That was Then ... And Now What?
"American aid [to the palestinians] is already lost, since Washington vowed ... not to give the Palestinians a red cent until they hand over the killers of three CIA security men murdered in a roadside explosion in the Gaza Strip on October 15. "
That reminds me, hundreds of millions of dollars and many dead Jews later, whatever happened to H.R. 2293 - passed in the House of Representatives almost exactly a year ago?
Rep. Gary Ackerman [D-NY]:Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2293, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
The legislation the House is considering today will ensure that three brave Americans are not forgotten. I want to thank Chairman Lantos and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen and my friend, the ranking member of the subcommittee, Mr. Pence, for their support and cosponsorship of the bill.
Though my belief in the necessity of this legislation is complete, my feelings about the bill are mixed. I am proud that this House will today insist that justice be done for three Americans who died in the service of their country. But I am deeply troubled and saddened that this legislation is even necessary.
On October 15, 2003, John Branchizio, Mark Parson, and John Marin Linde were killed due to the detonation of a roadside car bomb in Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip. These young Americans were providing security to a mission of American diplomats on their way to Gaza to conduct interviews for Fulbright scholars to come to the United States. But they never made it.
Despite the easily recognized vehicles and the diplomatic plates marking them clearly as Americans, despite coordination with the Palestinian security authorities, despite the fact that they were on a mission of kindness and generosity, their lives were ended by a brutal and cowardly act. And ever since then, United States Government employees have been barred from entering Gaza.
Their deaths were tragic. But what followed, however, was a farce.
The attack took place near a manned Palestinian checkpoint; and immediately following the attack, journalists photographed Palestinian police officers standing by as onlookers cheered the attack and roamed the crime scene destroying critical evidence. But within 24 hours, the Palestinian Authority, quite literally, "rounded up the usual suspects," four members of the so-called Popular Resistance Committee, or PRC.
Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority, however, never presented a case against them. Held over for a month, the Palestinian court finally announced that the defendants would be released since "no evidence was offered against" them. They remained in jail despite the judge's order, however, pending Yasser Arafat's approval of their release. When that approval never came, a mob of PRC members stormed the jail the next month, without resistance, and freed the suspects.
A year later, on September 22, 2004, Arafat's cousin, the head of military intelligence in Gaza, told the Associated Press that though the identity of the killers was known, the United States would have to forgo justice in this case. Speaking of our Nation, he said, "They know that we are in a very critical position and clashing with any Palestinian party under the presence of the occupation is an issue that will present many problems for us."
"The Americans," he added, "have started recently to understand our position and I expect that this crisis will also be resolved."
Six months later, Secretary Condoleezza Rice raised the matter directly with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. I don't know that Abu Mazen, as Abbas is known, told our Secretary of State, but she publicly announced on February 7, 2006, "We have been assured by President Abbas of the Palestinian Authority's intention to bring justice to those who murdered three American personnel in Gaza in 2003."
Obviously, we are still waiting and with the Hamas takeover of the Gaza Strip, we may never know the truth, and justice may never be done.
I have been outspoken in my criticism of the administration's failure to use the fresh mandate Abbas had in 2006 to make real progress toward peace. We failed him, as did the Israelis, and we are now confronting the consequences of our shortsightedness. But in this case, in this small but meaningful case, Abu Mazen has failed us.
The case presented an opportunity to establish the Palestinian Authority's writ, to demonstrate that the PA was capable of handling the duties of a state, which above all is obliged to maintain law and order, for visitor and citizen alike.
There is still a $5 million bounty pending, through the Rewards for Justice program, but I doubt it will ever be paid. The Bush administration has been so lack in dealing with this case, so lackadaisical in the pursuit of justice for three Americans who died in the service of this Nation that I believe Congress must step in.
It is not in our power to compel justice, nor can we instill drive, initiative, or energy. But we can maintain accountability, and that is what this bill would do. Thirty days after passage, and every 120 days thereafter, the Secretary of State will have to present Congress with a progress report, and not a short one either. This report would require details, the kinds of sticky uncomfortable deals, the kind of sticky uncomfortable details that will show whether the Department is insisting on the pursuit of justice, or just waiting for it to show up on its own. We are not asking for the impossible. The most important requirement of the report is a specific assessment of whether the Palestinians are making their best effort and possible resolution.
Today, it is hard to say what that would look like. But very deliberately, this report will be prepared every 120 days in perpetuity until the Secretary can certify that the Palestinian terrorists who killed John Branchizio, Mark Parson, and John Marin Linde have been identified, arrested, and brought to justice.
I regret saying it, but justice for these three men was never as great a priority for the Bush administration as it ought to have been.
The vital national security interests of the United States require us to safeguard to the greatest extent possible consistent with their mission United States diploma tics and all embassy and consulate personnel, and to use the full power of the United States to bring justice to any individual or entity that threatens, jeopardizes, or harms them.
Every man and woman working for the United States abroad deserves this commitment....
Posted by: RR | Tuesday, 15 July 2008 at 02:31 AM