David Weldon: “today I rise to bring to the attention of the House an important new plan that seeks to bridge the longstanding divide…”

“today I rise to bring to the attention of the House an important new plan that seeks to bridge the longstanding divide between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The plan is titled ``The Right Road to Peace,'' and it is a comprehensive proposal for finding an avenue to peace, as well as addressing the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people. As we know, the Palestinian people have, for nearly three generations, languished in U.N.-run refugee camps in Lebanon, Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank. The author of the proposal, Mr. Binyamin Elon, a highly respected member of Israel's Knesset, he, at the heart of this plan, has offered an innovative approach for providing opportunity, housing and education to a population which, for a long time, has lived as a ward of the international community. Mr. Elon's proposal would end the cycle of dependence that long has shackled Palestinian development. Madam Speaker, I will include a summary of the document entitled ``The Right Road to Peace'' into the Record after my remarks. Today, there are approximately 1.3 million registered Palestinians being cared for in 59 camps run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, or the U-N-R-W-A, sometimes referred to as UNRWA. Nearly 60 years after the first of these camps were established, virtually nothing has been done to return this population to a settled existence.”