By Munir K. Nasser
Washington, DC
The US Congress is getting ready to vote on legislation calling on President Clinton not to recognize a unilaterally declared Palestinian state. The House and the Senate could vote on the new bill as early as this week.
The House and Senate initiative titled the "Middle East Peace Process Support Act," if passed, would threaten security and humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and potentially damage the peace process. So far 72 members of the House of Representatives and 16 Senators have co-sponsored the legislation.
The legislation would eliminate US funding to essential programs if the Palestinian Authority unilaterally declares an independent state before reaching a peace agreement with Israel. Congress already conditions US aid to the Palestinians with a complete ban on direct funding to the Palestinian Authority. However, the US does give $100 million in annual funding to non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including many US based organizations that support critical humanitarian and security related programs.
The text of the bills states that “the unilateral declaration of an independent Palestinian state will inevitably lead to violence and the end of the negotiating process."
The legislation warns that if the Palestinians unilaterally declare an independent state, the legislation would prohibit the provision of any US assistance to the Palestinians, and prohibit the expenditure of any funds to extend recognition to such a unilaterally declared Palestinian state. It would also mandate that the President instruct the US ambassador to the United Nations to oppose the admission to the UN of a unilaterally declared Palestinian state.
The Arab American Institute (AAI) in Washington pledged to fight against the legislation and urged its members to contact their representatives in Congress to encourage them to oppose it. The organization said in a statement that this legislation is not the vehicle with which to send a message of opposition to unilateral actions. “Punitive action targeting essential security and humanitarian programs is not only counterproductive but also dangerous for Palestinians and Israelis alike,” said the AAI.
AAI said officials from the highest levels of the State Department and White House have criticized Palestinian and Israeli unilateral actions. “Congress should conform to the same standards and not pass one-sided resolutions such as this one,” said AAI.
INDYK UNDER ATTACK
Meanwhile, US American Ambassador in Israel, Martin Indyk, came under attack from some Jewish American groups for his statement last week calling for the redivision of Jerusalem between Israelis and Palestinians. Indyk was quoted as saying, "there is no other solution. It is not, and cannot be the exclusive preserve of one religion."
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) accused Indyk of “effectively endorsing Yasser Arafat's demand that Israel surrender the Old City of Jerusalem -- where the Temple Mount and Western Wall are located -- Indyk publicly declared that Israel's rule of Jerusalem is unacceptable.”
ZOA National President Morton Klein noted in a statement that the anti-Israel double standard at work: "during the years that Jordan illegally occupied the Old City of Jerusalem (1949-1967), no US official demanded that the Jordanians surrender the city. And today, when Palestinian Authority officials demand that all Jews be expelled from Hebron and from the Tomb of Joseph complex in Nablus, Ambassador Indyk never criticizes them, and never says that the PA should be willing to share Nablus and Hebron," said Klein.
Klein accused the Clinton Administration of becoming more pro-Arab. He claimed that Indyk's statement on Jerusalem, “taken together with the Clinton administration's constant pressure on Israel to make one-sided concessions to the Arabs, and its embrace of individuals who are hostile to Israel such as Strobe Talbott, Joseph Zogby, and Salam Marayati, shows that this administration has always been more sympathetic to the Arabs than to Israel" – Albawaba.com
© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
