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Legislative Roundup - September 30, 2005

I. Appropriations Update II. The UN & UNRWA Under Fire III. Ackerman on the Record

for the week ending September 30, 2005

I. Appropriations Update
II. The UN & UNRWA Under Fire
III. Ackerman on the Record

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I. APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE
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On September 21, 2005, the conservative Republican Study Committee, led by Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) released a plan for comprehensive spending cuts to offset the costs of the U.S. government response to Hurricane Katrina. The plan, entitled "Operations Offset" included a laundry list of budget spending spanning domestic and foreign spending. The only proposed cut targeting the Middle East is a recommended cut in assistance to Egypt. The plan states:
"Since 1979, Congress has provided foreign aid to Egypt, as many other nations do. However, Egypt has been unable to spend all our funds and delayed internal reforms needed to foster self-sustaining growth. Despite being the second largest recipient of U.S. foreign assistance, Egypt's democratic development has been extremely limited and its human rights record remains poor, according to the Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2004. Egyptian authorities continue to mistreat and torture prisoners, arbitrarily arrest and detain persons, hold detainees in prolonged pretrial detention, and occasionally engage in mass arrests without charge. Savings: $1.2 billion over ten years ($400 million over five years)"
The RSC initiative - which represents only the latest in a series of attacks on the U.S.-Egypt aid relationship - has generated opposition from House Republicans and Democrats alike. In particular, the plan's attack on sensitive domestic programs - something that could come back to haunt members in the upcoming elections - may lead many members to keep their distance.

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II. THE UN & UNRWA UNDER FIRE
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In the HIRC
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On September 27th the House International Relations Committee (HIRC) held a hearing entitled "Prospects for UN Reform & Hyde Bill," featuring U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton as the sole witness.
The hearing featured a strong denouncement of the treatment of Israel at the UN by HIRC ranking Democrat Tom Lantos (D-CA), who argued in his opening statement that "...the politics of the United Nations are still crippled by an anachronistic block on non- aligned nations whose mission life is to castigate Israel and the United States and to undermine all of the important work the United Nations should be doing for peace and global security..." It also featured extensive discussion of Syria and Lebanon.
Regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the hearing saw an exchange between HIRC/Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee Chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Ambassador Bolton regarding the role of UN agencies dealing with the Palestinians, and in particular, the future of UNRWA (the UN Refugee and Works Agency):
ROS-LEHTINEN: "...And my third question, Mr. Ambassador, is merging the United Nations Commission on Human Rights with UNRWA. Do you agree that the functions of these two bodies are duplicative and that funding does not appear to correspond to the needs of these organizations? In your discussion in New York, have you raised the possibility of changing the interpretation and the application of the 1951 Refugee Convention to include Palestinians with other refugee groups? And do you think that it would make sense for the UNHCR to provide the services that are now provided by UNRWA to merge these two?"
BOLTON: "...On UNRWA, this is actually a subject of discussion. And I think it's appropriate now that we're beginning to think about what to do with UNRWA as we get to a two-state solution. And there's certainly no fixed position on it. But I recall the somewhat analogous situation of Cambodian refugees in Thailand when a separate agency, UNBRO, the U.N. Board of Relief Organization, was created to deal with that problem. When the status of Cambodia was resolved in the early 1990s, all the refugees went back into Cambodia, UNBRO was abolished. The question, whether it's UNDP, for example, as an arm of the U.N. that provides development assistance to a new Palestinian state or whether it's some other combination, is something that needs to be addressed. And we discussed in New York. I discussed it myself with Alvaro DeSoto, the secretary general's Middle East representative. I think it's time now to consider -- we don't have a view as to what it should be, but it's a question that's legitimate to raise and that would benefit from some thought by everybody as the Palestinians move hopefully toward a democratic Palestinian state."

In the Media
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The September 29th edition of the national Jewish newspaper, The Forward, carried an op-ed by Rep. Ros-Lehtinen strongly attacking UNRWA's past performance, accusing UNRWA of supporting terrorism, and arguing for UNRWA dissolution.

APN on UNRWA
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In May 2003, in response to a similar attack on UNRWA in the HIRC, APN issued a statement regarding UNRWA. That statement, which remains valid today read:
"Efforts to undermine, weaken, and de- legitimize UNRWA are misguided and do not serve the best interests of Israel, the Palestinians, Jordan or the United States...We expect and demand that UNRWA take all measures within its power to ensure that its facilities and resources are not used to support or facilitate terror. At the same time, we recognize that UNRWA lacks any mandate or resources to enforce security. UNRWA cannot reasonably be expected to undertake a security role that, in the case of the West Bank and Gaza, is clearly the responsibility of either Israel or the Palestinian Authority. Moreover, UNRWA plays a vital role in providing humanitarian assistance - food, medical care, education - to a population in severe crisis. It is a primary source of stability and vital humanitarian aid for Palestinians - not only in the West Bank and Gaza, but also in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. It does this even today, at a time of acute humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and Gaza and of extreme political fragility in the region in part resulting from the U.S. military action in Iraq.
"The continued effective operations of UNRWA - until such time as a permanent and mutually acceptable solution for the Palestinians refugees can be achieved - serves the security interests of Israel by imparting some degree of stability, while relieving Israel of the responsibility of trying to manage and pay the costs of dealing with a potentially catastrophic humanitarian crisis. It is also serves U.S. and Israeli interests in the region, particularly in Jordan, where a potentially restive Palestinian refugee population could pose a threat to that country's government and security and threaten Israel's heretofore secure eastern border; and in Lebanon, where the refugees are unwelcome and unsupported by the Lebanese government, and where they could further destabilize Israel's northern border.
"The issue of Palestinian refugees cannot be resolved by attacking the UN's approach to them. This explosive issue has been defined by all parties - including Israel, the Palestinians, and the U.S. - as a "final status issue." Any lasting solution will be found in the context of peace negotiations. Efforts to bypass a mutually-acceptable solution - one of the key goals of any peace negotiations - are doomed to fail and will likely exacerbate the conflict."

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II. ACKERMAN ON THE RECORD
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On September 21st the House International Relations Committee's Middle East and South Asia Subcommittee held a hearing entitled " The Middle East Peace Process and U.S. Strategic Priorities Post-Disengagement." During that hearing, Rep. Gary Ackerman (D- NY) noted:
"...The Bush administration's contribution to the current state of affairs has been a combination of small-scale tactical coordination and large-scale endorsements of Prime Minister Sharon's strategic choices.
"The president, of course, has his vision; he's got his roadmap -- the ultimate self- licking diplomatic lollypop. And the whole of our policy is predicated on a single critical assumption -- that unlike its entire history the PA will suddenly prove capable of providing good government, effective public services, rapid economic growth and reliable public security.
"Israel has made its move, so what is the plan for rehabilitation of the PA? Unfortunately, the Bush administration's record in the reconstruction department is poor. In this case, fortunately, we have at least experienced professionals on the job instead of horse judges. But as with reconstruction in Iraq, and as with the response from Katrina, the president is inclined to make grandiose declarations and then expect his policy to self execute.
"As both our witnesses well know, hope is not a plan. And snapping, 'fix it,' does not get the job done. So I'd like to know what is the plan.
"How do we get the roadmap, if President Abbas has already declared he will not take on the terrorists. How do we help Abu Mazen and his allies if they are now powerless due to the reforms enacted to marginalize Arafat? How do we get them real amounts of international assistance, as opposed to the usual worthless pledges, and also give donors confidence that, unlike every previous experience, the money won't be sent down a rathole. With the surge in oil prices, the Gulf States should have something in the bank. Can't we at least get them to cut off the flow of money to Hamas and PIJ?
"What if Abu Mazen fails, and more typical of him, resigns? If PA comes to stand for Palestinian Anarchy, and Hamas takes a winning or controlling share of the upcoming elections, what then? How can we help Abbas and his allies without branding them as American stooges? Is there a way to help the Palestinian economy provide jobs now -- not next month, not after the election and not after the next round of violence?
"Madam Chair, I don't know the answers, but I know we need to get them and to get them fast, and I look forward to hearing from our witnesses."


For more information, contact APN Government Relations Director Lara Friedman at 202/728-1893, or at lfriedman@peacenow.org.