[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 622 Introduced in House (IH)]
113th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 622
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the
national security interests of the United States and its allies and
partners with respect to the Palestinian Authority.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 12, 2014
Mr. Franks of Arizona (for himself, Mrs. Bachmann, Mr. Lamborn, Mr.
Johnson of Ohio, Mr. King of Iowa, Mr. Collins of Georgia, Mr. Roe of
Tennessee, Mr. Latta, Mr. Stockman, Mr. Pittenger, Mr. Posey, Mr.
Barton, Mr. Neugebauer, Mr. Pitts, Mr. Gohmert, Mr. Barr, and Mr. Weber
of Texas) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the
national security interests of the United States and its allies and
partners with respect to the Palestinian Authority.
Whereas Israel as a strategic partner and ally of the United States has made
significant breakthroughs in advancing peace with its neighbors as
exemplified with the Peace Treaties with Egypt and the Kingdom of
Jordan, and demonstrated its complete determination and willingness to
fully establish peace with the Palestinians;
Whereas since the signing of the Oslo Accords in 1993, the United States has
committed more than $5,000,000,000 in bilateral assistance to the
Palestinian Authority in the hopes of encouraging a permanent peace
treaty with the State of Israel;
Whereas since 2007, the Gaza Strip has been ruled by the designated foreign
terrorist organization, Hamas, which has launched 10,000 rockets against
Israel;
Whereas the Palestinian Authority has administered Palestinians residing in the
West Bank, Judea and Samaria, with Fatah as the leading Palestinian
political party and the largest faction of the Palestinian Liberation
Organization (PLO);
Whereas President Barack Obama, then Senator, said in his speech on June 4,
2008, ``The long road to peace requires Palestinian partners committed
to making the journey. We must isolate Hamas unless and until they
renounce terrorism, recognize Israel's right to exist, and abide by past
agreements. There is no room at the negotiating table for terrorist
organizations.'';
Whereas Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has bypassed United States
efforts to achieve peace between the Palestinian Authority and Israel,
and is engaged in--
(1) formation of a unity government with Hamas and his own party,
Fatah;
(2) pursuing statehood unilaterally at the United Nations, including
applications and memberships to international institutions outside direct
negotiations with Israel;
(3) promoting anti-United States incitement, as well as, anti-Israel
incitement, such as the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) movement
against Israel; and
(4) withholding reforms to advance religious freedom and recognition
for all religions and ethnicities, and reforms to open the political
process through fair and responsible elections, ensuring the freedom of
speech, the press, and political assembly;
Whereas today the Palestinian Authority is characterized by rampant corruption,
as a single-party police organization ruled by Presidential degree, non-
tolerance of internal debate and criticism, masters of internal
oppression, anti-democracy and religious freedom, including the absence
of national elections following the expiration of the current
presidential term in January 2009, and therefore in the event of a
creation of a Palestinian state under the current Palestinian Authority
it would be autocratic and totalitarian;
Whereas the Palestinian Authority's Law of the Prisoner mandates and authorizes
the payment of salaries and other forms of compensation to convicted
terrorists or any other recipient designated by a power of attorney, and
the Ministry of Prisoners and programs of such Ministry compensate and
recognize convicted terrorists in Israeli prisons and those of whom that
have been released;
Whereas the more carnage these terrorists inflict, the greater is their
compensation;
Whereas the Palestinian Authority's highly advertised terrorist salary program
incentivizes killings and bombings against innocent civilians, which
includes the murder of at least 54 United States citizens since 1993 and
more than 83 injured;
Whereas no aid is permitted for a power-sharing Palestinian Authority government
that includes Hamas as a member, or that results from an agreement with
Hamas and over which Hamas exercises ``undue influence'', unless the
President certifies that the Palestinian Authority government, including
all ministers, has accepted the following two principles described in
section 620K(b)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (as added by
section 2(b)(2) of the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006 (Public
Law 109-446))--
(1) recognition of ``the Jewish state of Israel's right to exist''; and
(2) acceptance of previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements;
Whereas annual appropriations legislation routinely contains conditions,
limitations, and restrictions on United States assistance to the
Palestinian Authority, including--
(1) not permitting assistance for Hamas or a power-sharing government
that includes Hamas as a member;
(2) personnel located in Gaza;
(3) if the Palestinian Authority government is Hamas-controlled; and
(4) if the Palestinians obtain the same standing as member states or
full membership as a member in the United Nations or any specialized agency
thereof, except the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO), outside an agreement negotiated between Israelis and
Palestinians; and
Whereas Hamas and Fatah unification stands in contravention with United States
laws: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) the House of Representatives--
(A) reaffirms United States law and annual
appropriations legislation routinely containing
conditions, limitations, and restrictions on United
States assistance and cooperation to the Palestinian
Authority;
(B) reaffirms the United States commitment to a
sustainable democratic framework for peace decided
through direct negotiations between Israeli and
Palestinian leadership, without the interference of
Hamas, in keeping with United States commitments to
democracy, freedom, and the rights of peoples of all
faiths and religions; and
(C) calls on the United States Department of State
to work closely with European partners and allies to
support the simultaneous implementation of all
necessary measures on suspending multilateral
assistance and security cooperation to the Palestinian
Authority; and
(2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that--
(A) since Hamas and Fatah have unified, regardless
of the unity government being made up of technocrats
from Hamas and Fatah, the Secretary of State should, if
the unity government is not dissolved, designate the
Palestinian Authority and such unity government as a
foreign terrorist organization, and redesignate the
Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) as a foreign
terrorist organization; and
(B) it is in the national security interests of the
United States and its allies and partners that the
following objectives and conditions should be achieved
with respect to the Palestinian Authority, including--
(i) the Palestinian Authority dissolving
the unity government with Hamas, a long
designated a foreign terrorist organization,
and for the Palestinian Authority to
immediately renounce violence, outlaw terrorist
groups, and re-enter into bilateral
negotiations with the State of Israel;
(ii) the Palestinian Authority formally and
publically issuing recognition of ``the Jewish
state of Israel's right to exist'' and
accepting previous Israeli-Palestinian
agreements, and ending all anti-United States
incitement, as well as, anti-Israel incitement,
such as the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and
Sanctions) movement against Israel;
(iii) repealing the Law of the Prisoner and
abolishing the Ministry of Prisoners and
programs of such Ministry relating to
compensation and recognition of convicted
terrorists and those of whom that have been
released;
(iv) rescinding the names and the naming of
public institutions and civil projects, such as
schools, streets, sports teams, and children
camps after convicted terrorist and murders;
(v) ending all efforts to circumvent the
statehood process at the United Nations,
including applications and memberships to
international institutions outside direct
negotiations with Israel;
(vi) enacting reforms to advance religious
freedom, and recognition for all religions and
ethnicities, ensuring the freedom of speech,
the press, and political assembly, and
reforming to open the political process through
fair and responsible elections without any
influence or participation by Hamas; and
(vii) abiding by all United States laws on
foreign assistance to the Palestinian
Authority.
<all>