Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, March 2002, page 19

Congress Watch

 

Congress Adjourns for Holidays After Passing Anti-Palestinian Foreign Aid Bill

 

By Shirl McArthur

Congress passed the conference report for the foreign aid appropriations bill (H.R. 2506) on Dec. 20, the day they adjourned until Jan. 23 for their holiday recess. As indicated in the previous issue of this magazine, the bill as passed included a modified version of H.R. 1795, the House bill that would impose sanctions on the PLO and the PA unless they comply with previous commitments. The only good news is that the modifications in the bill as passed all serve to soften the provisions’ impact.

There were three major modifications. The first was the insertion of the word “substantially” in the sentence saying that the president shall determine whether the PLO or PA “has substantially complied with” its 1993 commitments to renounce the use of terrorism. This gives the president more latitude in determining whether there has been compliance.

The second major modification was to except development assistance from the possible sanction that would terminate U.S. assistance to the West Bank and Gaza, thus rendering the sanction essentially meaningless (humanitarian assistance was already excepted in the original bill). The third modification was the deletion from the list of possible sanctions the denial of visas to PLO and PA officials. As in the original bill, the section provides for a presidential waiver if he determines it is in “the national security interest of the U.S.”

Except for a lower allocation for Tunisia, the money parts of the bill are the same as in the Senate version. The amounts earmarked are: to Israel, $2.04 billion in military grants and $720 million in economic grants, plus $60 million for refugee resettlement; to Egypt, $1.3 billion in military grants and $655 million in economic grants; to Lebanon, $35 million in economic grants; to Jordan, $150 million in economic aid and $75 million in military aid; and $3.5 million in military aid to Tunisia. In addition, $535 million of the military assistance for Israel may be spent in Israel.

As in previous years, the bill as passed includes several other Middle East-related provisions, such as the ones prohibiting direct or indirect funding to Iraq, Libya, Iran, Sudan, or Syria. It also includes the provision for a presidential waiver to the previously passed prohibitions on PLO official activities in the U.S.

Additionally, the Defense Department appropriations bill included $214.5 million for “U.S.-Israel cooperation programs,” including $131.7 million for the Arrow missile program—$66 million more than the Bush administration had requested—$25 million for the Litening Targeting Pod, $20 million for Bradley Fighting Vehicle Reactive Armor, and $13 million for the Tactical High Energy Laser program. These programs are only thinly disguised handouts to Israel.

 

Anti-Saddam Sentiment Building

With the struggle against the al-Qaeda terrorist network apparently entering a less dramatic phase, there are voices within the administration and in Congress urging President George W. Bush to make the regime of Saddam Hussain in Iraq the next target in the war on terrorism. As described in the previous issue of the Washington Report, seven senators and three representatives wrote to Bush on Dec. 5 urging him to give military support and training to the Iraq National Congress to enable it to “directly confront Saddam.” At the same time, Rep. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced a non-binding resolution, H.J.Res. 75, saying that Iraq’s refusal to allow U.N. inspectors “immediate, unconditional, and unrestricted access” to facilities and documents “presents a mounting threat to the U.S., its friends and allies, and international peace and security,” and that the U.S. and the U.N. Security Council should insist on a “complete program of inspection and monitoring to prevent the development of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.” The resolution does not say what should happen if Saddam says no.

By a roll call vote of 392-20, with seven voting “present,” the full House passed the resolution on Dec. 20. Those voting no were Reps. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), David Bonior (D-MI), Chaka Fattah (D-PA), Earl Hilliard (D-AL), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), Ron Paul (R-TX), Donald Payne (D-NJ), Lynn Rivers (D-MI), and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA). Those voting present were Reps. Michael Capuano (D-MA), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), John Dingell (D-MI), Vernon Ehlers (R-MI), George Miller (D-CA), Louise Slaughter (D-NY), and Heather Wilson (R-NM).

Also, on Dec. 11, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) introduced a milder resolution, H.Con.Res. 286, that simply expresses support for the president “in using all means at his disposal to encourage the establishment of a democratically elected government in Iraq.” Issa’s resolution has no co-sponsors.

 

Another Afghanistan Reconstruction Bill

On Dec. 6 Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA) introduced H.R. 3427, “to provide assistance for the relief and reconstruction of Afghanistan.” This is a broader bill than the one introduced by Rep. Benjamin Gilman (R-NY) in October and described in the December issue of the Washington Report, which appears to have been shelved. The Lantos bill authorizes funds for urgent humanitarian assistance, security support, democracy and human rights initiatives, drug control programs, and U.S. diplomatic facilities, in addition to rehabilitation and reconstruction. The bill has 15 co-sponsors, all Democrats. Republican Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (CA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL) were among the original co-sponsors, but have since withdrawn their sponsorship, preferring to wait for the more comprehensive and coordinated package of aid for Afghanistan being prepared by the congressional leadership, presumably with administration participation, and by the international community.

 

Dingell’s Balanced Resolution Gains Co-Sponsors

The cease-fire resolution introduced by Dingell, H.Con.Res. 253, continues to gain co-sponsors. This is a balanced resolution that urges both the Palestinians and the Israelis to end the violence in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, and it specifically endorses the recommendations of the Mitchell Report. The new co-sponsors since those reported in previous issues of this magazine are Reps. Abercrombie, Major Owens (D-NY), and John Spratt (D-SC). However, one of the original co-sponsors, Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), withdrew his co-sponsorship on Dec. 11.

 

A Silly New Bill

Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY), joined by Reps. Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Peter King (R-NY), on Dec. 19 introduced H.Con.Res. 293 to express “the sense of the Congress that the United Nations should suspend the membership of any state identified as a sponsor of terrorism by the Department of State.” This resolution will go nowhere and would have no effect even if passed. Since the trio is among Israel’s most fervent congressional supporters, however, apparently their intent was simply to please their masters.

Shirl McArthur, a retired foreign service officer, is a consultant in the Washington, DC area.

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