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Key Israeli-Palestinian issues were highlighted in House hearings this
past Wednesday, March 12th. Secretary Rice testified at a
State and Foreign Operations Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the
Administration’s international affairs budget request for 2009, which
includes $100 million in funding for the Palestinians. The budget request
represents U.S. foreign policy priorities and prompted debate on a number
of Israeli-Palestinian related issues including the status of the
Annapolis process, Israeli settlements, the humanitarian situation in
Gaza, Palestinian funding and movement and access, and potential
interreligious initiatives in Jerusalem.
Also on Wednesday, Rep. Gary Ackerman
chaired a hearing on the Gaza situation in the Middle East and South Asia
(MESA) subcommittee of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs with
Assistant Secretary David Welch testifying.
The constructive debate that took place in these hearings follows passage
last week of
H. Res. 951,
a resolution that rightly condemned the rocket attacks on Israel from
Palestinian militants, but did not adequately address the impact of the
current crisis on Gaza's civilian population or suggest ways to end the
violence and move forward on the peace process (details about the vote,
including statements can be found
here.)
Below are relevant excerpts from the foreign ops hearing and the opening
statements from the MESA hearing, which can also be viewed
online.
Congress departs today for its two-week spring recess, an excellent time
to make appointments with your Representative or Senators (email
info@cmep.org
for advocacy guidance).
Excerpts from March 12th Hearing on the International Affairs
Budget, State & Foreign Ops Appropriations subcommittee:
Interreligious Initiatives in Jerusalem and Peace Process:
REP. WOLF (R-VA): “…in Psalm 122, it says, ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem. May
those who love you be secure. May there be peace within your walls and
security within your citadels. For the sake of my brothers and friends, I
will say peace be within you. For the sake of the house of the Lord our
God, I seek your prosperity.’…
…I would like to ask you to urge our former colleague Congressman Tony
Hall and Cardinal McCarrick and some leading rabbis in our nation to
convene…a convocation in Jerusalem sometime this summer or this fall to
literally do what Psalm 122 says.
…If you're Christian, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre's very important.
If you're Jewish, the Western Wall is very important. If you're Muslim,
the Dome of the Rock is very important. But in order to have a spiritual
aspect to come alongside with your diplomatic efforts -- so what I'd like
you to do, is…to work through that interfaith group out there in the
region to have a major convocation in Jerusalem to do precisely what it
says and asks us to do in Psalm 122…
SEC. RICE:
“…as a minister's daughter, I'm very much aware of the power of prayer. So
thank you very much, and I -- we will definitely look at the idea…
REP. WOLF:
"… is there much more that you want to tell us a little bit about? …The
Middle East peace, about how do you see it going,
what's going on and things like that…"
SEC. RICE: "…As to the Middle East effort in general, as you remember, after Annapolis
we really established three tracks plus one. And let me just say that on
the negotiating track, which is being run by Foreign Minister Livni and
Mr. Abu Ala on the Palestinian side, I think that the encouragement there
comes from the fact that they're not talking outside about what they're
talking about inside. They've been very clear that they're having very
important discussions, very consequential discussions, but that they're
going to do it in a way that is serious and that they're not trying to
report to the press every day about what they're doing…
What we're working on, and need to work more aggressively on, is the West
Bank improvement, because there improving the lives of ordinary
Palestinians will demonstrate that President Abbas can do that, that he
can have a contrast between the West Bank and Gaza. And so that work is
being -- General Jones is out working as we speak. General Fraser will
hold a road map obligations and implementation meeting at the end of this
week. And so we're working very hard on these other tracks…
…So those are the efforts we're engaged in, Congressman Wolf. I believe
we've got still a good chance -- as the president put it, plenty of time
-- to get an agreement by the end of this -- this year. It's going to take
hard work and there are some very difficult issues, but I have never -- I
really have to say that the commitment of these parties is quite
remarkable, and we'll try to help them.”
Palestinian
economic development, Arab pledges and movement and access:
REP. LOWEY
(D-NY):
“…you know how passionately I feel about the concerns that it will be too
little too late. It is now March. Tony Blair has had his commitment
conference, the donor conference. And unless there is a real difference
between the West Bank life and the Gaza life, between the Fatah leadership
and the leader of Hamas, I worry about the success of the peace process.
…Why isn't there some housing providing jobs? Why isn't there some
economic development providing jobs? And you and I know and everyone who's
been involved in this process understands that unless the Palestinians are
supported by Saudi Arabia and the Emirates and all the other countries in
the region, it's going to be very difficult for them to take that final
step…”
SEC. RICE:
“…There are pledges in hand from Saudi Arabia…What we're trying to do is
-- through the efforts that Tony Blair has -- is to identify projects that
people could contribute to, because it will require some changes in terms
of movement and access also on the Israeli side. And so there's a package
that has to be put together here. But I'm always for people doing more.
You know that.”
REP. LOWEY:
“Is anything -- maybe I'm not aware of it. Is anything currently happening
on the ground?...”
SEC. RICE:
“I don't know when the first ones will, but we are trying to make sure
that there's a -- when you need a roadblock moved or you need a road to be
opened, that that piece of it can be, there so that an economic project
can be put in place…”
REP. LOWEY:
“-- I'm sure you would agree that there is housing that can be built,
there are jobs that can be created in the West Bank without moving a
roadblock and without -- I mean, that is all part of the total -- you
agree.”
SEC. RICE:
“I agree. I agree.”
Gaza
Humanitarian Situation:
REP. LEE (D-CA): “…I wrote to you, I think it was January 10th, about an urgent
request to take appropriate action to ensure that the vital humanitarian
goods and services are successfully delivered in Gaza. In the letter, I
indicated that -- and let me just read you part of this letter -- one of
the most important steps necessary to enhance the prospects for success
will be to ensure that humanitarian assistance is able to reach those
civilians most in need in Gaza. I haven't heard back from you yet in terms
of a response, but I wanted to know what has taken place and how you see
the humanitarian needs now in Gaza, because it's a deplorable situation.
And just basic medicines, food, water -- you know, it's a situation I
don't think that anyone would see as tolerable, and I'm still waiting on
your response. So maybe you could answer some of those questions here.”
SEC. RICE:
“…As
to Gaza, I have personally been involved in working on that issue. First
of all, we made additional money available to UNRWA for the Gaza to try --
we've now -- about $148 million this year -- to try and make certain that
there is enough funding, because UNRWA made a request for more funding. We
have answered that request.
But I've also been very engaged with the Israelis to try and make certain
that humanitarian convoys can get through Karem Shalom and through Erez
into the region. And so, for instance, I was called and told that there
were 80 trucks that were lined up that could not get through in the
convoy. I intervened directly and those 80 trucks got through. So we work
these issues on a -- out in the region on a daily basis. I intervene
whenever necessary. We really do not want innocent people in the Gaza to
suffer.
The problem, of course, is that Hamas has taken the Gaza hostage and the
people of Gaza with it. Abu Mazen is still providing 58 percent of the PA
budget to the people of Gaza, but it would be extremely helpful, of
course, if Hamas were not firing rockets into Israel. And so we're working
with the Egyptians; we're working with the Israelis; we're working with
the Palestinian Authority to try to help bring about a better situation in
Gaza, but on a day-to-day basis we work to try and alleviate the
humanitarian…”
Israeli settlements:
REP. MCCOLLUM (D-MN): “…This week's announcement of the expanded Israeli
settlements in the West Bank is a blow to your mission in that region.
This expansion is unacceptable because it violates the road map.
Madame Secretary, I'm looking for a clear, ambiguous (sic) position on
continued Israeli settlement expansion. I want you to be explicit about
this administration's position on the continued settlement expansion on
the West Bank. And can you give me assurances that no U.S. funds in this
budget will be used to facilitate or enable or secure the expansion of
Israeli settlements in the West Bank which violates the road map?”
SEC. RICE:
“…Yes, I'm happy to speak to it, and I have spoken to it publicly -- that
the United States considers the expansion of settlement activity to be not
consistent with Israeli obligations under the road map, and we've made
that very clear. And I've also said that it's certainly not helpful to the
peace process.
There is a process that we've set up for dealing with road map obligations
of both sides, which General Fraser is going to hold that trilateral this
week, and I can assure you that we are following very closely to assure
that U.S. dollars are not being used to support the settlement activity…”
Excerpts from March 12th hearing, “853 Days: From Gaza
Disengagement to De Facto Power?” in MESA subcommittee of the House
Committee on Foreign Affairs
Rep. Gary
Ackerman (D-NY), opening statement, on Israeli, Palestinian and American
failings:
“…In
Jerusalem, Israeli leaders are trying to square a circle that won’t come
round. On the one hand, they welcome and celebrate moderate Palestinian
leaders who are committed to a two-state solution, who are responsible and
reasonable, and have rejected violence and accept Israel’s right to exist.
On the other hand, there’s been an increase in the number of checkpoints
and roadblocks; there have been several announcements about settlement
expansions and new housing in Jerusalem; there have been no illegal
outposts dismantled; and from time to time, necessary Israeli security
operations have–as an unintended consequence–made a mockery of nascent
Palestinian efforts to put just a little authority back in the Palestinian
Authority.
In
Ramallah, the lack of clarity is even more striking. After ascending to
the top of the Palestinian body politic as a negotiator and a peacemaker,
as a man who has rejected violence on a moral basis–not a tactical, but a
moral basis--Mahmoud Abbas now seems ready to squander all the credibility
he’s struggled for so long to acquire. Speaking to the editorial staff of
al-Dustour, a Jordanian paper, Abbas is alleged to have said, ‘At this
time, I object to the armed struggle, since we are unable to conduct it;
however, in future stages things may change.’ When pressed by our
government to clarify these remarks, Abbas’s senior advisor, Sa’eb Erakat,
explained ‘that certain comments were reported out of context. We have
chosen the path of negotiations and no other path, and we will continue
along it until we achieve our goal of an independent Palestinian State.’
Skeptics would ask ‘Until statehood? Not after?’ During the Nixon
presidency, we referred to such statements as a ‘non-denial denial.’
In
Washington, I fear things are little better. Speaking Monday at the White
House, President Bush was asked what he thought of Israel's plan to build
750 new homes in a settlement near Jerusalem. He responded that “We expect
both parties involved in the Middle Eastern peace process to adhere to
their obligations in the road map.” So far, so good. Then the President
went off into that other private world of his where everything seems to be
going well. He then said ‘And those obligations are clear. And to this
end, the Secretary of State is dispatching the general that we named to be
the coordinator of road map activities to the Middle East, for him to
conduct meetings with the relevant parties.’ In other words, everyone’s
obligations under Phase I of the Roadmap are so crystal-clear, that we’ve
assigned a three-star general–who reports directly to the Secretary of
State–to sit with the Israelis and Palestinians to discuss what is already
clear, at least to the President, if not to the relevant parties.
So my
questions to you Mr. Secretary are going to be very similar to the ones
I’ve asked before. What are we doing about this mess other than
praying?..” |
