Countdown

Heroes and Goats...

Volume VII, No. 19
Posted on Tuesday May 23, 2006

Heroes and Goats…

Today, by a vote of 361-37, with 9 members voting “present” the House of Representatives passed HR 4681, a bill which threatens to exacerbate the growing humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories and reverse decades of US-led efforts towards peace. During debate on Monday night, Arab American Congressmen Ray LaHood (R-IL) and Nick Rahall (D-WV) and Congress members Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Lois Capps (D-CA), John Dingell (D-MI), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Betty McCollum (D-MN), and David Price (D-NC) spoke out strongly in opposition to the bill. Rahall ended saying, “Make no mistake, a vote cast in favor of HR 4681 is not a vote for peace, it is not a vote for America, and it is not a vote that I will cast.” LaHood offered the following challenge: “I ask Members who represent large Arab populations in their districts to think about this. This hurts the Palestinian people. There is no other way to put it. And I do not know why you are doing this.” We couldn’t agree more. Members including Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Charles Dent (R-15), Dale Kildee (D-MI), Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), Tim Ryan (D-OH), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) among others certainly owe their constituents an explanation.

There’s One More Hoop To Jump Through

If voting for one poorly crafted, dangerous piece of legislation were not enough, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) is ready with another hoop for members of Congress to jump through to prove their “loyalty” to Israel. On May 22, the chairwoman of the subcommittee on the Middle East and Central Asia, offered a resolution on Jerusalem calling on the President to “begin the process of relocating the United States Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.” Is humiliating the Palestinian people this the Chairwoman’s version of diplomacy? Perhaps she can submit one resolution a week dealing with final-status issues and we can forgo negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis altogether.

Who Existed First: The Chicken or the Egg?

As previously reported in Countdown, Israel’s newly elected Prime Minister Ehud Olmert arrived in Washington today to meet with President George W. Bush, hoping for the US seal of approval on his unilateral “convergence” plan. At a press conference following their meeting, Bush asked of Hamas the following, “How can you have two states side by side in peace if one of the partners does not recognize the other state’s right to exist? And it’s illogical for somebody to say, ‘I’m for a state side by side with another state and yet I don’t want the state to exist.’” Indeed. He may well have pointed out to Israel that it is equally illogical to pursue policies that make the existence of a Palestinian state impossible.

Heard Around Town…

AAI has provided excerpts from floor statements made in opposition to HR 4681 during last night’s debate. For the full statements, click here.

Support for the Palestinian people:

“Now, for all of you that come out on this floor all the time and talk about what we should be doing and what we are cutting and what we are not cutting, this is an opportunity to say to common ordinary citizens in Palestine: We care about you. We care about your health care. We care about education. We care about your opportunity for jobs and to really be able to do the things you want to do. But if you vote for this, we say: The heck with you. We care more about sending a message to Hamas leadership than we do about the people of Palestine. I think that is what the message is. This will not hurt the leadership of Hamas. It will not. Because they are going to have the money and the resources that they need, and they will say what they want, but it will hurt common ordinary people.” Congressman Ray LaHood (R-IL)

“If we adopt legislation that punishes the Palestinian people, instead of isolating the terrorists, we lose the moral high ground. Let us reclaim the moral high ground, signal our resolute opposition to terrorism and also our support for those Palestinian individuals and groups who are working for a peaceful and democratic future.” Congressman David Price (D-NC)

“I have two main objections with this bill. First, it places nearly insurmountable efforts to future U.S. efforts to engage Palestinians and Israel in peacemaking. It lacks the normal Presidential national security waiver; and unbelievably, it would limit United States diplomatic contact with moderate, non-Hamas Palestinian officials. Why is this? These are the very leaders who recognize Israel and who support peace, and it makes absolutely no sense for us to undercut them at this critical time. Second, except for very limited circumstances, this bill will cut off humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people at the very moment when a horrendous humanitarian disaster is looming.” Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA)

“I understand the House’s desire to ostracize Hamas. But I do not understand how we keep making the same mistakes by punishing the very people we all say we want to help. The restrictions on aid in this bill will not hurt Hamas, they will receive plenty of money from Iran, but this will hurt the Palestinian people.” Congressman John Dingell (D-MI)

Support for humanitarian assistance and other forms of aid:

“This does not help common ordinary citizens. What it does is it hurts common ordinary citizens. There is no other way around it…Common ordinary citizens, common ordinary Palestinians are going to be hurt by this, because the funding is going to be cut off for educational services, for health services, for the services that these people need very badly.” Congressman Ray LaHood (R-IL)

“This bill places extreme constraints on the delivery of humanitarian assistance by non-governmental organizations to the Palestinian people. This bill’s unnecessary obstacles have the potential for very negative human consequences and would exacerbate a human crisis. Palestinian families and children must not be targeted. They must not be deprived of their basic human needs by this Congress. Instead, this House should assure that Palestinian families and children will be treated in a fashion that reflects our values and the belief that their lives are valuable.” Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-MN)

“Think about the kinds of aid programs that would be cut off, projects that focus on building democratic institutions and civil society, projects that promote economic development to stabilize the territories, projects that ensure that school curricula provide students with a progressive education rather than fundamentalist propaganda, curricula that teach tolerance and conflict resolution skills. Surely programs like this are in our interest…They are exactly what we need to reduce violence, to build the capacity of Palestinian civil society, and make progress toward a peaceful resolution; and yet they are exactly the programs that would be eliminated in this bill.” Congressman David Price (D-NC)

“I simply cannot see how denying chemotherapy treatment for Palestinian children increases Israel’s security or advances U.S. national interests.” Congresswoman Lois Capps (D-CA)

“The Middle East’s problems and the problems of the Palestinians and the Israelis will not be resolved by starving the Palestinians or by creating additional hardship. They are desperate people, incarcerated in walls, afflicted with high unemployment, suffering from health and other problems. The non-governmental organizations point out that this will strip them in substantial part of contributing to this. It will in large part almost totally strip the United States from the ability to address the needs of the Palestinian people and to address the humanitarian concerns which we have about them.” Congressman John Dingell (D-MI)

“I read from the statement of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops…’A further deterioration of the humanitarian and economic situation of the Palestinian people compromises human dignity and serves the long-term interests neither of Palestinians nor of Israelis who long for a just peace. Non-governmental organizations have a long history of helping the world’s most vulnerable people. Their humanitarian role should be respected. While this work is not easy…it is essential. It deserves Congress’ continued support.’‘’ Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)

Support for President Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian moderates:

“This bill goes far beyond the ramifications of January’s election and Hamas’ rise to power. It would restrict relations with and support for Palestinian groups and institutions that have nothing to do with terror or rejectionism. It places sanctions on the Palestinian leaders and parts of Palestinian civil society who support peace with Israel, oppose terrorism and who, if the two-state vision comes to pass, will form the backbone of a democratic society.

“There is, in this legislation, no recognition that Palestinian society is deeply divided, and that it makes no sense to put sanctions on President Abbas, reformers, even activists for democracy, peace and coexistence. The bill would prohibit the assistance we give to schools that teach peace, to democratic and peaceful political organizations, to groups promoting cooperation with Israel on shared environmental challenges.

“It would even punish the democratic opposition by prohibiting visas for moderate Palestinian legislators or government officials who oppose Hamas. It would prevent the PLO, of which Hamas isn’t a member, and which was not impacted by the election of Hamas, from having representatives in Washington or at the United Nations. I am afraid that this legislation may well backfire by actually strengthening the hands of extremists.” Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)

Support for the peace process:

“I think we can speed the cause of peace by calling upon Israel to accept the Palestinians’ right to self-determination and economical survival and humanitarian relief, for food, medical care, for jobs. I ask, how can we arrive at a two-stage solution if we attempt to destroy one people’s government’s ability to provide? A two-state solution, I believe, can be achieved with our mutual, thoughtful patience and support…Just as I join my good friends on both sides of the aisle in speaking out against violence, against Israel, I object in the strongest terms to any measure that will increase the humanitarian crisis of the Palestinian people. It is true that the recent Palestinian legislative elections have created a tense situation in the international community. It is a situation that demands thoughtful and deliberate action in pursuit of peace.” Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)

“Peace in the Middle East is not going to be achieved at gunpoint. It is going to be achieved by negotiations, by people working together; and that process may be ugly, dirty and slow, but it is the only process that will work. To create additional hardship and suffering for the Palestinians is simply going to guarantee more desperate, angry men who are fully determined that they will go forth to kill Israelis or Americans or anybody else. Our purpose here tonight should be to look to the well-being of the United States, craft a policy which is good for this country. And that policy can only be one which is good for Israel and for the Palestinian people, one which is fair to all, one which puts the United States as a friend and an honest broker of peace to both parties where we can be so accepted.” Congressman John Dingell (D-MI)

On American foreign policy:

“I reject the idea that this legislation will combat terrorism. I reject it because we have history as our teacher. The best nation-building, goodwill act that the United States has ever produced was the Marshall Plan after World War II. By rebuilding Europe, America continues to be stronger. Yes, there were communist factions that the United States deplored, but we knew the need was real, and punishing the whole for the acts of the few was wrongheaded in the extreme. Today, our actions must be motivated only by our intense desire to achieve a just and lasting peace. The compassion and charity of the American people should be reflected in this legislation, though sadly, they are silenced.” Congressman Nick Rahall (D-WV)

’”H.R. 4681 subjugates U.S. national security interests to political grand-standing. It does so by eliminating the President’s authority to waive sanctions in the interests of United States national security, a waiver that is a standard component of virtually all U.S. sanctions legislation.” Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY)

“I rise this evening because I have to say that this act, the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act, I fear will result not in less terrorism, but in more. I do not really believe it is in the interest of the United States, of Israel or the world to further radicalize elements in the Palestinian population, and I do believe this bill will do exactly that. It is not in the interest of the government of the United States nor Israel nor the world to make it impossible for Palestinians to become more educated and to learn how to govern an emerging nation. Indeed, if our current policies as a world were so intelligent, they would not have yielded a Hamas to the point where it actually won an election and other elements of Palestinian society were so crippled and so inept and so disorganized that they were not able to govern in a way that an emerging nation state would. ” Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)

On the Palestinian elections:

“Make no mistake about it; their vote was to get back at our own repeatedly misguided attempts to punish rather than cajole, to batter rather than build trust, and to impoverish rather than to uplift. When we provided Mahmoud Abbas no deliverables and only hardships, it made Hamas’ promises hard to ignore. Our actions emboldened the Hamas, and we are about to do it again. My friends, passage of this legislation will create yet another failed state and humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East.” Congressman John Dingell (D-MI)

“Remember, this past winter, the House, in our wisdom, voted to demand that the Palestinians prevent Hamas from running in the legislative elections, telling the Palestinian people to reject them. I don’t think it was any accident that Hamas election banners had: ‘Israel and America say ‘no’ to Hamas. What do you say?’ I can’t help think that any objective appraisal would suggest that the United States Congress, telling them what they could do, may well have provided that extra boost for Hamas’ prospects at the election. ” Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR)