December 2011, Pages 30-31

Congress Watch

Congress Echoes Israel's Near Hysteria Over Palestinians' U.N. Bid

By Shirl McArthur

Throughout the summer many Israeli politicians seemed to be in a state of near hysteria over the possibility that the Palestinians would seek to gain recognition of a state through the U.N. It is unclear why this was considered such a threat to Israel, except that it might hinder Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's apparent strategy of pretending to want to negotiate while relentlessly expanding Israeli colonies in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

On cue, AIPAC and other far-right Jewish-American groups and individuals began whipping Congress to forcefully respond with anti-Palestinian measures, including cutting off aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA). It was no surprise that Israel's bought-and-paid-for members of Congress were eager to take up the cry. No fewer than 10 senators and 35 House members spoke out in one forum or another denouncing the Palestinians and praising Israel. As reported in the Washington Report's September/October issue, under AIPAC pressure Congress passed non-binding resolutions—S.Res. 185 in the Senate and H.Res. 268 in the House—threatening, among other things, to cut off aid to the Palestinians if they persist in their statehood efforts. In July, House foreign aid appropriations subcommittee chair Kay Granger (R-TX) and ranking Democrat Nita Lowey (D-NY) wrote to PA President Mahmoud Abbas making the same threat, and on Sept. 15, 58 House Democrats, led by Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), wrote to 40 European heads of state urging them to "stand with the United States" in opposing "unilateral" action by the PA at the U.N. On Sept. 20, just before President Barack Obama's speech to the U.N., 14 senators wrote to him urging that he use his speech to restate strong U.S. support for Israel, which is just what he did.

Legislatively, the previously described measures supporting Israel's Likud-led government's intransigence made no progress. However, three new measures were introduced. On Sept. 8, Rep. Joe Walsh (R-IL) joined by 42 of his Republican colleagues, introduced H.Res. 394 "supporting Israel's right to annex Judea and Samaria in the event that the Palestinian Authority continues to press for unilateral recognition" of statehood at the U.N. And on Sept. 12 Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), with three co-sponsors, introduced H.R. 2893 "to prohibit Foreign Military Financing program assistance to countries that vote in the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) in favor of recognizing a Palestinian state in the absence of a negotiated border agreement" between Israel and the PA. In the Senate, Orrin Hatch (R-UT), with 18 Republican co-sponsors, on Sept. 21 introduced S. 1595 prohibiting funding for the U.N. if the Security Council or UNGA grants Palestine a change in status in the absence of a comprehensive peace agreement.

Israel's bought-and-paid-for members of Congress were eager to take up the cry.

Then, on Oct. 1, Agence France Presse reported that a coalition of Israel-backing Democrats and conservative Republicans in both the House and Senate were blocking about $200 million of aid to the Palestinians "until the Palestinian statehood issue is sorted out." However, on Oct. 3 Reuters quoted State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland as saying the administration is in "intensive" discussions with key members to unblock the money.

And Congress' most reliable Israel-firster, House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) chair Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), held a Sept. 14 hearing on "Re-examining Aid to the Palestinians," packed with pro-Israel witnesses. Ros-Lehtinen's opening statement was predictably harsh, saying that Washington not only should cut off aid to the Palestinians, but should withhold funding to any U.N. entity that granted membership, or any upgraded status, to the PA.

But Israel May Be Having Second Thoughts

Ros-Lehtinen was probably disappointed in some of her witnesses' statements, especially those of neocons Eliot Abrams of the Council on Foreign Relations and David Makovsky of the AIPAC-created Washington Institute of Near East Policy. Both said that cutting off Palestinian aid could be harmful to Israel by, among other things, ending U.S.-Palestinian security cooperation and possibly causing the collapse of the PA. Indeed, the Israeli government may have begun to realize that continuing aid to the Palestinians is indeed in Israel's interest. Reuters on Sept. 16 reported that Israel on Sept. 18 would submit a report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee coordinating assistance to the Palestinians urging the international community to continue aid to the Palestinians.

Record 81 House Members on AIPAC-Sponsored Boondoggle to Israel

During August a record 81 House members—26 Democrats led by Minority Whip Hoyer and 55 Republicans led by Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), visited Israel courtesy of the "American Israel Education Foundation" (AIEF), a sham AIPAC spin-off. The Capitol Hill publication Roll Call estimated that the cost to the AIEF could total more than $1 million. Roll Call also pointed out that the AIEF and AIPAC share the same address, employees and board members, and the AIEF's executive director and its other employees all receive their salaries from AIPAC. (See this issue's postcard insert.)

In 2007 Congress passed a law banning lobbying groups from paying for House members to take long trips. However, the law included a provision exempting non-profit groups. Roll Call quoted the watchdog group Public Citizen's Craig Holman as saying "I call it the 'AIPAC loophole.'"

"Palestinian Accountability" Bill Makes Some Progress

While the anti-Palestinian measures described in previous issues have made no progress, H.R. 2457, the "Palestinian Accountability Act," introduced in July by Walsh, has gained six co-sponsors, and now has 39, all Republicans. Its stated purpose is "to restrict funds for the Palestinian Authority." Unless certain unlikely conditions are met, it would prohibit U.S. government documents from referring to areas controlled by the PA as Palestine; would prohibit U.S. funds to the PA; would prohibit U.S. funds to the U.N. or any U.N. entity if it declares or recognizes statehood for the Palestinian territories, and would bar U.S. funding for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which aids Palestinian refugees, unless it meets the same conditions imposed on the Palestinians.

Jerusalem Embassy, Anti-Boycott Bills

The AIPAC-promoted, previously described H.R. 1006, introduced in March by Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN), continues to make slow progress. It would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, cut off some State Department funding unless the U.S. Embassy in Israel is established in Jerusalem no later than Jan. 1, 2013, and remove the presidential waiver authority included in the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. It has gained eight co-sponsors and now has 51, including Burton.

Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) introduced two measures opposing the Arab boycott of Israel. In May he introduced, with three co-sponsors, H.R. 2004, whose primary focus is to prohibit or control technology transfer to any country supporting acts of terrorism. However, it also includes a provision directing the president to issue regulations prohibiting any U.S. citizen from taking any actions supporting "any foreign-imposed or -fostered boycott against a country that is friendly to the U.S." Then, on July 19 he introduced H.R. 2589, whose only provisions are "to prohibit certain activities in support of the Arab League boycott of Israel."

U.N. Reform Bill Finally Introduced

Ros-Lehtinen, with 112 Republican co-sponsors, on Aug. 30 introduced H.R. 2829, her long-awaited "U.N. Transparency, Accountability, and Reform" bill. To say it is extreme would be an understatement. It is clear that Ros-Lehtinen's objective is to make U.S. funding of the U.N. conditional on its treatment of Israel and the Palestinians. Among the bill's many harsh measures are those that would "withhold U.S. contributions from any U.N. agency or program that upgrades the status of the PLO Palestinian observer mission;" withhold funding for UNRWA; call for the U.S. to lead a high-level U.N. effort for "the revocation and repudiation of the Goldstone Report;" shift U.S. contributions to the U.N. to a voluntary basis; and halt new U.S. contributions to U.N. peacekeeping missions until reforms are implemented.

"Even before I was a Democrat, I was a Zionist" Berman, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said it would "eviscerate" the U.N. and called it radical, ill-advised and probably dead on arrival. Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations Esther Brimmer said the bill's measures were "backward" and would seriously undermine America's role as a world leader. U.N. Foundation vice-president Peter Yeo said that not only was the bill unwise and would undermine the U.S. position at the U.N., but that it also has no chance of becoming law.

It is not clear why Ros-Lehtinen continues to introduce such extreme measures as this bill and the Foreign Affairs Authorization bill, described in the September/October issue, that have no chance of being enacted. Perhaps it is part of a broader, Republican 2012-election strategy to compel Democrats to oppose them so as to somehow paint them as being "soft" on Israel. Or perhaps she wants to beat her 2010 record as second-highest House recipient of pro-Israel PAC contributions ($45,000, for a career total of $208,740).

Iran, Syria Sanctions Bills Continue to Gain Support

The two comprehensive Iran sanctions bills being pushed by AIPAC continue to gain co-sponsors. H.R. 1905, introduced in May by Ros-Lehtinen, titled the "Iran Threat Reduction Act of 2011," has gained 91 co-sponsors and now has 298, including Ros-Lehtinen. S. 1048, introduced in May by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) "to expand sanctions with respect to the Islamic Republic of Iran, North Korea, and Syria," has gained 22 co-sponsors and now has 75, including Menendez. However, neither bill has been brought to the floor of the House or Senate.

On Aug. 9, 92 senators, led by Sens. Mark Kirk (R-IL)—who received more pro-Israel PAC contributions ($115,304) than any 2010 candidate—and Charles Schumer (D-NY), wrote to Obama urging him to impose sanctions on Iran's Central Bank to help thwart Iran's nuclear programs.

On Aug. 2 Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and two co-sponsors introduced S. 1496, "to prohibit the delegation by the U.S. of inspection, certification, and related services to a foreign classification society that provides comparable services to Iran, North Korea, North Sudan, or Syria."

H.R. 2105, introduced by Ros-Lehtinen in June to expand sanctions on "foreign persons who transfer to Iran, North Korea, and Syria certain goods, services or technology," has gained two co-sponsors and now has five, including Ros-Lehtinen.

H.R. 2106, also introduced by Ros-Lehtinen in June, has gained 33 co-sponsors and now has 35, including Ros-Lehtinen. It would "strengthen sanctions against the government of Syria, enhance multilateral commitment to address the government of Syria's threatening policies, and establish a program to support a transition to a democratic government in Syria." It would also restrict Obama's authority to waive sanctions on Syria. And H.Res. 296, introduced in June by Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) has gained two co-sponsors and now has 34, including Lamborn.

On Aug. 9 Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), with 10 co-sponsors, introduced S. 1472. It would direct the president to impose a wide range of sanctions aimed at Syria's petroleum sector, including sanctions against a person who invests at least $20 million that contributes to Syria's ability to develop petroleum resources; sells goods or services to Syria that could facilitate Syria's domestic production of refined petroleum products; or purchases Syrian-developed petroleum resources.

On Aug. 3, 68 senators signed a letter to Obama urging him to impose tougher sanctions on Syria, including stringent sanctions on Syria's banking sector and a ban on U.S. businesses operating or investing in Syria.

Some Attention Paid to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Even Libya and Iraq

Most of the previously described measures concerning Afghanistan have received no further support. However, H.R. 1735, the "Afghanistan Exit and Accountability" bill introduced in May by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) has gained two co-sponsors and now has 75, including McGovern. It would require the president to submit to Congress "a plan with a timeframe and completion date for the accelerated transition of U.S. military and security operations in Afghanistan to the government of Afghanistan" within 60 days. On Oct. 5 Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), with one co-sponsor, introduced H.Res. 423 urging the U.S. to "empower and recognize Afghanistan's ethnic diversity through free local and provincial elections and replace the present failed centralized system of government with a federal political structure."

Regarding Pakistan, H.R. 1790, introduced May 5 by Rohrabacher, which would prohibit assistance to Pakistan, still has no co-sponsors. Similarly, H.R. 3013, introduced Sept. 22 by Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), which also would prohibit aid to Pakistan, also has no co-sponsors. On Oct. 6 Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) introduced H.R. 3115 "to prohibit non-security assistance to Pakistan."

With the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq more or less on schedule, most members seemed satisfied with occasional hearings to get status reports. However, Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), with 43 co-sponsors, on Aug. 1 introduced another Iraq withdrawal measure, H.R 2757. It would "prohibit the use of funds to maintain U.S. Armed Forces and military contractors in Iraq after Dec. 31, 2011." Similarly, regarding Libya, with the fall of the Qaddafi regime the previously described Libya-related measures have languished. One new one, H.J.Res. 74, was introduced July 26 by Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), with three co-sponsors. It would authorize the limited use of U.S. Armed Forces in support of the NATO mission in Libya, but require the president to consult frequently with Congress regarding U.S. efforts in Libya.

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