Foreign Policy

Members of the House Thursday evening overwhelmingly approved a resolution that calls for a negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA). The resolution is meant to make the PA think twice about trying to unilaterally declare statehood at the United Nations, given its close association with Hamas, a group on the U.S. terrorist list that openly calls for the destruction of Israel.

The House voted 407-6 in favor of the resolution, H.Res. 268. Only three Republicans and three Democrats voted against it; 13 members voted "present."

The House on Thursday afternoon voted to spare Pakistan from proposals that would have cut off $2 billion in aid to that country.

The proposals were offered as amendments to the Department of Defense Appropriations Act by Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas). Poe, like other members, is highly critical of Pakistan's apparent lack of cooperation in helping the U.S. find terrorist Osama bin Laden.

House appropriators late Wednesday night issued a stern warning to Pakistan that they are considering cutting off funds to that country in light of the controversy over whether Pakistani officials fully cooperated with the U.S. in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

Speaking on the House floor, Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.), the third ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, warned that he would be studying the circumstances surrounding bin Laden's discovery in the heart of Pakistan, and could introduce language cutting off funds for Pakistan in the foreign operations spending bill.

The House on Wednesday evening debated a resolution that calls on the dispute between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to be settled only through bilateral negotiations between both parties.

The resolution, H.Res. 268, was brought up under a suspension of House rules, usually reserved for non-controversial bills. While it is expected to pass easily, a vote on the measure was postponed, likely until Thursday.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warned on Tuesday that Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi is "serious" about attacking European cities in order to pressure European officials to cease their airstrikes against Libya.

"He actually means it," Graham said of Gadhafi. "Hitler meant it. He means it."

Republicans in the House and Senate have introduced legislation requiring the Peace Corps to take several steps aimed at reducing the risk of sexual assault against its volunteers. These include new organization-wide guidelines on how to deal with sexual assault, and creating victims advocates and an advisory council.

The bill, offered by Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) and Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), was introduced after members of Congress had criticized the Peace Corps for downplaying and even covering up the overseas rape of its women volunteers.

House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Howard Berman (D-Calif.) and three other members on Thursday introduced legislation aimed at ensuring that no U.S. taxpayer money is used to fund Hezbollah, the militant Muslim group based in Lebanon.

The Hezbollah Anti-Terrorism Act is a reaction to this week's formation of a new Lebanese government that includes Hezbollah and is led by a prime minister chosen by the group. Howard said Hezbollah continues to use terrorist tactics and violence, and predicted the group would subvert Lebanon's democratic institutions.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has set a Thursday deadline for the administration to comply with the House's demands on Libya.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and other Republicans on Friday introduced legislation that would give the president the authority to deny U.S. entry to Chinese officials involved in human rights abuses in China. The bill was timed to coincide with the start of the violence against protestors in Tiananmen Square that began 22 years ago last Saturday.

"The human rights situation in China is abysmal," Smith said. "Today we see a level of flagrant violations of human rights not witnessed since the Tiananmen Square massacre that began on June 4, 1989.

The House Rules Committee on Thursday night approved a rule governing how House members on Friday will debate two resolutions related to Libya.

Under the rule, Republicans and Democrats will have one hour to debate a resolution introduced by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), which criticizes the Obama administration for failing to seek congressional authorization for continued operations in Libya.