Another Marshall Plan needed for the Palestinians, Hyde says

This story, republished from our archives, first ran Aug. 27, 2002.

U.S. Congressman Henry Hyde this week reiterated his belief that economic development in Palestine is the key to achieving a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

"Right now, the Palestinian people are without hope," the Wood Dale Republican said Sunday during an appearance at Congregation Etz Chaim in Lombard. "All they do is throw stones, shoot guns, if they can get them, or find more people who will kill themselves for a hopeless cause."

Hyde, who is chairman of the House International Relations Committee, has spent the last several months calling for nations throughout the world, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, to invest in Palestine's private sector and help create new jobs.

The concept is similar to the Marshall Plan, the U.S. initiative that brought economic recovery to Europe after World War II.

Hyde said that if young Palestinians have jobs, they will be encouraged to stop the violence.

"The Palestinians can have a future," he said. "They can have an education for their children, employment, factories, jobs - a future."

Hyde also said that the creation of a Palestinian state is a vital part of the peace process.

"It's part of the solution," he said. "If they (the Palestinians) really want it, they are going to be willing to do something for it - and that's stop the violence."

The veteran congressman's comments on Sunday drew praise from some audience members for not pandering to the mostly Jewish crowd.

"I saw him as sensible, even humanitarian, when he talked about the Marshall Plan," said Sheldon Isenberg of Naperville. "I expected to hear more platitudes."

Naperville resident Howard Yokelson said he was impressed with Hyde's responses to questions. "I thought he was informed and candid with what he said," Yokelson said.

Hyde's appearance in Lombard was organized by West Suburban Friends of Israel, a newly formed not-for-profit group dedicated to providing information about events in the Middle East.

Hyde, 78, received a round of applause when said that he believed U.S. support for Israel is stronger now than it's ever been.

"There is a sense of uncertainty and vulnerability," said Rabbi Steven Bob of Etz Chaim. "So that strong expression of his own personal support for Israel and of strength of Congress for Israel is a pick-me-up for our community."

With Congress expected to reconvene after Labor Day, Hyde said it's time to debate in earnest whether the United States should go to war with Iraq.

Hyde said that he believes the Bush administration does have strong evidence that Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction. But he's not sure the information can be shared publicly without compromising where or how it was gathered.

Not being able to see the evidence makes it more difficult to determine whether a pre-emptive strike is warranted, Hyde said.

"It's our job to find out what Saddam Hussein has and what his intentions will be," Hyde said. "Would he attack? Would he use what he has? A lot depends on the caliber of the intelligence we have, and what we can talk about and what we can't."

Nevertheless, all lingering questions about Iraq should be thoroughly debated by the Congress.

"This is not a time for politics," Hyde said. "This is not a time for trying to try to take advantage. It's a time for a thorough, informed debate."