IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 923 

Condemning the recent attacks against the State of Israel. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 18, 2006 

Mr. SHAW submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on International Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the recent attacks against the State of Israel. 

Whereas on July 12, 2006, the Lebanon-based terrorist 

group Hezbollah crossed the border and carried out assaults on northern Israel; 

Whereas this attack killed eight soldiers and took two others 

hostage; 

Whereas the kidnapping and killing of Israeli soldiers symbolizes a clear act of war by Hezbollah, which the Government of Lebanon has failed to take apart and has included into its cabinet; 

Whereas Hezbollah’s continued violence against Israel, regardless of Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000, is 

financed and supported by Syria and Iran; 

Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stated, 

‘‘Hezbollah’s actions undermine regional stability and go 


ccoleman on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
2 

•HRES 923 IH 

against the interests of both the Israeli and Lebanese 

people.’’; 

Whereas this latest attack by Hezbollah has forced Israel to 

launch operations to ensure the release of its kidnapped 

soldiers, damage Hezbollah’s rocket capabilities, and prevent further attacks against the State of Israel; 

Whereas the kidnapping and killing of Israeli soldiers by 

Hezbollah represents a clear act of war; 

Whereas Hezbollah’s killing of eight Israeli soldiers and the 

kidnapping of two others represents an unprovoked act of 

war against Israel; 

Whereas four of the eight soldiers killed on July 12, 2006, 

were patrolling the Lebanese border: Sergeant Nimrod 

Cohen, Sergeant-Major Eyal Benin, Sergeant-Major 

Shani Turgeman, and Sergeant-Major Wasim Nazel; 

Whereas in May 2000, Israel fully withdrew from southern 

Lebanon as a step toward peace in the Middle East; 

Whereas Israel was qualified by the United Nations Security 

Council as having met the requirements of United Nations Security Council Resolution 425 (1978), which 

called for an Israeli withdrawal and for Lebanon to assert control over the area vacated by Israel; 

Whereas Hezbollah has launched dozens of unprovoked attacks against the State of Israel since the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, including the firing of hundreds of 

rockets and mortars into residential areas; 

Whereas since the beginning of 2006, the Hezbollah has carried out at least four major attacks into Israel using 

rockets and ground forces in an attempt to kidnap 

Israelis; 


ccoleman on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
3 

•HRES 923 IH 

Whereas Hezbollah currently has 14,000 Iranian- and Syrian-supplied rockets which are competent of hitting 

Israeli cities and towns within the northern third of the 

country; 

Whereas these munitions are capable of inflicting significant 

destruction and are a major threat to the people of 

Israel; 

Whereas like the United States and other sovereign nations, 

Israel has the right and duty to defend itself from attacks, the killing and kidnapping of its soldiers, and the 

bombings in civilian areas; 

Whereas Israel’s complete withdrawal from southern Lebanon 

was carried out as an act of peace and goodwill; 

Whereas since the withdrawal, Hezbollah has carried out numerous unprovoked attacks against Israel, forcing them 

to take strong action to prevent additional attacks 

against its people; 

Whereas Israel’s military response is being carefully adjusted 

to successfully carry out any rescue attempt to obtain the 

kidnapped soldiers and to corrupt the rocket capabilities 

of Hezbollah; 

Whereas Hezbollah is subsidized by Syria and Iran and provides this terrorist organization with a projected 

$100,000,000 in funding per year; 

Whereas Hezbollah receives a large amount of weapons, such 

as Katyusha rockets, mortars, anti-tank missiles, mines, 

explosives and small arms; 

Whereas Hezbollah has killed more Americans than any other 

terrorist group with the exception of al-Qaeda; 


ccoleman on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
4 

•HRES 923 IH 

Whereas Hezbollah killed 257 Americans in the 1983 bombings of the United States Embassy and United States 

Marine barracks in Beirut and killed 19 American servicemen in the 1996 bombing of Khobar Towers, a United 

States military housing facility in Saudi Arabia; 

Whereas Hamas, a Palestinian terrorist group, which has 

also kidnapped an Israeli soldier in June 2006, praised 

Hezbollah’s attack, calling it a ‘‘heroic operation’’; 

Whereas many of the top leaders of Hamas have regularly 

advocated for the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers; 

Whereas Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud al-Zahar 

said in March 2006, that like Hezbollah, Hamas will 

hunt for Israeli soldiers and trade them for Palestinians 

who are held in Israeli jails; 

Whereas on January 25, 2006, the Palestinian Authority permitted Hamas to participate in its elections; 

Whereas Hamas won the majority of the parliamentary seats 

and now dominates the Palestinian people; 

Whereas Hamas has the ability to secure the release of 

Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit and to end the continuing 

rocket fire into Israel; 

Whereas the Palestinian Authority had the opportunity for 

political reform by promoting democracy, civil society, 

and good governance in the Middle East; however, 

Hamas will not change its views on Israel; 

Whereas on June 25, 2006, members of the Hamas military 

branch (Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades), the Popular 

Resistance Committees, assaulted Israeli forces in Israel, 

killing two Israeli soldiers, wounding four, and kidnapping one; 


ccoleman on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
5 

•HRES 923 IH 

Whereas the United States and Israel hold the Palestinian 

Authority and its Hamas-led government responsible for 

the attack and the outcome of the one kidnapped soldier; 

Whereas on June 27, 2006, after ineffective diplomatic efforts to secure the kidnapped soldier’s release, Israel 

forces began the process to rescue him, to prevent future 

Hamas attacks, including rocket launches from Gaza into 

southern Israel, and to weaken the Hamas-led government; 

Whereas Israeli officials state that Hamas had crossed a ‘‘red 

line’’ with the kidnapping; 

Whereas Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stressed that 

Israel had no intentions of returning to Gaza; 

Whereas Israeli forces destroyed most of Gaza’s electrical 

supply and bridges so kidnappers could not move their 

victim; 

Whereas on June 28, 2006, political leaders of Hamas reiterated the demands of the kidnappers; Israeli spokespeople 

replied by insisting on the release of the Israeli soldier; 

Whereas on June 28, 2006, Hamas’ Popular Resistance 

Committees announced that they had kidnapped a young 

West Bank settler and threatened to kill him if Israel did 

not stop the Gaza operation; his body was found the next 

day; 

Whereas Israeli forces arrested three alleged perpetrators of 

this attack from the Fatah movement on July 4, 2006, 

in Ramallah; 

Whereas a dangerous situation of escalating violence continues to spread out around Gaza and is now taking on 

a regional dimension; 


ccoleman on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
6 

•HRES 923 IH 

Whereas a series of Israeli-Palestinian disagreements over the 

last several weeks arose with the kidnapping of Israeli 

solder Gilad Shalit by Palestinian militants and the forceful Israeli military response that included destruction of 

civilian infrastructure; 

Whereas it is apparent that neither Israel nor the Palestinians are able to work together and the violence is only 

getting worse; 

Whereas if a diplomatic solution is to be found and hope for 

peace is to be reinstated, leadership from the United 

States is crucial; and 

Whereas even in the most difficult of times, the path toward 

cooperation, dialogue, and negotiations must be tirelessly 

pursued; a two-state solution with a secure Israel and a 

viable Palestinian state still remains the only way forward: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) condemns, in the strongest terms, 

3 Hezbollah’s despicable and shameful attacks against 

4 the State of Israel, and demands that Hezbollah re5 nounce the attacks; 

6 (2) calls on the United Nations Security Coun7 cil and all civilized nations to condemn and reject 

8 any policies aimed at destroying Israel; 

9 (3) further calls on the United Nations Security 

10 Council and all civilized nations to consider meas11 ures to deny Hezbollah and any nations or organizaVerDate Aug 31 2005 03:32 Jul 19, 2006 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR923.IH HR923

ccoleman on PROD1PC71 with BILLS
7 

•HRES 923 IH 

1 tion the means to carry out its threats against 

2 Israel; and 

3 (4) reaffirms the unwavering alliance between 

4 the United States and Israel and reasserts the com5 mitment of the United States to defend the right of 

6 Israel to exist as a free and democratic state. 

Æ 


ccoleman on PROD1PC71 with BILLS