Bob Dole: “as indicated, I have introduced S. 1322, the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act of 1995. I am pleased to do so with the…”

“as indicated, I have introduced S. 1322, the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act of 1995. I am pleased to do so with the distinguished senior Senator from New York, Senator Moynihan, as the lead cosponsor. As the Senate knows, Senator Moynihan has been the expert and the leader on Jerusalem for his entire career. I am pleased that he has joined with Senator Kyl, Senator Inouye and other cosponsors in this important legislation. I would like to take special note of the roles of Senator Kyl and Senator Inouye in developing this legislation, and in agreeing to the changes included today. This legislation is very similar to S. 770, introduced on May 9, 1995. S. 770 currently has 62 cosponsors--and 61 of them are included on the legislation I am introducing today. There is one major change between S. 770 and S. 1322--the provision requiring groundbreaking in 1996 for construction of a new Embassy has been deleted, and minor or conforming changes have been made. All major provisions are identical: Findings on the importance of Jerusalem, statement of policy on recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, semiannual reporting requirements, and, most important, the requirement that the American Embassy be open in Jerusalem no later than May 31, 1999. A number of Members expressed concern about the potential impact of the requirement for breaking ground on construction next year. Clearly 62 percent of the Senate was comfortable with the provision.…”