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Congress Passes Dangerous Pro-Israel Resolution
By Neveen A. Salem
WASHINGTON D.C., Dec. 7 (IslamOnline) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution expressing solidarity with Israel in its "fight against terrorism" Thursday.
The resolution (H. Con. Res. 280) passed in the House of Representatives with 384 members voting for the bill; 11 members voting against the bill; 21 members voting "present;" and 17 members not voting. The text of the bill and the names of members who voted against the bill are included below.
The American Muslims for Jerusalem (AMJ), a Washington D.C. based political advocacy organization, in response to the bill's House passage stated, "The one-sided resolution extends sympathy to the nation of Israel and the families of the victims of the December 1st and 2nd attacks in Jerusalem and Haifa, and urges a suspension of relations with the Palestinian Authority unless it fulfills the resolution's demands in terms of fighting terrorism."
"No mention is made of the loss of over 800 Palestinian lives over the 14 months since the beginning of the current Intifada [uprising] against Israeli occupation. The U.S. Congress has never passed a resolution mourning the loss of Palestinian life. Further, no mention is made of Israeli military attacks on Palestinian civilians or of the role Israel's ongoing military occupation plays in perpetuating the conflict," stated Margaret Zaknoen, Director of Programs for AMJ.
In a statement issued by AMJ, the group states that, "This bill expresses sympathy for the loss of Israeli life, while ignoring the tremendous loss of life on the Palestinian side. The bill notes that the 26 Israelis who died in last weekend's attacks are the proportional equivalent of 1,200 American deaths; and that the 175 wounded are the proportional equivalent of 8,000 Americans wounded. In the last 14 months, nearly 800 Palestinians have been killed and 20,000 wounded. That is the proportional equivalent of 80,000 American deaths and 2 million Americans wounded. Congress has never expressed sympathy for the loss of Palestinian life."
They also stated that the resolution threatens to thwart the Administration's efforts to serve as an honest broker and realize the vision outlined by Secretary of State Powell in Kentucky last month.
"American leadership is needed now more than ever to assist the parties in addressing the root cause of the conflict - the ongoing military occupation and denial of the right of 3 million Palestinians to live in freedom and dignity. Only with an end to the occupation, as Secretary Powell stressed in Kentucky, will there be true and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis - a peace that will bring security to both peoples," stated Zaknoen.
Text Of Bill:
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 280
Expressing solidarity with Israel in the fight against terrorism.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 4, 2001
Mr. HYDE (for himself, Mr. LANTOS, Mr. GILMAN, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma, Mr. WYNN, Mr. MCNULTY, Mr. DEUTSCH, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. WEINER, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Mr. WAXMAN, Mr. NADLER, Mr. CROWLEY, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. CANTOR, Mr. FLAKE, Mr. LEACH, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Mr. KING, Mr. ROTHMAN, Mr. WEXLER, Mr. SHERMAN, Mrs. LOWEY, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. REYNOLDS, Mr. KIRK, Mr. GRUCCI, Mr. WALSH, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. SOUDER, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. HORN, Mrs. KELLY, Mrs. WILSON, Ms. HARMAN, Mr. BASS, Mr. DAN MILLER of Florida, Mr. FILNER, Mrs. JO ANN DAVIS of Virginia, Mr. BOEHLERT, Mr. STEARNS, Mr. FERGUSON, Mr. DEAL of Georgia, Mr. COX, Mr. WELDON of Pennsylvania, Mr. RANGEL, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. FOLEY, and Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing solidarity with Israel in the fight against terrorism.
Whereas 26 innocent people in Israel were murdered in cold blood and at least 175 wounded by Palestinian terrorists, all within 14 hours, during the weekend of December 1-2, 2001; Whereas this is the equivalent, on a proportional basis, of 1,200 American deaths and 8,000 wounded; Whereas United States Middle East envoy Anthony Zinni has labeled the terrorism of December 1-2, 2001, `the deepest evil one can imagine'; Whereas this bloody weekend is part of an ongoing terror campaign often targeted at youth and families and perpetrated by the Islamic fundamentalist groups Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian terrorist groups; Whereas President Bush declared at a joint session of Congress on September 20, 2001, that `Every nation, in every region, now has a decision to make. Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime'; and Whereas President Bush declared on December 2, 2001, that `Chairman Arafat must do everything in his power to find those who murdered innocent Israelis and bring them to justice':
Now, therefore, be it Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), That Congress -
(1) condemns the vicious terrorist attacks resulting in the death of 26 and the wounding of at least 175 innocent people in Israel within 14 hours during December 1-2, 2001, and extends its deepest sympathies to the Israeli nation and to the families of the victims;
(2) expresses outrage at the ongoing Palestinian terrorist campaign and insists that the Palestinian Authority take all steps necessary to end it;
(3) demands, specifically, that the Palestinian Authority take action immediately to -
(A) destroy the infrastructure of Palestinian terrorist groups;
(B) pursue and arrest terrorists whose incarceration has been called for by Israel; and
(C) either--
(i) prosecute such terrorists, provide convicted terrorists with the stiffest possible punishment, and ensure that those convicted remain in custody for the full duration of their sentences; or
(ii) render all arrested terrorists to the Government of Israel for prosecution;
(4) urges the President to take any and all necessary steps to ensure that the Palestinian Authority takes the actions described in paragraph (3), including, if necessary, suspending all relations with Yasir Arafat and the Palestinian Authority;
5) further urges the President to insist that all countries harboring, materially supporting, or acquiescing in the private support of Palestinian terrorist groups end all such support, dismantle the infrastructure of such groups, and bring all terrorists within their borders to justice;
(6) commends the President for his strong leadership against international terrorism, his forthright response to this most recent outrage, and his swift action to freeze additional sources of terrorist funds; and
(7) expresses the solidarity of the United States with Israel in our common struggle against the scourge of terrorism.
Members Voting Against the Bill:
1. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI): tel: (202) 225-2726; fax: (202) 225-4580; email:
neil.abercrombie@mail.house.gov
2. John Dingell (D-MI): tel: (202) 225-4071; fax: (202) 226-0371; email:
public.dingell@mail.house.gov
3. Earl Hilliard (D-AL): tel: (202) 225-2665; fax: (202) 226-0772
4. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY): tel: (202) 225-6335; fax: (202) 225-0774
5. Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL): tel: (202) 225-0773; fax: (202) 225-0899; email:
comments@jessejacksonjr.org
6. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA): tel: (202) 225-1605; fax: (202) 226-0691; email:
cymck@mail.house.gov
7. Patsy Mink (D-HI): tel: (202) 225-4906; fax: (202) 225-4987
8. Ron Paul (R-TX): tel: (202) 225-2831; fax: (202) 226-4871; email:
rep.paul@mail.house.gov
9. Nick Rahall (D-WV): tel: (202) 225-3452; fax: (202) 225-9061; email:
nrahall@mail.house.gov
10. Bobby Rush (D-IL): tel: (202) 225-4372; fax: (202) 226-0333; email:
bobby.rush@mail.house.gov
11. Bennie Thompson (D-MS): tel: (202) 225-5876; fax: (202) 225-5898; email:
thompsonms2nd@mail.house.gov
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