[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1247-E1248]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

PALESTINIAN PEACE TALKS

______

HON. NICK J. RAHALL II

of west virginia

in the house of representatives

Thursday, July 13, 2000

Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, President Clinton, Prime Minister Barak, and
President Arafat are meeting at Camp David in an attempt to resolve the
most difficult issues preventing peace between Israelis and
Palestinians. The pundits on both sides have been pessimistic about
their chance for success. Each side claims that the other is unwilling
to compromise. We are told the issues are too difficult and few new
ideas are available. Each side has supposedly drawn red lines which
reportedly will not be crossed.
I, for one, am more hopeful. The task confronting these three men is
great and the odds are clearly against them. Nevertheless, if one takes
the time and effort, one can see examples of flexibility on all sides
and willingness to rethink difficult issues. The most controversial of
all outstanding issues is the future of Jerusalem. Even on this
emotion-filled issue, parties are clearly willing to compromise and
approach the problem creatively. An example of this is an opinion
article which appeared in the Sunday Los Angeles Times. Faisal
Husseini, the author, is the senior Palestine Liberation Organization
official in Jerusalem. I would like to draw my colleagues' attention to
the article not necessarily to endorse every idea presented in it, but
in order to emphasize the level of creative thinking and flexibility
being displayed by officials involved in finding solutions.
Mr. Speaker, this flexibility gives hope if not optimism that the
three men gathered at Camp David can find a peaceful resolution to the
Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

[From the Los Angeles Times, July 9, 2000]

The Holy City Must Be Ruled Fairly

(By Faisal Husseini)

Jerusalem--No city in the world evokes as much passion and
controversy as Jerusalem. And for good reason: Jerusalem is
spiritually important to three great religions--Judaism,
Christianity and Islam. And it is politically important to
two peoples--Palestinian and Israeli.
If we are to reach a peaceful resolution to the Jerusalem
quandary, it only will be through devising a way to ensure
that all five of these constituencies have a role in the
administration of Jerusalem and its holy sites. No single
group should be able to claim either religious or political
exclusivity in Jerusalem.
One of the many myths that have flourished since 1967 is
that Israel wants to keep Jerusalem unified while the
Palestinians wish to redivide it. Nothing could be further
from the truth. Neither I nor others want to

[[Page E1248]]

see Jerusalem as a divided city. The real question is whether
a unified Jerusalem will be under the exclusive control of
Israel or under shared control.
Palestinians believe that Jerusalem should be a shared,
open city; two capitals for two states. sIn our vision, East
Jerusalem, as defined by the 1948-1967 borders,
To a large degree, this arrangement would simply be
recognition of reality. For the past 33 years, Israelis have
treated East Jerusalem as a separate entity. The Israeli
government has channeled only minimal resources to the
Palestinians of East Jerusalem and has denied its majority
Palestinian population many basic rights. These Palestinians,
many of whose families have lived in Jerusalem for centuries,
have had no voice in their city's administration and have
faced severe impediments imposed by Israel in housing, land
use and economic development. This is the Israeli version of
``unified'' Jerusalem.
Under our plan, all of the city's residents, not just
Jewish Israelis, would have a say in how Jerusalem is run.
Moreover, the rights of both Palestinians and Israelis should
be equal: If Israelis are to live in East Jerusalem, then
Palestinians should be allowed to live in West Jerusalem.
Creating shared administrative arrangements is especially
important in the Old City of Jerusalem, as this concentrated
area evokes the most passion among Jews, Christians and
Muslims. Many residents of the Old City are Palestinian. Yet
for the past 33 years, all decisions about land use, housing
and development have been made by Israelis. Palestinian
Christians and Muslims have had no say and have suffered as a
result.
For example, soon after Israeli forces captured Jerusalem
in 1967, Israel greatly expanded the Old City's Jewish
Quarter and ruled that Palestinians could not purchase houses
there, even though extremist Jewish groups--often with
Israeli government encouragement--have seized properties in
the Old City's Christian and Muslim quarters. And since 1993,
Israel has imposed a military closure that systematically
prevents Palestinian Christians and Muslims from entering
Jerusalem.
In our vision of Jerusalem, such actions could not occur
because administration of the Old City would be shared and
followers of all three religions would enjoy unimpeded access
to thier holy sites.
As Jerusalem is the spiritual center for all three
monothelistic religions, no one should have a monopoly over
the Old City, and no one should act there unilaterally.
Israelis say they want to keep Jerusalem unified and not
divided. What they really mean is that they want to maintain
100% control over Jerusalem.
Palestinians want a Jerusalem that is shared, not divided.
Ours is the only realistic alternative for a city that is so
important to so many people. There is no reason why Jerusalem
cannot become the symbol of reconciliation in the Middle East
instead of continuing to be an obstacle to peace.

____________________