(Washington, DC) - Legislation sponsored by U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Queens/L.I.) that requires the State Department to step up efforts to apprehend the Palestinian terrorists who killed three American contractors in Gaza was today passed by the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The measure is now expected to be approved by the full House of Representatives next month. 

The legislation requires a highly detailed report from the State Department every six months on the precise nature of Palestinian efforts to bring to justice, the killers of the three American security contractors. The report requires specifics on the number of Palestinian man hours devoted to the case, the number of arrests and interrogations and the extent to which the Palestinian Authority’s leadership is personally involved in resolving the matter.

“This bill is the least we can do to make sure that these men did not die in vain and to make clear that American diplomats and embassy personnel are not marked as fair game for terrorists” said Ackerman, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia. “Secretary of State Rice has said that Palestinian President Abbas assured her that the killers of our citizens would be brought to justice. However, this was more than two years ago. Until this happens, the State Department needs to provide Congress with regular reports on what the Palestinian Authority is doing to fulfill that pledge.”

The three murdered Americans—John Branchizio, Mark Parson and John Marin Linde–were killed in October 2003 while they were providing security to U.S. diplomatic personnel who were visiting Gaza to identify potential Palestinian candidates for Fulbright Scholarships. 

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