IV

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 145

Condemning in the strongest possible terms the bombing in Jerusalem on

September 4, 1997.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SEPTEMBER 4, 1997

Mr. SAXTON (for himself, Mr. FORBES, Mr. SHIMKUS, and Mr. WELLER) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 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, three bombs exploded in Jerusalem on Ben Yehuda Street, killing at least eight 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, including its military wing, is a patriotic movement;

Whereas on August 20, 1997, Yasser Arafat publicly embraced the leader of Hamas, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi;
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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, a United States citizen;

Whereas Israel has recently given Yasser Arafat a list of 150

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

arrest suspected terrorists;

Whereas since the beginning of the Oslo peace process, more

than 260 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 House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) condemns in the strongest possible terms

4 the bombing in Jerusalem on September 4, 1997,

5 and those responsible for encouraging or inciting

6 this cowardly act;

7 (2) expresses its deepest condolences to the

8 families of the victims of this latest bombing and ex9 presses its solidarity with the people of the State of

10 Israel in this tragic time;
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1 (3) reaffirms that the United States should

2 fully cooperate with the State of Israel in helping to

3 stem the tide of terrorism, which has threatened the

4 Oslo process and the stability of this vital region;

5 and

6 (4) affirms that the United States should not

7 provide monetary or other assistance to the Palestin8 ian Authority until the Palestinian Authority has

9 fulfilled its obligations under the Oslo Accords, in10 cluding—

11 (A) taking affirmative steps to arrest and

12 prosecute suspected terrorists;

13 (B) resuming full security and intelligence

14 cooperation with the State of Israel;

15 (C) taking affirmative steps to confiscate

16 all unlicensed weapons and explosives;

17 (D) publicly condemning this most recent

18 terrorist act and other such acts in Arabic;

19 (E) prohibiting participation in the Pal20 estinian security services of individuals sus21 pected of committing terrorist acts;

22 (F) ceasing all anti-Israeli rhetoric, includ23 ing statements which refer to terrorist groups

24 as ‘‘patriotic’’, statements which praise terror-
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1 ists or terrorist leaders, or statements encour2 aging a ‘‘battle’’ or ‘‘jihad’’ against Israel;

3 (G) cooperating with Israel in the transfer

4 of suspected terrorists to Israel to stand trial;

5 (H) rescinding the proclamation that the

6 death penalty would be imposed for the sale of

7 land to Jews or Israelis;

8 (I) ceasing the use of maps depicting ‘‘Pal9 estine’’ as encompassing the entire State of Is10 rael;

11 (J) completing the process of amending the

12 covenant of the Palestine Liberation Organiza13 tion, including the rescission of those specific

14 articles which call for armed struggle to liberate

15 ‘‘Palestine’’ or question the legitimacy of Zion16 ism or the State of Israel; and

17 (K) taking affirmative steps to reduce the

18 size of the Palestinian police force, in accord19 ance with the limits set forth in the Oslo and

20 subsequent accords.

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