WASHINGTON — Twenty-eight Congress members this week urged President Clinton to press Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat into handing over suspects in the terrorist killings of 11 Americans.
Reps. Jim Saxton (R-N.J.) and Steve Rothman (D-N.J.) sent the letter with colleagues’ signatures to Clinton before his planned meeting with Arafat on Thursday when both attend this year’s National Prayer Breakfast at a Washington hotel.
Arafat arrived in Washington on Tuesday night for a three-day visit. His itinerary was to include meeting with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and a meeting with Leah Rabin.
According to the State Department, Albright discussed the issue with Arafat, but no details were released.
The legislators’ appeal urged Clinton “to insist that Arafat recapture and surrender these terrorists for prosecution in the U.S.” It calls on Clinton “to act” on his recent State of the Union pledge to defend the United States’ security against terrorism.
The letter cites the 60 suspected terrorists Arafat released last week, among whom are reportedly five Palestinians accused of participating in terrorism that killed 11 Americans.
Those released allegedly include:
*Jihad Suwiti and Arafat Kawasmeh, who allegedly assisted the mastermind behind the 1996 attack on bus No. 18 in Jerusalem in which three American citizens were among the 60 killed.
*Hassam Alimani and Talal Baz, who allegedly assisted the masterminds behind the July 30, 1997 bombing in Jerusalem in which an American was among the 15 killed.
*Bashir Daher, who allegedly assisted in both the July 30 bombing and in another Jerusalem attack on Sept. 4, 1997, in which one of the five people killed was a 14-year-old American girl.
The prisoner issue came to the fore early this week when the State Department rejected Israeli charges about the five prisoners.
The allegations “are simply not proven by any evidence,” said State Department spokesman James Rubin said early this week. But other top U.S. officials still believe that suspected terrorists are among the dozens of prisoners recently released.