To hold accountable the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, and for other purposes.

April 18, 2002

Mr. MCCONNELL (for himself, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. SMITH of Oregon, and Mr. BENNETT) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

To hold accountable the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Arafat Accountability Act'.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress makes the following findings:

(1) The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), under the leadership of Chairman Yasser Arafat, has failed to abide by its promises, enumerated in the Oslo Accords, to commit itself to `a peaceful resolution of the conflict between the two sides', that `all outstanding issues relating to permanent status will be resolved through negotiations', and that the PLO `renounces the use of terrorism and other acts of violence and will assume responsibility over all PLO elements and personnel in order to assure their compliance, prevent violence, and discipline violators'.

(2) Yasser Arafat failed to exercise his authority and responsibility to maintain law and order in the West Bank and Gaza, which has resulted in ongoing acts of terrorism against Israeli and American civilians in the State of Israel.

(3) Yasser Arafat has failed, through words and deeds, to offer credible security guarantees to the Palestinian and Israeli peoples, and has once again violated his commitment to peace through the recent purchase of 50 tons of offensive weaponry from Iran.

(4) Yasser Arafat and the forces directly under his control are responsible for the murder of hundreds of innocent Israelis and the wounding of thousands more since October 2000.

(5) Yasser Arafat has been directly implicated in funding and supporting terrorists who have claimed responsibility for homicide bombings in Israel.

(6) Under the present circumstances, Yasser Arafat's failure to adequately respond to end the homicide bombings further complicates the prospects for a resolution of the conflict in that region.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress that--

(1) the United States continue to urge an immediate and unconditional cessation of all terrorist activities and the commencement of a cease-fire;

(2) the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority immediately surrender to Israel for detention and prosecution those Palestinian extremists wanted by the Government of Israel for assassination of Israeli Minister of Tourism Rehavam Zeevi;

(3) PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization take immediate and concrete action to--

(A) publicly condemn all acts of terrorism, including and especially homicide bombings, which murdered over 125 Israeli men, women, and children during the month of March alone, and the injury of hundreds more;

(B) confiscate and destroy the infrastructures of terrorism, including weapons, bomb factories, and other offensive materials;

(C) end all financial support for terrorism; and

(D) urge all Arab nations and individuals to immediately cease funding for terrorist operations and payments to the families of terrorists; and

(4) the Congress supports the President's efforts, in conjunction with Israel, the Arab states, and the international community, to develop a comprehensive peace in the region, and encourages continued efforts by all parties.

SEC. 4. IMPOSITION OF SANCTIONS.

(a) DENIAL OF VISAS-

(1) PROHIBITION- The Secretary of State shall not issue a visa to, and the Attorney General shall not admit to the United States any member of the Palestine Liberation Organization or any official from the Palestinian Authority.

(2) WAIVER- The President may, on a case-by-case basis, waive paragraph (1) based on national security considerations.

(b) DOWNGRADING OF PLO REPRESENTATION IN THE UNITED STATES- The Secretary of State shall undertake such measures as may be necessary to prohibit the operation of a Palestine Liberation Organization or Palestinian Authority office in the United States from carrying out any function other than those carried out by the Palestinian information office in existence in the United States prior to the Oslo Accords.

(c) TRAVEL RESTRICTION ON THE SENIOR PLO REPRESENTATIVE AT THE UNITED NATIONS- The Secretary of State shall impose the same travel restrictions on the senior official of the Permanent Observer Mission of Palestine at the United Nations as those imposed on officials with the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations.

(d) SEIZURE OF ASSETS OF THE PLO AND THE PA AND PLO CHAIRMAN YASSER ARAFAT- The Secretary of State, in cooperation with the Attorney General, shall identify and seize the assets of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the Palestinian Authority in the United States, and the personal assets in the United States of PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat.

SEC. 5. REPORT ON PLO TERRORIST ACTIVITIES.

(a) Within 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter, the President shall submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees detailing acts of terrorism, if any, committed by the Palestine Liberation Organization or any of its constituent elements.

(b) The report shall include a determination on whether acts of terrorism warrant the designation of the PLO or any of its constituent elements as terrorist organizations, and if so, the President shall so designate the PLO or any of its constituent elements as terrorist organizations.

(c) The President may waive the requirements of this section based on national security considerations.

SEC. 6. DURATION OF SANCTIONS.

The sanctions imposed under this Act shall remain in effect until such time as the President determines and reports to the appropriate congressional committees that the conditions that warrant these sanctions no longer exist.

SEC. 7. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DEFINED.

In this Act, the term `appropriate congressional committees' means the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Appropriations and the Committee on International Relations of the House of Representatives.

END