[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1795 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1795
To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) or the Palestinian Authority if the
President determines that these entities have not complied with certain
commitments made by the entities, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 10, 2001
Mr. Ackerman (for himself, Mr. Gilman, and Mr. Lantos) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on International
Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the imposition of sanctions with respect to the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) or the Palestinian Authority if the
President determines that these entities have not complied with certain
commitments made by the entities, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Middle East Peace Commitments Act of
2001''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) In 1993, the Palestine Liberation Organization
(hereinafter in this title referred to as the ``PLO'') made the
following commitments in an exchange of letters with the Prime
Minister of Israel:
(A) Recognition of the right of the State of Israel
to exist in peace and security.
(B) Acceptance of United Nations Security Council
Resolutions 242 and 338.
(C) Resolution of all outstanding issues in the
conflict between the two sides through negotiations and
exclusively peaceful means.
(D) Renunciation of the use of terrorism and all
other acts of violence and responsibility over all PLO
elements and personnel in order to assure their
compliance, prevent violations, and discipline
violators.
(2) The Palestinian Authority, the governing body of
autonomous Palestinian territories, was created as a result of
agreements between the PLO and the State of Israel that are a
direct outgrowth of the commitments made in 1993.
(3) The PLO made the following commitments in the
Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government
Arrangements of 1993, the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement
on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip of 1995, and the Wye River
Memorandum of 1998:
(A) To resolve disputes arising out of any
agreements pertaining to the interim period by
negotiations, arbitration, or other mutually agreed
upon mechanisms of conciliation.
(B) To take all measures necessary in order to
prevent acts of terrorism, crime and hostilities
directed against the State of Israel.
(C) To abstain from incitement, including hostile
propaganda, against the State of Israel, and to take
legal measures to prevent such incitement by
organizations, groups, or individuals under their
control.
(D) To arrest and prosecute individuals suspected
of perpetrating acts of violence and terror and to
punish all persons involved in acts of violence and
terror.
(E) To provide for the protection of Jewish holy
sites in areas under the administration of the
Palestinian Authority, as well as persons visiting
them, and to ensure the peaceful use of such sites, to
prevent any instances of disorder and to respond to any
incident.
(F) To prevent the establishment or operation in
the West Bank or Gaza Strip of any armed force other
than the Palestinian Police and Israeli military
forces.
(G) To establish, and vigorously and continually
implement, a systematic program for the collection and
appropriate handling of all illegal firearms,
ammunition or weapons.
(H) To maintain continuous intensive and
comprehensive bilateral security cooperation with
Israel.
(4) The President of the United States witnessed and signed
the Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government
Arrangements of 1993, the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement
on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip of 1995, and the Wye River
Memorandum of 1998, placing at issue the credibility and
reputation of the United States with regard to the
implementation of the agreements.
(5) The United States has a longstanding, and enduring,
vital national security interest in the peaceful resolution of
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and to that end has provided
the parties with its good offices and considerable financial
assistance.
(6) The State of Israel has made incontrovertible and
extensive efforts to resolve its conflict with the PLO by
negotiating in good faith and offering concessions of a
magnitude to demonstrate conclusively its clear commitment to
reaching a just and enduring settlement of the Israeli-
Palestinian conflict.
(7) The PLO's commitment to its freely accepted
obligations, specified in paragraphs (1) and (3), has come into
question as a result of the violence and mayhem occurring since
September 28, 2000, creating significant doubt as to the PLO's
commitment to the fundamental principle of resolving its
conflict with the State of Israel exclusively through direct
bilateral negotiations.
SEC. 3. REPORTS.
(a) In General.--The President shall, at the times specified in
subsection (b), transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a
report on compliance by the PLO or the Palestinian Authority, as
appropriate, with each of the commitments specified in section 2(1) and
2(3). The report shall include, with respect to each such commitment,
the determination of the President as to whether or not the PLO or the
Palestinian Authority, as appropriate, has complied with that
commitment during the period since the submission of the preceding
report or, in the case of the initial report, during the preceding six-
month period. In the event that the President imposed one or more
sanctions under section 4 during the period covered by the report, the
report shall include a description of the each such sanction imposed.
(b) Transmission.--The initial report required under subsection (a)
shall be transmitted not later than 30 days after the date of enactment
of this Act. Each subsequent report shall be submitted on the date on
which the President is next required to submit a report under the
P.L.O. Commitments Compliance Act of 1989 (title VIII of Public Law
101-246) and may be combined with such report.
SEC. 4. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.
(a) In General.--If, in any report transmitted pursuant to section
3, the President determines that the PLO or the Palestinian Authority,
as appropriate, has not complied with each of the commitments specified
in section 2(1) and 2(3), or if the President fails to make a
determination with respect to such compliance, the President shall, for
a period of time not less than the period described in subsection (b),
impose one or more of the following sanctions:
(1) Denial of visas to plo and palestinian authority
officials.--The Secretary of State shall not issue a visa to
any member of the PLO or any official of the Palestinian
Authority.
(2) Downgrade in status of plo office in the united
states.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the
President shall withdraw or terminate any waiver by the
President of the requirements of section 1003 of the Foreign
Relations Authorization Act of 1988 and 1989 (22 U.S.C. 5202)
(prohibiting the establishment or maintenance of a Palestinian
information office in the United States), and such section
shall apply so as to prohibit the operation of a PLO or
Palestinian Authority office in the United States from carrying
out any function other than those functions carried out by the
Palestinian information office in existence prior to the Oslo
Accords.
(3) Designation as a foreign terrorist organization.--The
President shall designate the PLO, or one or more of its
constituent groups (including Fatah and Tanzim) or groups
operating as arms of the Palestinian Authority (including Force
17) as a foreign terrorist organization, in accordance with
section 219(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
(4) Prohibition on united states assistance to the west
bank and gaza.--United States assistance (except humanitarian
assistance) shall not be provided to programs or projects in
the West Bank or Gaza.
(b) Duration of Sanctions.--The period of time referred to in
subsection (a) is the period of time commencing on the date that the
report pursuant to section 3 was transmitted and ending on the later
of--
(1) the date that is six months after such date; or
(2) the date that the next report under section 3 is
required to be transmitted.
(c) Waiver Authority.--The President may waive any or all of the
sanctions imposed under subsection (a) if the President determines that
such a waiver is in the national security interest of the United
States. The President shall report such a determination to the
appropriate congressional committees.
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