104th CONGRESS

2d Session

S. RES. 228

Condemning terror attacks in Israel.

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IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 29 (legislative day, February 28), 1996

Mr. Helms (for himself, Mr. Pell, Mr. Dole, Mr. Daschle, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Mack, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Biden, Mrs. Kassebaum, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Thomas, Mr. Grams, Mr. Lugar, Mr. D'Amato, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Ashcroft, Mr. Feingold, Mr. Moynihan, Mr. Bradley, Mr. Levin, Mr. Specter, Mr. Santorum, and Mr. Wellstone) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

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RESOLUTION

Condemning terror attacks in Israel.

Whereas on February 25, 1996, two vicious terror attacks in Jerusalem and Ashkelon killed two American citizens and twenty-three Israelis, and wounded dozens more;

Whereas the Gaza-headquartered terrorist organization ``Hamas'' claimed credit for the attack;

Whereas in 1995, forty-seven innocent Israeli and American citizens were killed in Palestinian terror attacks;

Whereas since the signing of the Declaration of Principles between Israel and the PLO on September 13, 1993, one hundred and sixty-eight people have been killed in terrorist acts, one hundred and sixty-three Israelis and five American citizens;

Whereas the Gaza-based ``Hamas'' terror group and Damascus-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terror groups have claimed responsibility for the majority of those terror attacks;

Whereas the PLO, the Palestinian Authority, and Yasser Arafat have undertaken on repeated occasions to crack down on terror and bring to justice those in areas under their jurisdiction who commit acts of terror;

Whereas notwithstanding such undertakings and some improvements in Palestinian efforts against terrorism, the vast majority of terror suspects have not been apprehended, or if apprehended, not tried or punished, and no terror suspects requested for transfer have been transferred to Israeli authorities by Palestinian authorities in direct contravention of agreements signed between the PLO and Israel;

Whereas the Governments of Iran, Syria, and Lebanon continue to provide safe haven, financial support and arms to terror groups such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, or Hezbollah among others, and have in no way acted to restrain such groups from committing acts of terrorism; and

Whereas failure to act against terrorists by the Palestinian Authority, Syria and others can only undermine the credibility of the peace process: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate--

(1) condemns and reviles in the strongest terms the attacks in Jerusalem and in Ashkelon;

(2) extends condolences to the families of all those killed, and to the Government and all the people of the State of Israel;

(3) calls upon the Palestinian Authority, the elected Palestinian Council and Chairman Arafat to act swiftly and decisively to apprehend the perpetrators of terror attacks, to do more to prevent such acts of terror in the future and to eschew all statements and gestures which signal tolerance for such acts and their perpetrators;

(4) calls upon the Palestinian Authority, and Palestinian representatives in the elected Council to take all possible action to eliminate terrorist activities by Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and all other such terror groups;

(5) urges all parties to the peace process, in order to retain the credibility of their commitment to peace, to bring to justice the perpetrators of acts of terrorism, and to cease harboring, financing and arming terror groups in all territories under their control; and

(6) urges the Clinton administration to act decisively and swiftly against those who continue to harbor, arm or finance terror groups seeking to undermine the peace process.