On the same day one members of Congress unveiled legislation designed to cut off funds to the Palestine Liberation Organization, another announced an agreement that would allow money to continue to flow — at least temporarily.
Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-N.Y.) announced that Congress would seek to extend the Middle East Peace Facilitation Act for 90 days.
The act, which expires at end of the month, allows U.S. aid to flow to the PLO and American diplomats to talk to its representatives.
“Because the House and Senate can’t complete its work on this important legislation by the end of the month, it is our intention to extend this act temporarily, for no more than 90 days,” Gilman said in an address to 100 Orthodox rabbis in town to lobby against aid to the PLO.
Gilman serves as chairman of the House International Relations Committee, which is responsible for writing PLO compliance legislation.
Despite the call to renew the act, Gilman sounded a stern warning to Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority.
“The PLO is going to lost U.S. assistance if it does not act quickly and forcefully to live up to its promises,” Gilman said. “Patience is wearing very thin. The American people and the Congress will be extremely hard pressed to commit the United Stated to commit anymore of our scare financial resources.”
The U.S. has pledged $500 million to the PLO over five years. About $100 million has already been sent to the Palestinian Authority.
At the same session, aides to Sen. Alfonse D’Amato (R-N.Y.) unveiled legislation that would cut off all U.S. financial assistance to Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority.
Under the proposed legislation, no funding would ever go directly to the PLO or Palestinian Authority. Instead, funds could only go to independent Palestinian institutions under certain conditions.
The measure would require the PLO to comply with its accords with Israel – – including amending its covenant, which calls for the destruction of Israel – – in order for the money to flow to any Palestinians.
“The PLO’s overwhelming failure to restrain the radical elements within its areas of control is an insult to Israel and everyone who had placed hope in Yasser Arafat’s ability to deliver the peace,” D’Amato said.
The legislation also would require Arafat to assist U.S. law enforcement officials in solving past murders of American citizens by people believed to be connected to the PLO.
“The PLO is not complying with its responsibilities,” D’Amato said on the Senate floor Monday night as he introduced his bill.
“It has failed to restrain the radicals in Gaza. It has failed to change the PLO Covenant. It has failed to come clean with the amount of its assets.”
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) signed on as a co-sponsor of the bill. Shelby co- chairs the Senate Peace Accord Monitoring group.
“This bill is not the panacea. Nor is it the popular thing to do. It is however the right thing to do,” D’Amato said. “I want peace for Israel as much or more than anyone else, but I do not want it one the wrong terms.”
The measure cites the PLO’s failure to pre-empt terrorism, control the flow of illegal weapons into and inside Gaza, prosecute and punish accused terrorists.
D’Amato’s bill is also critical of the PLO for allowing its police force to grow to over 17,000 when only 9,000 are permitted under its accords with Israel.
The measure would also cut off funds to Palestinian institutions unless the PLO stops conducting business in Jerusalem.
The Orthodox rabbis “unequivocally endorsed” D’Amato’s bill.
“Without compliance peace is nothing but a farce, a sham, a piece of paper,” said Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, a spokesman for the group.
“The American people should not support sending American taxpayers money to a terrorist organization.”
The rabbis said they brought to Capitol Hill 20,000 letters expressing opposition to aid to the PLO.
Americans for Peace Now immediately criticized the D’Amato bill.
“It’s ironic that on the same day that Israelis and Palestinians police started joint patrols in the West Bank, Sen. D’Amato introduced a bill that would cut off the money that pays their salaries,” said Gail Pressberg, co-director of the Washington office of Americans for Peace Now.
Israeli and PLO police began 30 round-the-clock patrols in Jenin Tuesday.
D’Amato defended his bill against expected opposition from the Israeli government and many in the Jewish community.
The violations of the PLO are real and cannot be ignored or forgiven, he said. “The terms for aid in this bill are not odious they are not unreasonable. They are consistent with the requirements that our government places upon all recipients of U.S. foreign assistance.”
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations scheduled a conference call on the issue for this week.
Executive vice chairman Malcolm Hoenlein said, “I envision that the conference will find the need to press for compliance and hold Arafat’s feet to the fire, but support continued funding.”
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