IV

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. CON. RES. 345

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President should reassert

the traditional opposition of the United States to the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian State.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 8, 1998

Mr. SAXTON (for himself, Mr. SALMON, and Mr. DELAY) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on

International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Congress that the President

should reassert the traditional opposition of the United

States to the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian

State.

Whereas the United States has never endorsed the creation

of an independent Palestinian State;

Whereas the United States has traditionally opposed the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian State because of concerns that such a State could pose a threat to Israel and

could have a destabilizing effect on the entire Middle

East;

Whereas the United States stated its position, after Israel

and the Palestinians signed the Oslo Accords, that all
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questions of Palestinian sovereignty and statehood are

matters which must be mutually agreed upon by the parties;

Whereas the administration’s recent statements on a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian State have been contradictory and confusing;

Whereas a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood

would be a grievous violation of the Oslo Accords;

Whereas despite the Oslo Accords, Chairman Arafat, his Cabinet, and the Palestinian National Council have threatened to unilaterally proclaim the establishment of a Palestinian State in May 1999;

Whereas the Palestinian Cabinet on September 24, 1998,

stated: ‘‘at the end of the interim period, it (the Palestinian Government) shall declare the establishment of a Palestinian State on all Palestinian land occupied since

1967, with Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Palestinian State’’;

Whereas Chairman Arafat, speaking to the United Nations

on September 28, 1998, called upon world leaders to support an independent Palestinian State;

Whereas Chairman Arafat stated on July 15, 1998: ‘‘There

is a transition period of 5 years and after 5 years we

have the right to declare an independent Palestinian

State’’; and

Whereas Palestinian National Council Speaker Salim alZa’nun stated on June 15, 1998: ‘‘If following our declaration of a State, Israel renews its occupation of East

Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian people will struggle and resist the occupier with
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all means possible, including armed struggle’’: Now,

therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That it is the sense of the Congress that—

3 (1) Israel, and Israel alone, can determine its

4 security needs;

5 (2) the final political status of the Palestinian

6 entity can only be determined through bilateral ne7 gotiations and agreement between Israel and the

8 Palestinian Authority;

9 (3) the President must reaffirm that any such

10 unilateral declaration of a Palestinian State would

11 be a grievous violation of the Oslo Accords, would

12 seriously impede any possibility of advancing the

13 peace process, and would have severe negative con14 sequences for Palestinian relations with the United

15 States; and

16 (4) the President should now publicly and un17 equivocally state that the United States will actively

18 oppose such a unilateral declaration and will not ex19 tend recognition to any unilaterally declared Pal20 estinian State.

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