WASHINGTON, 4 May — An important undercurrent in Thursday’s symbolic vote to endorse a pro-Israeli resolution in the Senate and Congress went largely unnoticed when dozens of lawmakers took to the floor to verbally object to the bill, and refuse to vote for it. Or — if they did vote for it, said they did so reluctantly and felt "bulldozed" into voting.
True, senators and congressmen Thursday approved two slightly different resolutions in support of Israel, with the House attacking Palestine leader Yasser Arafat and the Senate criticizing Palestinian suicide bombings.
And by calling for the vote, both Republicans and Democrats ignored President Bush’s request for restraint, which highlights the domestic political tightrope the president faces in trying to broker a resolution to the Middle East crisis.
But the vote did not go down easily. Many congressmen and congresswomen engaged in a spirited and even emotional debate on the Israeli-Palestinian situation throughout the afternoon, with Congressman Nick Rahall, D-West Virginia, leading the lawmakers in a protest against the pro-Israel resolution.
"I’m happy we had the debate, we need more debate on our Middle East policy — a lot of members had a lot to say about it on the floor today," Congressman Rahall told Arab News in a telephone interview following Thursday’s debate. "I know many here are personally angry in being forced to vote. They were not happy with the resolution because it was too one-sided. It was politically driven by domestic politics, and the November election. It’s all part of the political policy of bipartisan support (for Israel)," said Rahall.
Earlier on the Congressional floor Rahall told his colleagues: "Yes, Israel is our ally. But we need other allies in the region as well. What about the moderate Arab allies that want to help us, to whom we only cast further embarrassment today by the massage of this one-sided resolution?"
"I didn’t want to vote that way. I don’t want to vote against Sharon, or against Arafat. I want to vote for something," Congressman Amory Houghton, R-New York, told Arab News, adding he "felt he was being bulldozed" to vote for the pro-Israel resolution.
But Houghton stressed the vote was symbolic rather than substantial: "I don’t think this resolution will do any damage, your readers need to know that this is a political process."
Houghton said he unhappy with the timing of the vote: "I don’t want to be forced to be partial, I want to be impartial. It’s the awkwardness of the timing, the vote looks so lop-sided. Our role here is try to create a peaceful atmosphere."
Dozens of House members said the United States must preserve its neutrality as a honest broker in the region; many protested the vote being pushed through without debate; while others voiced their concern for the plight of the Palestinians.
Congressman Jim Moran, D-Virginia, called the resolution "unbalanced and… counterproductive," adding "this country supports UN Resolution 242 and Israel’s unwillingness to comply is a contributing factor to the cycle of despair…"
In all, 21 members of Congress voted "no" for the resolution, while 29 members voted "present". The House approved the resolution 352-21. In the Senate, only two senators dared vote "no" and both were Democrats. The declaration passed 94-2.
