Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, March 2004, pages 26-27

Congress Watch

 

First Session of 108th Congress Adjourned Without Passing All Appropriations Bills

 

By Shirl McArthur

Following the Thanksgiving recess, the congressional leadership bundled the seven remaining FY 2004 appropriations bills into one big “Omnibus” appropriations package in an effort to get quick passage before adjourning for the year. The vehicle chosen was the conference report (House Rpt. 108-401) to the agriculture bill (H.R. 2673). As usual, the House was compliant, quickly passing the Omnibus bill on Dec. 8. The Senate, however, unable to overcome Democratic objections, primarily by Sens. Edward Kennedy (MA) and Robert Byrd (WV), to several parts of the bill, adjourned on Dec. 9, leaving the Omnibus bill to be taken up again after the second session of the 108th Congress convenes Jan. 20.

Included in the Omnibus bill are both the State Department and Foreign Operations (foreign aid) appropriations bills. Since the objections to the Omnibus bill do not concern either of these bills’ sections relevant to the Middle East, it seems safe to assume that those parts will remain unchanged. In that case, the aid amounts for Middle Eastern countries will be much as described in the October issue of the Washington Report. Specifically, the Omnibus bill includes the expected $2.69 billion for Israel ($480 million in economic aid, $2.16 billion in military aid, and $50 million for “refugees resettling in Israel”) and $1.875 billion for Egypt ($575 million in economic aid and $1.3 billion in military aid), with the provision that $568 million of Israel’s military aid (about 26 percent) can be spent in Israel.

The bill also earmarks $250 million in economic aid and $206 million in military aid for Jordan, and $35 million for Lebanon, of which not less than $4 million should be for American educational institutions. The bill also says that up to $100 million can be transferred from the “Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund” to Turkey.

In addition, the “Democracy Programs” section of the bill allocates $11.5 million to “foster democracy, human rights, civic education, women’s development, press freedom, and the rule of law in countries with a significant Muslim population,” and $1.5 million is earmarked for “grants to educational, humanitarian and nongovernmental organizations and individuals inside Iran to support the advancement of democracy and human rights in Iran.” The section also says that, in addition to other money earmarked for Egypt, an unspecified amount of funds can be used to support organizations working for democracy in that country.

The Omnibus bill also includes a section on “Palestinian Statehood,” which is identical to the same section included in the FY ‘03 Omnibus Appropriations bill passed last February. The section says that no funds may be provided to support a Palestinian state unless the secretary of state certifies to Congress that (1) the new leadership has been democratically elected through credible and competitive elections; and (2) the elected governing entity has demonstrated a commitment to peaceful coexistence with Israel, is taking measures to counter terrorism, has established a security entity that is cooperating with Israeli security organizations, and “is working with other countries in the region to vigorously pursue efforts to establish a just, lasting, and comprehensive peace in the Middle East that will enable Israel and an independent Palestinian state to exist within the context of full and normal relationships.” The section includes full presidential waiver authority, plus an “exemption” that says this restriction shall not apply to assistance intended to help reform the PA or a newly elected governing entity to help it meet these requirements.

 

$568 million of Israel’s military aid (about 26 percent) can be spent in Israel.

The State Department component of the Omnibus bill includes just one of the three sections inserted into previous bills that have amounted to recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. That section says that U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem may, upon their request, have their place of birth recorded as Israel.

The defense appropriations bill, H.R. 2658, was passed separately and signed by President George W. Bush last September. It includes more than $200 million for so-called “joint U.S.-Israel military projects,” including $144.8 million for the Arrow missile, $56.1 million for the Mobile Tactical High Energy Laser (designed to destroy incoming missiles), and lesser amounts for the Litening Targeting Pod, Bradley Reactive Armor, and a research project to develop airbags for helicopters. It does not provide the $30 million for upgrading the Harpoon missile that Israel had requested. Regarding military aid to Israel, on Nov. 14 the Israeli defense minister took delivery of the first of 102 new F-16-I fighter aircraft, paid for back in 1999 with $4.5 billion in U.S. military grants.

 

New Resolutions Support Private Peace Initiatives

Resolutions have been introduced in the Senate and the House resolving that Congress applauds the private efforts “of Israelis and Palestinians who are working together to conceive pragmatic, serious plans for achieving peace.” The resolutions also call for Israeli and Palestinian leaders to “capitalize on the opportunities offered by these peace initiatives,” and urge President Bush to “encourage and embrace all serious efforts to move away from violent military stalemate toward achieving Israeli-Palestinian peace.”

The first of these resolutions, H. Res. 462, was introduced Nov. 21 by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), with 21 co-sponsors. However, this resolution apparently has been upstaged by H. Res. 479, introduced on Dec. 8 by Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA), with 31 co-sponsors. The two differ only slightly, with identical “resolved” clauses. The stated title of the Issa resolution is “supporting the vision of Israelis and Palestinians who are working together to conceive pragmatic, serious plans for achieving peace,” whereas the Capps resolution’s title is “expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding fighting terror and embracing efforts to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace.” The Capps resolution also mentions the “One Voice” initiative in addition to the “People’s Voice” and “Geneva” initiatives mentioned in the Issa resolution.

Interestingly, only six representatives are co-sponsors of both the Issa and the Capps resolutions, possibly because Capps, who attended the signing of the Geneva Accord in Geneva, introduced her resolution the day the House adjourned for the holidays. Those six are Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Amo Houghton (R-NY), Jim Moran (D-VA), Joseph Pitts (R-PA), Nick Rahall (D-WV) and Mark Udall (D-CO).Other co-sponsors of H. Res. 462 are Reps. Cass Ballenger (R-NC), Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), Mary Bono (R-CA), John Conyers (D-MI), Duke Cunningham (R-CA), Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Bob Filner (D-CA), Paul Gillmor (R-OH), Jerry Lewis (R-CA), Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), Nick Smith (R-MI), and Don Young (R-AK).

Other co-sponsors of H.Res. 479 are Reps. Brian Baird (D-WA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), William Delahunt (D-MA), John Dingell (D-MI), Sam Farr (D-CA), Charles Gonzalez (D-TX), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), Jesse Jackson (D-IL), Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Marcy Kaptur (D-OH), Ron Kind (D-WI), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Jim Leach (R-IA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Ed Markey (D-MA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Jim McDermott (D-WA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), George Miller (D-CA), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), David Price (D-NC), Rob Simmons (R-CT), and James Walsh (R-NY).

In the Senate, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), along with five co-sponsors, introduced on Nov. 25 S.Res. 276, which is identical to H.Res. 479. Feinstein, who is Jewish and a strong, but not mindless, supporter of Israel, believes that it doesn’t make sense to wait for a total cessation of terrorism before peace negotiations. In a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations she said that settling the Israel-Palestine crisis “is vital to defusing the rising hatred and anger surging throughout the Muslim world.” Co-sponsors are Sens. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI), Jim Jeffords (I-VT), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Bill Nelson (D-NE).

All of these nods to common sense were too much for some of the more mindless Israel-firsters. On Dec. 8, Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-NV), with Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) as co-sponsor, introduced H.Res. 478 “urging a return to the principles outlined in the ‘Road Map for Peace’ as a viable framework for achieving a peaceful solution in the Middle East.” Full of statements of support for Israel, the resolution derides the efforts of private citizens “who met without the approval of the Israeli Government” and negotiated the Geneva Accord “that compromises the principles of the Middle East Road Map for Peace.”

 

Israeli-Palestinian Peace Enhancement Act Again Raises its Ugly Head

Although Israel’s hard-line supporters managed to get a version of the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Enhancement Act inserted into the Foreign Relations Authorization bill, as described in detail in the July/August and October issues of the Washington Report, Sen. John Ensign (D-NV) reintroduced it in the Senate on Nov. 24 as S. 1944. Ensign introduced his original version, S. 1029, last May. The new version is uncompromising in its statements of support for Israel and condemnation of Palestinian leaders, makes no mention of positive steps taken by the Palestinian Authority, and removes some of the pro-peace language.

As in the version inserted into the Foreign Relations Authorization bill, which has not yet been passed by Congress, S.1944 would support the establishment of a Palestinian state, authorize a large U.S. aid program for the new state, and call for the president to encourage a multilateral aid effort. But this would happen only after the president certifies to Congress that a peace agreement exists between the Palestinians and Israel and that the new Palestinian government has complied with an eight-item list of requirements. These include holding democratic elections, renouncing terrorism and the incitement of “Palestinians or others against the state of Israel and its citizens.” The authorization bill’s “finding” that “a stable and peaceful Palestinian state is necessary to achieve the security that Israel longs for, and Israel should take concrete steps to support the emergence of a viable, credible Palestinian state” is modified in the Ensign bill to “…and Israel has committed itself to concrete steps to achieve that end.”

The bill, which includes full presidential authority to waive the requirement for a presidential certification to Congress, has 11 co-sponsors: Sens. Wayne Allard (R-CO), George Allen (R-VA), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Michael Crapo (R-ID), John Edwards (D-NC), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Nelson, Harry Reid (D-NV), and Gordon Smith (R-OR).

 

Saudi Arabia Accountability Act Next

On the heels of their success with the Syria Accountability Act, the neocons and Likudniks now are aiming at Saudi Arabia. On Nov. 18 Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), with six co-sponsors, introduced S. 1888, the “Saudi Arabia Accountability Act of 2003.” This was followed on Nov. 21 with Weiner, and 24 co-sponsors, introducing the identical H.R. 3643 in the House. These bills follow a now familiar format, used in the 107th Congress’s Arafat Accountability Act, this year’s Syria Accountability Act, and the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Enhancement Act described above. The bills first give a long list of “findings” describing the many sins of the offending party; then comes a “sense of Congress” describing what the offending party should do; then come the sanctions that should be imposed unless the president can certify that the party has taken the described actions.

The Saudi bills contain 11 findings, concentrating on alleged Saudi private and official support for terrorists and terrorist organization, including the claim that the Saudi royal family and “Saudi-sponsored organizations have funneled over $4 billion to finance the Palestinian intifada” since September 2000. The findings also complain about lack of Saudi cooperation in the investigation of the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing. The final finding acknowledges that since the May 2003 suicide bombings in Riyadh the Saudi government “is making a more serious effort to combat terrorism.”

The sanctions called for in the bills include restrictions on exports to Saudi Arabia of defense articles or services, including items on the Commerce Department Control List, and restriction on Saudi diplomatic travel, unless the president certifies that the Saudi government is cooperating with Washington in investigating and preventing terrorist attacks, has permanently closed all Saudi-based terror organizations, has ended funding or other support for any offshore terror organization, and “has exercised maximum efforts to block all funding from private Saudi citizens and entities to offshore terrorist organizations.” The bills do include full presidential waiver authority.

Co-sponsors of S. 1888, in addition to Specter, are Sens. Bayh, Susan Collins (R-ME), Bob Graham (D-FL), Lindsey Graham, Charles Schumer (D-NY), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).Co-sponsors of H.R. 3643, in addition to Weiner, are Reps. Robert Andrews (D-NJ), Berkley, Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Dennis Cardoza (D-CA), Joe Crowley (D-NY), Peter Deutsch (D-FL), Emanuel, Mike Ferguson (R-NJ), Mark Foley (R-FL), Barney Frank (D-MA), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Baron Hill (D-IN), Steve Israel (D-NY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Markey, Robert Matsui (D-CA), Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Michael McNulty (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Max Sandlin (D-TX), Ted Strickland (D-OH), Ellen Tauscher (D-CA), and Henry Waxman (D-CA).

 

Bills Decrying Iran’s Nuclear Program Reintroduced

Senator Feinstein and Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA) have introduced identical updated versions of the resolutions described in the previous issue of this magazine expressing Congress’s “deep concern” regarding Iran’s failing “to adhere to its obligations under a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency” and Iran’s “activities that appear to be designed to develop nuclear weapons.” The previous versions, S. Con. Res. 73 and H. Con. Res. 307, were introduced in mid-October, prior to Iran’s reaching an agreement with three European foreign ministers to extend full cooperation to the International Atomic Energy Agency and voluntarily suspend all uranium enrichment activities. The new versions, S. Con. Res. 81 and H. Con. Res. 332, introduced in mid-November, acknowledge the agreement, but say essentially that the resolutions’ sponsors don’t trust Iran to comply. The resolutions, in 12 resolved clauses, call on all concerned parties to use all appropriate means to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, and call on Tehran to “cease all efforts to acquire nuclear fuel cycle capabilities and to end the enrichment and processing of uranium until it is able to provide specific, verifiable assurances that it is not engaged in a clandestine nuclear weapons program.”

Prior to the introduction of H. Con. Res. 332, H. Con. Res. 307 added five co-sponsors to those previously named, Reps. Eric Cantor (R-VA), Ed Case (D-HI), Wm. Lacy Clay (D-MO), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX). H. Con. Res. 332 has 18 co-sponsors in addition to Weldon: Reps. Andrews, Howard Berman (D-CA), Cardoza, Case, Tom Cole (R-OK), Deutsch, Tom Feeney (R-FL), Jane Harman (D-CA), Walter Jones (R-NC), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Ray LaHood (R-IL), Nita Lowey (D-NY), Kendrick Meek (D-FL), Devin Nunes (R-CA), Dutch Ruppersberger (D-MD), Clay Shaw (R-FL), Mark Souder (R-IN), and Joe Wilson (R-SC).

S.Con.Res. 81 has 15 co-sponsors in addition to Feinstein: Sens. Sam Brownback (R-KS), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Coleman, Jon Corzine (D-NJ), Crapo, Peter Fitzgerald (R-IL), Jon Kyl (R-AZ), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Joe Lieberman (D-CT), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Zell Miller (D-GA), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Rick Santorum (R-PA), and George Voinovich (R-OH).

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

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