Israel complied with that request. only to be faced with a further delay last month that provoked the current controversy. As we all know. the Israeli settlements in the disputed territories continue to be a contentious issue. both in Israel and in the United States. And yet. of the 350.000 immigrants who have arrived in Israel. only 3.0001.2 percenthave settled in the West Bank and Golan Heights. Another 5.8003.6 percentchose to live in East Jerusalem. In all. 95 percent of the immigrants to Israel have settled within Israels pre1967 borders. In effect. the delay is penalizing 340.000 other settlers because of a controversy involving 8.800. The United States is not being asked to provide any direct funds to assist these immigrants. Israels request involves loan guarantees by the United States. not direct loans or direct foreign aid. All we are being asked to do Is put the stamp of approval of the United States Government behind Israels borrowing. That action will enable Israel to borrow funds at a somewhat lower interest rate. in order to help as many immigrants as possible. The strong bipartisan support for this legislation is a tribute to the fact that the American people understand Americas own responsibility to these immigrants. While I regret that the Congress will not address these urgent needs until early next year. I look forward to working to ensure that we meet this responsibility.
Keywords matched
immigrants