IV 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 294

Condemning the terrorism inflicted on Israel since the Aqaba Summit and 

expressing solidarity with the Israeli people in their fight against terrorism. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 24, 2003

Mr. LANTOS (for himself, Mr. DELAY, Ms. PELOSI, and Mr. HYDE) submitted 

the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 

RESOLUTION

Condemning the terrorism inflicted on Israel since the Aqaba 

Summit and expressing solidarity with the Israeli people 

in their fight against terrorism.

Whereas Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud 

Abbas (Abu Mazen) announced at the June 4, 2003, 

Aqaba Summit, ‘‘Our goal is clear, and we will implement 

it firmly and without compromise: a complete end to violence and terrorism’’; 

Whereas Prime Minister Abbas also pledged at the Aqaba 

Summit to establish a system based on ‘‘rule of law, [a] 

single political authority, [and] weapons only in the 

hands of those who are in charge of upholding the law 

and order . . .’’; 
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Whereas the Middle East roadmap begins with the assertion 

that ‘‘A two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will only be achieved through an end to violence and 

terrorism (when the Palestinian people have a leadership 

acting decisively against terror and willing and able to 

build a practicing democracy based on tolerance and liberty)’’; 

Whereas 22 innocent Israelis nevertheless were murdered and 

scores wounded in three separate suicide bombings within 

less than a week after the Aqaba Summit, and the death 

toll from these terrorist actions is the equivalent of 1,100 

on the basis of the United States population, nearly ten 

times the number of battle deaths the United States suffered in the recent Iraq War; 

Whereas Palestinians are also victims of these terrorists, who 

undermine prospects for a just and lasting peace; 

Whereas Islamic fundamentalist Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad consistently make clear their opposition to 

Israel’s existence in any form and within any borders and 

their determination to use violence and terrorism to 

achieve their anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic goals, and Hamas 

leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi vowed ‘‘not to leave one Jew 

in Palestine’’; 

Whereas experience with terrorism demonstrates that there 

can be no productive negotiations or dialogue with terrorists and that a policy based on compromise with terrorists can only be doomed to failure; 

Whereas the concept of ‘‘cycle of violence’’, which implies 

moral equivalence between terrorists and their victims, 

should be rejected as a description of Israeli-Palestinian 

dynamics, since Palestinian terrorism justifies Israeli 
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counterterrorist operations as the response of a legitimate 

government defending its citizens; 

Whereas Israeli counterterrorist operations would cease entirely were Palestinian terrorism to cease; and 

Whereas Israel has no choice but to use its own measures to 

fight terrorism if the Palestinians are unwilling to do so: 

Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

2 (1) condemns in the harshest terms the recent 

3 terrorist actions that victimized innocent Israelis; 

4 (2) expresses solidarity with the Israeli people 

5 as they respond to ongoing terrorist attacks; 

6 (3) expresses sympathy to the families of inno7 cent Israelis and Palestinians who have lost their 

8 lives; 

9 (4) commends the President of the United 

10 States for his vision of two states, Israel and Pal11 estine, living side by side in peace and security; 

12 (5) affirms that this vision can be fully realized 

13 only once terrorism is defeated, so that a new state 

14 may be created based on rule of law and respect for 

15 human rights; 

16 (6) recognizes and respects Israel’s right to 

17 fight terrorism and acknowledges Israel’s fight 

18 against terrorism as part of the global war against 

19 terrorism; 
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1 (7) calls on all states to cease recognition of 

2 and political and material support for any Pales3 tinian and other terrorist groups; 

4 (8) calls on all states immediately to establish 

5 effective mechanisms to ensure that funding from 

6 private citizens cannot be directed to terrorist 

7 groups for any purpose whatsoever, including osten8 sible humanitarian purposes; 

9 (9) calls on all states to provide support to the 

10 Palestinian Authority in its effort to confront and 

11 fight terror; and 

12 (10) calls on all states to assist the Palestinian 

13 people in creating the institutions of a democratic 

14 state that will respect the rule of law and live in 

15 peace with its neighbors.

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