For the second time in as many months, Congress is preparing to extend for 45 days legislation that allows U.S. financial assistance to the Palestine Liberation Organization.
As Congress prepares for its summer recess, lawmakers are running out of time to consider a new version of the Middle East Peace Facilitation Act.
The measure, first passed after the signing of the Declaration of Principles between Israel and the PLO in 1993, waives previous laws that prevent U.S. contact with – and assistance to – the PLO.
Without another extension before Aug. 15, U.S. diplomats could not meet with Palestinian Authority officials, the PLO office in Washington would have to close and no U.S. money could flow to the self-rule areas of Gaza and jericho.
Against this backdrop, all eyes were initially focused this week on the State Department Authorization Bill in the Senate as the vehicle for the legislation.
Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.), who had introduced a new version of the Middle East Peace Facilitation Act along with Sen. Claiborne Pell (D-R.I.), included the measure as an amendment to the broader legislation being debated on Monday.
However, by Tuesday, Helms was forced to pull the entire legislation off the floor when Republicans could not muster support for a technical vote that would cut off debate on the authorization bill.
Most Democrats objected to provisions in the legislation that would fold three foreign-policy agencies, including the Agency for International Development, into the State Department.
The Helms measure, which tightens some provisions of previous legislation regarding aid to the PLO but essentially enables continued aid, drew widespread support in the Jewish community.
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations this week announced a “strong consensus” among its 50 national agencies to support the legislation.
“We believe that this version strengthens the compliance provision of the original legislation that set the requirements for U.S. funding the to Palestinian Authority,” Leon Levy, chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman, said in a statement.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel lobby, also sports the Helms bill, which gives the PLO until after Palestinian elections to change its national covenant calling for the destruction of Israel.
A few groups, including the Zionist Organization of America, however, have called for tougher legislation.
But both opponents and proponents of aid to the PLO are supporting the 45-day extension, which the House was expected to vote on before it adjourns Friday and the Senate was expected to act on by next week.
Because the fate of State Department Authorization Bill was uncertain, members of Congress were expected to find another vehicle to approve the legislation.
Robert Pelletreau, assistant secretary of state for near East and South Asian Affairs, strongly urged Congress to approve a short-term extension of the legislation.
“A lapse of authority under the act would be especially detrimental at this critical time,” Pelletreau told the House International Relations Committee on Wednesday.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
