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How extremists win

The Plain Dealer
Posted on Wednesday May 24, 2006

Incredible as it sounds, 367 members of Congress – including the Democratic candidates for Ohio governor and the U.S. Senate – voted yesterday for the Aid Palestinian Terrorists Act of 2006.

That isn’t the legislation’s actual title, of course.

Its sponsors cleverly named it the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 – no doubt thinking they could get numerous gullible representatives to vote for it on face value. It seems to have worked.

In fact, another title for this legislation might be the “Cover Your Behind in an Election Year Act.” Many lawmakers voted for it simply so they won’t be labeled “soft on terrorism” in an election year.

No doubt, that’s why Reps. Ted Strickland, Democratic aspirant for Ohio governor, and Sherrod Brown, seeking to unseat Republican Sen. Mike DeWine in November, both cast their yeas with the majority.

In fact, virtually every member of the Ohio delegation did so, with the notable exceptions of Reps. Dennis Kucinich and Marcy Kaptur. These two wisely denounced the pernicious, hidden aspects of this legislation before voting against it. Sadly, they were joined by only 35 other U.S. representatives who put principles before politics.

Yet anyone who reads the fine print of this onerous legislation knows how dangerously misleading its title is.

By banning visas for all Palestinian officials, no matter how dedicated to peace or opposed to terrorism they might be, and cutting off virtually all humanitarian aid, without the provision of the usual all-encompassing presidential waiver, this legislation kneecaps the peace process and sinks hopes for a two-state solution.

The bill is so rigid and flawed that even Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, visiting Washington this week and no friend to Hamas or to Palestinian terrorism, would have a hard time supporting it.

It will hurt innocent people and boost the fortunes of extremists and terrorist thugs

throughout the region at a fateful moment when Western diplomats are scrambling to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe on the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

In fact, the 367 “yea” voters ignored urgent pleas from the White House and the State Department not to tie their hands. They swept aside warnings from a range of nonprofit and pro-Israel groups that rightly see this legislation as fundamentally anti-Israel, in that any further instability in the West Bank and Gaza Strip will wash back onto Israel proper.

Tellingly, by limiting debate and prohibiting amendments once the measure hit the House floor Monday night, the Republican House leadership showed that it didn’t want real scrutiny or discussion.

Perhaps those voting for this measure took comfort from the fact that a far more sensible version awaits action in the Senate. If reason doesn’t prevail, however, Greater Clevelanders should remember that Stephanie Tubbs Jones, Steve LaTourette, Ralph Regula, Tim Ryan and Sherrod Brown all helped this ill-advised measure into law.