Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 110 Part 1.djvu/779

 PUBLIC LAW 104-107—FEB. 12, 1996 110 STAT. 755 TITLE VI—MIDDLE EAST PEACE FACILITATION ACT OF 1995 Middle East Peace SHORT TITLE Facilitation Act of 1995. SEC. 601. This title may be cited as the "Middle East Peace Facilitation Act of 1995". FINDINGS SEC. 602. The Congress finds that— (1) the Palestine Liberation Organization (hereafter the "P.L.O.") has recognized the State of Israel's right to exist in peace and security, accepted United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, committed itself to the peace process and peaceful coexistence with Israel, free from violence and all other acts which endanger peace and stability, and assumed responsibility over all P.L.O. elements and personnel in order to assure their compliance, prevent violations, and discipline violators; (2) Israel has recognized the P.L.O. as the representative of the Palestinian people; (3) Israel and the P.L.O. signed a Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (hereafter the "Declaration of Principles") on September 13, 1993 at the White House; (4) Israel and the P.L.O. signed an Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area (hereafter the "Gaza-Jericho Agreement") on May 4, 1994 which established a Palestinian Authority for the Gaza and Jericho areas; (5) Israel and the P.L.O. signed an Agreement on Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities (hereafter the "Early Empowerment Agreement") on August 29, 1994 which provided for the transfer to the Palestinian Authority of certain powers and responsibilities in the West Bank outside of the Jericho Area; (6) under the terms of the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza (hereafter the "Interim Agreement) signed on September 28, 1995, the Declaration of Principles, the Gaza-Jericho Agreement and the Early Empowerment Agreement, the powers and responsibilities of the Palestinian Authority are to be assumed by an elected Palestinian Council with jurisdiction in the West Bank and Gaza' Strip in accordance with the Interim Agreement; (7) permanent status negotiations relating to the West Bank and Gaza Strip are scheduled to begin by May 1996; (8) the Congress has, since the conclusion of the Declaration of Principles and the P.L.O.'s renunciation of terrorism, provided authorities to the President to suspend certain statutory restrictions relating to the P.L.O., subject to Presidential certifications that the P.L.O. has continued to abide by commitments made in and in connection with or resulting from the good faith implementation of, the Declaration of Principles; (9) the P.L.O. commitments relevant to Presidential certifications have included commitments to renounce and condemn terrorism, to submit to the Palestinian National Council for former approval the necessary changes to those articles of the Palestinian Covenant which call for Israel's destruction, and to prevent acts of terrorism and hostilities against Israel; and

�