United States will only pro2 vide monetary or other assistance to the Palestinian

3 Authority once it has fulfilled its obligations under

4 the Oslo Accords, including—

5 (A) taking affirmative steps to arrest and

6 prosecute suspected terrorists;

7 (B) resuming full security and intelligence

8 cooperation with the State of Israel;

9 (C) taking affirmative steps to confiscate

10 all unlicensed weapons and explosives;

11 (D) prohibiting participation in the Pal12 estinian security services of individuals sus13 pected of committing terrorist acts;

14 (E) ceasing all anti-Israeli rhetoric, includ15 ing statements which refer to terrorist groups

16 as ‘‘patriotic’’, statements which praise terror17 ists or terrorist leaders, and statements encour18 aging a ‘‘battle’’ or ‘‘jihad’’ against Israel;

19 (F) cooperating with Israel in the transfer

20 of suspected terrorists to Israel to stand trial;

21 (G) ceasing the use of maps depicting

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

23 Israel;

24 (H) completing the process of amending

25 the covenant of the Palestinian Liberation Or-
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1 ganization, including the recession of those spe2 cific articles which call for armed struggle to

3 liberate ‘‘Palestine’’ or question the legitimacy

4 of Zionism or the State of Israel; and

5 (I) taking affirmative steps to ensure that

6 the size of the Palestinian police force is in ac7 cordance with the limits set forth in the Oslo

8 and subsequent accords.

Passed the Senate September 11, 1997.

Attest: GARY SISCO,

Secretary.