Hearing of the House International Relations Committee - The Way Forward in the Middle East

Hearing

CHAIRED BY: REPRESENTATIVE HENRY HYDE (R-IL)

WITNESSES: DENNIS ROSS, WASHINGTON INSTITUTE FOR NEAR EAST POLICY; ZIAD ASALI, M.D., PRESIDENT, AMERICAN TASK FORCE ON PALESTINE; DANIELLE PLETKA, AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE

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Mr. WILSON. Yes, and thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Ambassador Ross, and I am really encouraged to hear what Dr. Kissinger said, and what you said, and you have really itemized a number of positive developments, and the moment and opportunity that we have now.

And I was very pleased, too, that Dr. Kissinger indicated that there were other numerous positive trends, and we are so used to hearing tragedy and dilemma. I would like to hear some of the other positive trends that may be. For example, I was interested to hear about trade at the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria. That is astounding to me. I had not heard about that. And it may appear to be small, but I find it extraordinary.

So are there other trends that you would like to identify? And you did in your presentation mention quite a few, too.

Ambassador ROSS. Well, as I said, I see a convergence of interests. One overriding one, which I did not mention, which is just again between the Israelis and the Palestinians, both Abu Mazen and Prime Minister Sharon have an enormous stake and commitment to the calm.

There is a convergence of interest for Abu Mazen. He can't achieve anything that he wants to achieve if there is not calm. And also for Prime Minister Sharon, the ability to carry out the withdrawal from Gaza and the northern part of the West Bank is heavily influenced by whether or not there is a environment of calm.

So the fact that they have such a strong convergence of interest is, I think, useful. There are other trends in the region that I think are less hopeful. When I look at Syria, I am not as optimistic as Dr. Kissinger was, although I think if he had had a fuller discussion, he might not have been either.

It is true that I think that the Syrians would like to go back to negotiations, but I can tell you as a veteran of this process and as someone who negotiated at a point where we came very close to reaching an agreement in the year 2000, and probably would have reached an agreement in the year 1996 had it not been put off for 90 days, and then a war developing between the Israelis in the spring of 1996.

I think in fact that the Syrians will demonstrate their seriousness on this issue if it is very clear that they are not prepared to allow Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, to subvert any peace process at a moment of their choosing. We have not seen any behaviors from the Syrians of that kind of attitude changing. Right now we see, and I can tell you--I mean, I have--I mean, a lot of the Fatah younger guard that wanted to ensure the stability of the cease-fire, many of them who I know quite well, they have recently gone again to Damascus. Why? Because they are meeting there to try to encourage the Hamas on the outside to go along with what is a cease-fire and not disrupt. We have the leader of Hamas in Damascus, Khaled Mashal, meeting with the leader of Hezbollah this past week, A-Zahar.

That does not strike me as being a particularly hopeful development because it suggests to me that their focus is on subverting this and not making it happen. If the Syrians want to be a part of the process, I think we should be open to that, but we should also be clear to them what it takes for them to demonstrate unmistakenably that they are serious about wanting to pursue it.

One thing is that a good starting point is for them to help ensure and secure this cease-fire between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and they can given their influence on the Hamas and Islamic Jihad that are in Syria, and also their ability to also affect Hezbollah behavior.

Mr. WILSON. Another point that I was interested in is that so often people say, let us do good without being specific. But you clearly identified a promotion of housing, and also to address the sad state of $2.00 a day economic income. How can America help in promoting housing?

Ambassador ROSS. Well, I think one thing that we can do is just make it clear that this is a project that we want to see happen. This is a perfect opportunity for a public-private partnership to invest in it.

In fact, this is one of the areas that we should focus on. And one reason that I focus on it is, not only is it labor intensive, but Palestinians used to make up the backbone of the construction industry in Israel. So there is a capability there. There is something called Sheikh-Zaib City, which is a series of apartment complexes that have been built recently by a Palestinian construction company, and would be a good model. You already have a basis in which to offer bids and tenders.

You have people who have the know-how for doing it, and the real issue here is how best to finance it. Certainly some of our assistance could go into it, but I would put a premium, for example, on calling on the Gulf States.

This would be an absolute perfect opportunity for them to provide an immediate infusion of funds and the housing that should be provided should be low-cost subsidized housing so that the crushing housing need within Gaza, which has the greatest population density in the world, and the unemployment levels in Gaza, which are so high.

When I drove through Gaza a few weeks ago--and I had been in Gaza hundreds of times--I saw something that I had not seen in the past. Literally everywhere I drove, I saw large numbers of young men standing around having nothing to do. Well, that is a prescription for real trouble.

Mr. WILSON. I want to thank you, and it is also a recognition that Palestinians around the world are business leaders. And so there is certainly an ability and entrepreneurial spirit. Thank you very much.

Ambassador ROSS. You are welcome.

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