 Murkowski Joins Bipartisan Group of Senators & Major Jewish Organizations In Call For U.S. Energy Security April 09, 2002
Noting recent reports that Saddam Hussein has increased his payments to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers to $25,000, Murkowski said some of that blood money is part of the proceeds from oil Iraq sells to America. "Each time an American goes to the gas pump, he or she is indirectly funding the suicide bombings we see in Israel," Murkowski said. "We import oil from Iraq at the same time our president labels that nation part of the 'Axis of Evil.' We can't have it both ways, folks," Murkowski said. Murkowski has filed an amendment to the energy bill now before the Senate which would forbid importation of Iraqi oil until Saddam Hussein permits international inspectors back into his country. Murkowski said he hopes to make changes to his amendment so that Iraqi oil imports are prohibited until Saddam Hussein no longer makes payments to the families of suicide bombers. "With each passing hour the Mideast tension grows, the situation is more unstable, and it will have a real effect on our future. I hope that these troubling developments of the last few weeks aren't lost on all our colleagues who would choose to keep us dependent on foreign oil," said Murkowski. Senator Ted Stevens joined in thanking members of the Jewish community for their support in opening ANWR to oil exploration and reiterated his opposition to a filibuster on the issue. "We now face a filibuster because the majority does not believe that oil is related to national security," Stevens said. "At the time of the oil pipeline vote, Senator Mansfield was the leader and he opposed our amendment. Senator Jackson was the Chairman of the Committee involved and he opposed our amendment, but neither one of them would sanction a filibuster on the issue because it was a matter of national security," Stevens said. "This goes back to the days when Dwight Eisenhower, General Eisenhower, at the time, urged the oil workers to stay on the job because oil is ammunition as far as our tanks, our planes, our military is concerned," Stevens added. "I really want to thank members of the Jewish community for assisting us." Joining Murkowski and Stevens were Republican Senators Kay Bailey Hutchison and Larry Craig and Democrat Mary Landrieu. Also attending were: Shoshanna Bryen, Director of Special Projects, Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs; Chuck Brooks, Washington Representative, American Jewish Congress; Richard Heideman, President, B'nai B'rith International; Nathan Diament, Washington Representative, Union of Orthodox Jewish Organizations of America; Abba Cohen, Director and Counsel, AGUDATH ISRAEL; and Sarah Stern, Washington Representative, Zionist Organization of America.
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