III 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 27 

Commending the results of the January 9, 2005, Palestinian Presidential 

Elections. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 1, 2005 

Mr. FRIST (for himself, Mr. REID, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. BIDEN, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. 

SUNUNU, Mr. CHAFEE, Mr. HAGEL, and Mr. FEINGOLD) submitted the 

following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION

Commending the results of the January 9, 2005, Palestinian 

Presidential Elections.

Whereas on January 9, 2005, for the first time in 9 years, 

large numbers of Palestinians living in the West Bank, 

the Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem voted in elections that 

were widely described by outside monitors as free and 

fair; 

Whereas the Palestinian people elected former Prime Minister 

Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, to the office 

of President of the Palestinian Authority; 

Whereas an estimated 65 percent of eligible Palestinians living in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and Jerusalem 

participated in voting at over 1000 polling stations, and 
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for the first time in nearly 30 years, the Palestinian people elected new leadership; 

Whereas on January 9, 2005, President of the United States 

George W. Bush stated that it was a ‘‘historic day for 

the Palestinian people and for the people of the Middle 

East’’ and that ‘‘Palestinians throughout the West Bank 

and Gaza took a key step toward building a democratic 

future by choosing a new president in elections that observers described as largely free and fair’’; 

Whereas Israel provided important cooperation with the Palestinian Authority to enable the holding of this election, 

including minimizing delays at checkpoints and redeploying Israeli security forces away from Palestinian population centers; 

Whereas the Palestinian election was an important step towards democracy for the Palestinian people and an example to all those in the region who are striving to achieve 

democracy in their own nation; 

Whereas during his inaugural speech, President Abbas stated 

that ‘‘The winner in these elections is the great Palestinian people who have created this democratic epic and 

who will safeguard it’’, that ‘‘The people have voted for 

the rule of law, order, pluralism, the peaceful transfer of 

authority, and equality for all’’, and further ‘‘Let us start 

implementing the Roadmap’’; 

Whereas these comments build upon Mr. Abbas’ 1993 statements on the White House lawn, where he said that a 

Palestinian state and an Israeli state could live in 

‘‘peaceful coexistence and cooperation’’; 

Whereas the election of Mahmoud Abbas was hailed around 

the world as a positive step opening new opportunities to 
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move toward peace between the Palestinian Authority 

and Israel; 

Whereas the Palestinian election provided President Abbas 

with a mandate from the majority of Palestinians to reject violence and pursue peace with Israel; 

Whereas the extent of cooperation between the Israelis and 

Palestinians during the period leading up to and including election day was unprecedented in the past four years 

and reflects the potential for future cooperation; 

Whereas the election must be followed quickly by concrete 

steps on the part of the new Palestinian President to 

meet his commitment to reform the Palestinian security 

services, establish the rule of law, and do all in his power 

to combat terrorism; 

Whereas a democratic Palestinian Authority will serve as one 

of the most important building blocks for a viable, free, 

and stable Palestinian state; 

Whereas President Abbas’ success likely will depend upon his 

ability to tangibly and quickly improve the quality of life 

for Palestinians, and end corruption and violence; 

Whereas the United States Government stands ready to work 

with the new Palestinian President to facilitate a renewed 

dialogue between the new Palestinian leadership and the 

Government of Israel with the goal of achieving through 

the Performance Based Roadmap to a Permanent TwoState Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (the 

‘‘Roadmap’’), President George W. Bush’s vision of two 

states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace; 

Whereas the Roadmap, endorsed by the United States, Israel, 

the Palestinian Authority, the European Union, Russia, 
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and the United Nations, remains the only realistic and 

widely recognized plan for making progress toward peace; 

Whereas the policy of the United States is to work toward 

a just and peaceful resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli 

conflict based on two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security; 

Whereas all parties to the Roadmap have an obligation to urgently provide support for the Palestinian Authority in 

its efforts to confront and fight terror as well as to assist 

in the creation of true democratic institutions that will 

enforce the rule of law; and 

Whereas people of all peaceful nations believe peace between 

the Palestinian Authority and the state of Israel will have 

far reaching positive effects on the entire region and 

throughout the world; Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) recognizes that, on January 9, 2005, Mr. 

3 Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, was 

4 elected by the Palestinian people to the office of 

5 President of the Palestinian Authority in what were 

6 widely described as free and fair elections; 

7 (2) recognizes this milestone in the development 

8 of Palestinian democracy and congratulates Presi9 dent Abbas on his election to the presidency of the 

10 Palestinian Authority; 

11 (3) commends the efforts of the Israeli Govern12 ment to facilitate the election; 
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1 (4) expresses its respect for the freely expressed 

2 will of the Palestinian people, and its intention to 

3 work with President Abbas to help the Palestinian 

4 people realize the opportunity for a more peaceful, 

5 prosperous future; 

6 (5) urges President Abbas and the new Pales7 tinian leadership to abide by its commitments to re8 form the security services, establish the rule of law, 

9 and press on with the development of democratic in10 stitutions, including an independent judiciary and an 

11 empowered and democratically elected legislature; 

12 (6) urges President Abbas to move quickly to 

13 honor his pledges to halt violence and incitement 

14 against Israel, dismantle terrorist organizations, and 

15 fulfill the Palestinian Authority’s obligations accord16 ing to the terms of the Roadmap; 

17 (7) supports efforts to increase United States 

18 assistance to the Palestinian people and to help 

19 President Abbas rebuild and reform the Palestinian 

20 Authority’s institutions, as President Abbas takes 

21 actions consistent with the Roadmap, so that they 

22 may better serve the Palestinian people; 

23 (8) urges all members of the international com24 munity, particularly all parties to the Roadmap, to 

25 take advantage of this historic opportunity by pro-
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1 viding timely assistance to the new Palestinian Gov2 ernment as it moves forward to implement the Road3 map, to help it build the necessary political, eco4 nomic, and security infrastructure essential to estab5 lishing a viable, democratic state and improving the 

6 lives of the Palestinian people; 

7 (9) calls upon Arab states in particular to pro8 vide political and financial support to the Palestinian 

9 Authority, to support a complete end to terrorism 

10 against Israel, to end incitement against it, and to 

11 reach out to the State of Israel in friendship and full 

12 recognition; 

13 (10) reaffirms the commitment of the United 

14 States to the security of Israel as a democratic, Jew15 ish state, and supports the commitment of Israel to 

16 fulfill its obligations under the Roadmap; and 

17 (11) reaffirms the commitment of the United 

18 States to the Roadmap including realization of the 

19 vision of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, 

20 living side by side in peace and security, and looks 

21 forward to working closely with the Executive 

22 Branch to achieve this vision.

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