Res. No. 7 Title Resolution urging George W. Bush and the United States Government to declare the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Organization to be terrorist organizations and close the offices of the Palestinian Authority in the City of New York. Body By Council Members Koppell, Nelson, Avella, Comrie, DeBlasio, Fidler, Gerson, Katz, Weprin, Gallagher, Lanza and Oddo; also Council Members Felder, Recchia Jr. and Provenzano Whereas, Hundreds of innocent civilians have been killed in Israel by Palestinian terrorist acts; and Whereas, On January 17, 2002, a Palestinian gunman opened fire in a reception hall where a Bat Mitzvah was being held killing 6 and wounding 25, a terrorist act for which a group known as "Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades" claimed responsibility; and Whereas, The Al Aksa group is linked to the Fatah movement led by Yassir Arafat, who is the leader of the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization ("PLO"); and Whereas, On January 22, 2002, there was yet another attack with 2 people killed and over 46 people wounded by a terrorist murderer who opened fire on Jaffa Street in downtown Jerusalem; and Whereas, The military wing of the Fatah, the Tanzin, a group affiliated with Al Aksa have taken responsibility for this act of terrorism; and Whereas, President George W. Bush and the United States Government have pledged themselves to eradicate terrorists organizations wherever they may operate and have pledged to act against governments that shelter such terrorist groups; and Whereas, Now more than ever, the need is great for the U.S. Government not to flinch at the sight of reprehensible bloodshed; and Whereas, This is a time for the US Government to step in and exert pressure to eliminate terrorism in the Middle East; and Whereas, Although Yassir Arafat renounced PLO terrorism in 1988 and pledged to fight terrorism in 1996, the Palestinian Authority has recently failed to declare their support for the peace process and to refute terrorist violence and to accept the basic philosophies of a peaceful resolution that the United Nations has urged on both sides; and Whereas, The Palestinian Authority and PLO, under Yassir Arafat's leadership, have in recent months failed to effectively speak out against terrorism; and Whereas, The Palestinian Authority and the PLO have failed to take effective action to prevent such terrorist acts or to capture and punish the sponsors and leaders of the terror and indeed to prevent such terrorist acts or to capture and punish the sponsors and leaders of the terror; and Whereas, Rather, the Palestinian Authority and the PLO have both sponsored and supported terrorism and given haven to terrorist organizations; and Whereas, Israel and the Palestinian Authority are being dragged to the brink of an unnecessary war by the acts of extremists; and Whereas, The Palestinian Authority and the PLO have destroyed the possibility of permanent status negotiations based on UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338 and eliminated the progress achieved in previous negotiation rounds; and Whereas, The Palestinian Authority maintains a mission office to the United Nations in New York City; and Whereas, The Palestinian Authority is a government entity that shelters, supports and sponsors terrorist groups, such as the ones that President George W. Bush and the United States Government have pledged themselves to eradicate; and Whereas, Following the horrific terrorist acts of September 11th, 2001 carried out against the people of the City of New York, this City must assert its moral authority to call for a stop to terrorist violence worldwide; and Whereas, As a government entity that shelters terrorist groups, the offices of the Palestinian Authority pose a danger to New Yorkers, and it is the responsibility of the City Council to protect the safety of New Yorkers; and Whereas, Thus, it is the firm conviction of the City Council of the City of New York that terrorist organizations, including the Palestinian Authority and the PLO, should not operate within the City's borders; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the City Council urges President George W. Bush and the government of the United States to declare the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Liberation Organizations to be terrorist organizations; and Further, Be It Resolved that the City Council urges the government of the United States to immediately close the offices of the Palestinian Authority in the City of New York. ?? - 3 -