Mr. Speaker, in December 2004 I was pleased to join the Majority Whip, Minority Whip, Mr. Cole of Oklahoma, and Mr. Kirk of Illinois on a Congressional delegation to Israel, the Palestinian territories, Jordan, and Iraq. In Israel we met with the Prime Minister, leaders of the Labor Party, and our U.S. Ambassador. In Ramallah we met with Palestinian Minister Saeb Erekat and the Central Election Committee, which oversaw the January 9 elections in the Palestinian territories.

Mahmud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, was elected by the Palestinian people as their new president, and was sworn into office a few short weeks ago. The U.S. Government has released $20 million in U.S. assistance to the Palestinian Authority (PA), and is considering further short-term assistance for the new government.

The death of Yasser Arafat presents the Palestinian people with an opportunity to rekindle the stalled peace process. I urge the Palestinian leadership to take strong, decisive action to crack down on terrorism and corruption, reform its governing structure, hold free and fair elections, and establish a democracy that is accountable to the needs of the Palestinian people. At the same time, the United States must remain committed to moving the peace process forward.

In April 2003 the United States, the United Nations, European Union, and Russia (the Quartet) developed a "road map" to Palestinian statehood within three years, after a new Palestinian government was installed. Unfortunately, the previous Palestinian leadership has consistently failed to meet any of its commitments or obligations under the "road map" process.

Prime Minister Sharon, in April 2004, took the courageous step to act unilaterally to restart the peace process. At their meeting at the White House, President Bush told Prime Minister Sharon that the United States approved the Prime Minister's unilateral decision to withdraw from all of Gaza and some West Bank settlements. The disengagement plan entails the largest Israeli territorial concession since it withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula in 1982. The Israeli evacuation from Gaza will involve removing more than 8,000 Israeli citizens. The area Israel is withdrawing from in the West Bank is twice the size of Gaza, creating a totally contiguous 300 square mile area under total Palestinian control without any Israeli presence.

President Bush reiterated that the Palestinians must meet their obligations under the "road map." President Bush also: gave qualified support for the Israeli fence; stated that Palestinian refugees should be resettled in a Palestinian state, and not in Israel as part of a "right of return"; and stated that the permanent borders should reflect the realities on the ground, lending support for many of the current Israeli settlements that go beyond the 1967 boundaries. I am pleased that this body went on record, in June 2004, in overwhelming support of the principles agreed to by President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon.

While the road map and the path to peace will undoubtedly have many bumps along the way, the United States, European Union, Russia, and the United Nations must remain steadfast in their commitment to the peace process.