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In The News Serious reservations Jerusalem Post; Abstract: Full Text: Editorial Congressional hearings held in Washington on Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee brought to the fore the many reservations Americans of different political persuasions have regarding continued aid to the PLO. Rand Fishbein, a former aide to one of Israel's most outstanding friends Senator Daniel Inouye, testified on behalf of the Center for Security Policy. Following are some of his remarks, which reflect the kind of doubts both Americans and Israelis have about the agreement with Arafat. "In the past, many of you would have paid a king's ransom to put Arafat on trial. Now you are prepared to pay a king's ransom to keep him from trial. Today, the world has been turned on its head to the point where even asking fundamental questions about PLO compliance are taboo ... "History will only judge our collective silence as acquiescence to the tyranny of a process that we all hoped would bring us peace ... If the US is to maintain its credibility in fighting terrorism world-wide, it can not be seen to reward individuals who have American blood on their hands. Despite its alluring rhetoric, the PLO has proved with its deeds over the last 24 months that they are unreformed terrorists and continue to be a menace to civil society. Arafat himself continues to praise the suicide bombers of Islamic Jihad as "martyrs," and celebrates the spiritual leader of Hamas, Sheikh Yassin, as a "prince." "Everywhere we turn today the US is demanding that rogue states and peoples comply with their international commitments. In Iraq, we insist that Saddam Hussein comply with UN resolutions. In Bosnia, we urge the Bosnian Serbs to heed Security Council decisions. In North Korea we require compliance with LAEA rules and regulations. "Only with the PLO do we suspend our judgment, retreat from a moral posture, and shrink from that honorable determination that in years past has brought respect to America." There were other testimonies, both for and against continued aid to the PLO. But it should be noted that there would have been no debate at all, nor the slightest chance of American aid to the Palestinian Authority, had Israel not made financial support for the PLO its own cause celebre. Foreign Minister Shimon Peres's dream of a regional Marshall Plan, emulating the massive aid the US gave former enemies in Europe after World War II, has led the government to believe that reconstruction and employment will eliminate Palestinian enmity. What he does not seem to remember is that post-war Germany had to become a democracy first.
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