Tom Lantos: “as has happened so often before, the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. The President and…”

“as has happened so often before, the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. The President and the Secretary of State may be constrained by diplomatic protocol, but those of us in this House who follow these events are not. This summit collapsed because Yasir Arafat refused to budge. I pay high tribute to the President and his team. I pay high tribute to Prime Minister Barak, who has gone way beyond anything that anybody could rationally expect in terms of compromise and giving. I deplore that Egypt and Saudi Arabia again encourage the most intransigent position possible on Arafat. Today, I am introducing legislation that would terminate all aid to the Palestinian Authority if a unilateral declaration of independence should be forthcoming. Such a declaration would mean new violence, and we cannot be party to it. I encourage all of my colleagues to join me.”