Mr. President, the recent massacre of Moslems praying in a mosque in the West Bank city of Hebron was a despicable act. I condemn it in the strongest terms, and I am dismayed that there are people in the world who have condoned this heinous crime. I take the floor today to note the prompt and decisive actions taken by the Government of Israel to heal the wounds caused by the Hebron massacre. Prime Minister Rabin visited Hebron to express his sorrow. He denounced the butchery, calling it a "shame on Zionism and an embarrassment to Judaism." He established a commission to investigate the killings. He released hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. He imposed a new restrictions on Israeli settlers. These gestures of goodwill are the acts of a statesman, and demonstrate clearly that Prime Minister Rabin is committed to keeping the peace process on track. Thus far, Prime Minister Rabin's efforts have received only lukewarm response from the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Seizing the political moment, the PLO leadership seeks greater concessions from Israel. It is not my purpose in speaking today to discuss the terms of the Middle East peace process. That is the business of those who live in the region. But I believe that Israel's actions should not go unnoticed. Israel -- both the government and her people -- has taken steps to express its collective contrition for the crime committed by one deranged Israeli. Mr. President, on March 1, a column in the New York Times by A.M. Rosenthal addressed itself to this subject. I agree with the sentiments expressed by Mr. Rosenthal, and I commend it to my colleagues. The article follows: