Res. No. 432
Resolution strongly condemning the murderous terrorist attacks against civilians in Israel and calling upon President George W. Bush to condemn the Palestinian Authority's support of terrorists and harboring of terrorists and calling upon the President and the United Nations to work together to seek the closure of the United Nations Mission office of the Palestinian Authority in the City of New York.
By The Speaker (Council Member Miller), Council Members Serrano, Koppell, Weprin, Katz, Nelson, Felder, Rivera, Comrie, DeBlasio, Sanders, Fidler, Avella, Gioia, Gennaro, Gerson, Davis, Oddo, Lanza, Gallagher, Clarke, Martinez, The Public Advocate (Ms. Gotbaum) and Golden; also Council Member Sears
Whereas, There have been over 13,000 attacks on Israeli citizens since September 2000, one of the most recent atrocities occurring at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, where at least 7 people were murdered, including United States citizens; and
Whereas, Innocent men, women and children are slaughtered seemingly every day, guilty merely of freely going about their business in their communities, activities that we so often take for granted but which are fraught with danger and risk for those living in fear in the Middle East; and
Whereas, The people of the City of New York understand the pain and suffering caused by terrorist acts perpetrated upon civilian populations; and
Whereas, After the September 11th terrorist attack, the people of the City of New York are vividly aware of and sympathize with the anguish and personal loss suffered by the families of terrorist victims; and
Whereas, The people of the City of New York are mindful of the need to pursue and bring to justice those individuals and organizations responsible for the creation and promotion of terrorist acts in Afghanistan and elsewhere; and
Whereas, The people of the City of New York are aware that Palestinian youngsters are encouraged to become living weapons at the behest of terrorist organizations while their families are paid off by other nations, such as Iraq; and
Whereas, The people of the City of New York have looked on in horror and shock at news reports and images depicting the extent of calculated brutality and terrorism inflicted upon innocent civilians by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Als Aksa Brigade, among other terrorist entities; and
Whereas, The people of the City of New York, possessing an abiding compassion and humanitarian spirit, express their sympathy and solidarity with the families of the civilian victims on all sides; and
Whereas, The people of the City of New York strongly condemn those who employ terror to achieve political ends; and
Whereas, President George W. Bush and the United States government have pledged themselves to eradicate terrorist organizations wherever they may operate and have pledged to act against governments that shelter such terrorist organizations; and
Whereas, This is a time for the United States government to step in and exert pressure to eliminate terrorism in the Middle East, just as it has been doing in Afghanistan; and
Whereas, The Palestinian Authority and the former Palestinian Liberation Organization, under Yasir Arafat's leadership, have failed to take effective action to prevent such terrorist acts or to capture and punish the sponsors and leaders of the terror; and
Whereas, Rather, The Palestinian Authority has both sponsored and supported terrorism and provided haven to terrorist organizations; and
Whereas, The violence against Jews in Israel has sparked the re-birth of anti-Semitism in Europe, with the destruction of property, cemeteries and houses of worship, and with threats against safety and life; and
Whereas, The governments of Europe should take all steps necessary to protect the safety and well-being of their respective Jewish communities, and make a concerted effort to cultivate an atmosphere of cooperation and reconciliation among the Jewish and non-Jewish residents of Europe; and
Whereas, These incidents in Europe and elsewhere coincide with the intense and violent conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in the Middle East, where violent rhetoric from militant Palestinian and other Arab leaders has publicly called for "spilling the blood of Jews"; and
Whereas, The Palestinian Authority maintains a mission office to the United Nations in New York City; and
Whereas, The Security Council and the General Assembly should rightfully condemn the use of homicide bombings as acts of terrorism and barbarity in order to send a message to the rest of the world that the United Nations views those acts as crimes against humanity; and
Whereas, The Palestinian Authority is a government entity that shelters, supports, and sponsors terrorist groups, and therefore, a governmental entity that President George W. Bush and the United States government should place on the list of terrorist organizations; and
Whereas, As a government entity that shelters terrorist groups, the offices of the Palestinian Authority may pose a danger to New Yorkers, and it is the responsibility of the Council of the City of New York to protect the safety of New Yorkers; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York strongly condemns the murderous attacks against civilians in Israel and calls upon President George W. Bush to condemn the Palestinian Authority's support of terrorists and harboring of terrorists and calls upon the President and the United Nations to work together to seek the closure of the United Nations Mission office of the Palestinian Authority in the City of New York.