Sam Brownback: “there is a tragedy ongoing in the Middle East, and the first thing I want to do is express heartfelt sorrow for the…”

“there is a tragedy ongoing in the Middle East, and the first thing I want to do is express heartfelt sorrow for the families of those who have lost their lives. The events of the last two weeks are deeply disturbing, and the clear first step is to find a way to calm the violence. The onus is on Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority to call a cease fire. If the Palestinian leadership and the Palestinian people are in the midst of a quest for a state, and are trying to prove they have the maturity to lead more than a terrorist organization, the moment of truth has come and gone. What many have long suspected about the Palestinian leadership is being confirmed: They are not committed to peace, they are committed to victory. Unfortunately, the reaction of the international community to the violence in the Middle East has only emboldened Yasser Arafat. For proof we need look no further than the one-sided, dishonest U.N. Security Council resolution that passed last weekend. The resolution ignores the role of the Palestinians in the violence now taking place. It unfairly blames Israel for sparking the violence, forgetting that it is the right of any person of any religion to visit the Temple Mount. The United States' failure to veto this resolution is an embarrassment--a sell-out of our friends, a sell-out of the peace process. Arfat insists on an international inquiry into the violence before he will call for its cessation.”