Karen Shepherd: “I rise today in support of H.R. 4426, the 1995 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill. I commend the chairman for his…”

“I rise today in support of H.R. 4426, the 1995 Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill. I commend the chairman for his tireless efforts to do more with less. In particular, I applaud the committee's commitment to Israel and to the peace process. U.S. support for those nations in the Middle East who have dared to break the deadly cycle of war and bloodshed has been essential for the spread of peace in the region. Israel has only been able to take the very real risks which have been necessary to move the peace process along because it knows it can count on United States support. When I witnessed Yitzhak Rabin and Yassir Arafat shake hands at the White House, I knew we had moved irrevocably into a new era. This bill recognizes that change with $78 million for economic development in the West Bank and Gaza. While the United States has funded development projects in the West Bank and Gaza before, this will be the first time that funds have gone to an independent Palestinian entity. I hope that this new organization will use these funds wisely for the benefit of the Palestinian people. This year, in Bosnia and Rwanda, we have seen the tragic consequences of ancient hatreds left to fester. However, in the transition to democracy in South Africa, we have also seen that those hatreds can be overcome. In the real world, there are no happily ever afters, no storybook endings. We must always fight intolerance and fanaticism.”