Mr. Speaker, today the House of Representatives voted to commend the Palestinians for holding free elections on January 9, 2005. We should congratulate the countless Palestinians who participated nonviolently in the historic event.

However, we must also hold the newly elected President and the entire Palestinian Authority accountable for publicly rebuking and bringing an end to terror and incitement. Until violence has ended, the U.S. should withhold its funding. U.S. taxpayers should know that their money is being spent fighting terror, not supporting it.

During the last 4 years, the Palestinian Authority failed to halt more than 22,000 attacks that killed over 1,030 Israelis. Yet, at the same time the United States gave more than $612 million in aid to the West Bank and Gaza. That's more U.S. aid to the Palestinians than in the previous 25 years combined.

Sadly, the recent elections have not produced a true disarming of the terrorists. In the 1 week following Abbas' election, terror attacks left 8 Israelis dead and prompted Israel's Prime Minister to express his outrage at the new Palestinian leadership for ``not lifting a finger'' to stop violent attacks. Just yesterday, the Jewish residents of Gush Katif were terrorized by mortar fire and a 50 kilogram explosive device was uncovered by the Israeli army at a border crossing in the Gaza Strip.

For many, the continuing violence is no surprise given Abbas' election campaign, in which he not only referred to Israel as ``the Zionist enemy,'' but said he would protect Palestinian terror groups that use rockets and other means to attack innocent Israelis. Yesterday, Israeli intelligence chief Aharon Ze'evi confirmed that ``the preparations for terror acts continue'' among senior Hezbollah and Hamas leaders. And last week, Hamas won 77 council seats in a landslide victory in Gaza municipal elections. The terror group now controls 7 out of the 10 councils in which elections were held. In the wake of the elections, Israeli minister Natan Sharansky has unveiled a report documenting Palestinian incitement ``of virulent hatred of Jews and Israel that mandates the killing of Jews as a religious obligation.''

These recent events deserve condemnation. While the election of a Palestinian Prime Minister may be a rare experience, the historic event worth celebrating will be a true end to Palestinian terror. Since Arafat was appointed chairman of the PLO in February 1969, more than 36 years of Palestinian terror have plagued Israelis and Palestinians alike. Violence has been the one constant, and the United States should wait until Palestinian terror ends before commending or funding an apparatus of terror.