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[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 923 Introduced in House (IH)]

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 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;
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;
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;
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;
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
    Resolved,  That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns, in the strongest terms, Hezbollah's 
        despicable and shameful attacks against the State of Israel, 
        and demands that Hezbollah renounce the attacks;
            (2) calls on the United Nations Security Council and all 
        civilized nations to condemn and reject any policies aimed at 
        destroying Israel;
            (3) further calls on the United Nations Security Council 
        and all civilized nations to consider measures to deny 
        Hezbollah and any nations or organization the means to carry 
        out its threats against Israel; and
            (4) reaffirms the unwavering alliance between the United 
        States and Israel and reasserts the commitment of the United 
        States to defend the right of Israel to exist as a free and 
        democratic state.
                                 <all>
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