U.S. House Members Debate Concerns Over Palestinian Christian Community

In Washington, members of Congress are expressing concern over the dwindling size of the Palestinian Christian community in the West Bank. However they sharply disagree over whether the cause of the problem is Israel or the Palestinian Authority. This past week's Forward reports that last month House International Relations Committee Chairman Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL) sent a letter to President Bush, warning that "Israeli actions [in the West Bank] seem to go beyond the realm of legitimate security concerns and have negative consequences on communities and lands under their occupation." A few days later two members Hyde's committee, Rep. Michael McCaul, (R-TX) and Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-NY), circulated to their colleagues a resolution blaming the P.A. for the problem. So far they have obtained 20 co-sponsors. The Resolution asks the President and Secretary of State "to address the condition of minorities under Palestinian Authority rule in order to save from destruction the oldest Christian community in the world." It also urges the State Department to "investigate and report on the extent of human rights violations by the Palestinian Authority" against Palestinian Christians.