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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 599 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 599

 Urging the European Union to designate Hizballah in its entirety as a 
                        terrorist organization.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 18, 2023

Mr. Schneider (for himself, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. Torres of New York, Mr. 
   Panetta, Mr. Sherman, Ms. Salazar, Mr. Moskowitz, Mr. Pappas, Mr. 
   Fitzpatrick, Ms. Stevens, Ms. Manning, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr. 
 Auchincloss, Ms. Titus, Mr. Trone, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Costa, Mr. 
  Cohen, Mr. Gottheimer, Mr. Keating, Ms. Tenney, Mr. Wilson of South 
Carolina, Ms. Lois Frankel of Florida, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Ms. Lee 
 of Nevada, Mr. Lieu, Mr. Soto, Mr. Bacon, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, and 
  Ms. Garcia of Texas) submitted the following resolution; which was 
              referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Urging the European Union to designate Hizballah in its entirety as a 
                        terrorist organization.

Whereas, in April 1983, a Hizballah terror attack against the United States 
        Embassy in Beirut killed 63 people;
Whereas, in October 1983, a Hizballah terror attack against the United States 
        Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, killed 241 American and 58 French 
        servicemembers supporting the Multinational Force peacekeeping mission;
Whereas, in July 2012, a Hizballah terror attack, carried out by an operative 
        with dual Lebanese-French citizenship, in Burgas, Bulgaria, killed 5 
        Israeli tourists and 1 Bulgarian;
Whereas, in March 2013, a Swedish-Lebanese Hizballah operative in Cyprus was 
        convicted of planning terror attacks against Israeli tourists;
Whereas, in June 2015, a Hizballah operative was sentenced to 6 years in prison 
        after he stockpiled more than 8 tons of ammonium nitrate in Cyprus;
Whereas the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act of 2015 (Public Law 
        114-102) and the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Amendments 
        Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-272) broadened financial sector sanctions 
        against Hizballah to compel foreign financial institutions to refrain 
        from supporting the terrorist group;
Whereas, in May 2018, the Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on 
        Abdullah Safi-Al-Din, Hizballah's representative to Iran, Mohammad 
        Ibrahim Bazzi, a Hizballah financier, and blacklisted 5 of Bazzi's 
        companies, including Belgian energy services conglomerate Global Trading 
        Group NV;
Whereas, in October 2018, French police raided the Islamic Zahra Centre on 
        suspicion of supporting Hizballah, freezing the organization's funds, 
        and seizing illegal weapons;
Whereas, in September 2020, 4 former leaders of the Zahra Centre France were 
        arrested on suspicion of continuing to run that association and 
        supporting Hizballah;
Whereas, in July 2019, the Department of the Treasury designated 2 Hizballah-
        backed members of Lebanese Parliament, Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan 
        Ra'd, and Hizballah security official Wafiq Safa, stating that Hizballah 
        uses its operatives in parliament to advance its violent activities;
Whereas, as of April 2021, Germany believed there to be 1,250 people with 
        suspected links to Hizballah in the country;
Whereas Europol's June 2022 European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 
        outlined that Hizballah ``has been using the EU as a base for 
        fundraising, recruitment, and criminal activities'', and the report also 
        stated that Hizballah ``is suspected of managing the transportation and 
        distribution of illegal drugs into the EU, dealing with firearms 
        trafficking and running professional money laundering operations that 
        include the provision of money laundering services for other criminal 
        organizations'';
Whereas United States-led Project Cassandra and Operation Cedar exposed the 
        criminal-business wing of Hizballah, the Business Affairs Component 
        (BAC) of Hezbollah's External Security Organization;
Whereas, during Project Cassandra, Hizballah elements involved in drug 
        trafficking were arrested in the United States, South America, and 
        several European countries, including France, Belgium, Germany, and 
        Italy;
Whereas Hizballah's criminal activity in Europe is run by the BAC, which reports 
        to the External Security Organisation, also known as Unit 910, or the 
        Islamic Jihad Organization, and Abdallah Safieddine, Hizballah's 
        representative in Iran, is also involved in this activity;
Whereas, in August 2020, United Nations Secretary General Guterres called on 
        Lebanon to disarm Hizballah, citing the terror group's persistent 
        violation of Resolution 1701 (2006);
Whereas Iran is the prime sponsor of Hizballah, harboring, financing, training, 
        and arming the group;
Whereas the Department of the Treasury and Department of State estimate that 
        Iran provides as much as $700,000,000 per year to Hizballah in the form 
        of financial and logistical support, weapons, and training;
Whereas Hizballah now has an arsenal of approximately 150,000 missiles and 
        rockets, with increased sophistication and many of which can reach deep 
        into Israel;
Whereas Hizballah fighters have been supporting the Assad regime in Syria, often 
        leading operations in the conflict which has left more than 500,000 
        dead;
Whereas Hizballah trains and provides weapons for militias in Iraq and Yemen, 
        further destabilizing the region and perpetuating violence in those 
        countries;
Whereas Hizballah activities continue to plague Lebanon with profound economic 
        and political instability and violence;
Whereas Hizballah's cross border illicit arms and drugs trafficking undermines 
        the Lebanese Armed Forces, the legitimate security establishment of the 
        country as outlined in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 
        (2006);
Whereas, in October 2012, Hizballah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem stated 
        that ``[Hizballah does not] have a military wing and a political one . . 
        . Every element of Hizballah, from commanders to members as well as our 
        various capabilities, are in the service of the resistance'';
Whereas the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, 
        Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Serbia, and Kosovo, among others, 
        have declared Hizballah in its entirety as a terror organization;
Whereas, in March 2016, the Gulf Cooperation Council formally branded Hizballah, 
        in its entirety, a terrorist organization, and the League of Arab States 
        shortly thereafter adopted the same designation;
Whereas the Department of the Treasury has diligently added persons and entities 
        to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists who have provided 
        material support to the Hizballah terrorist organization, thereby 
        hampering its financing and logistical capabilities;
Whereas the European Union, in July 2013, designated Hizballah's so-called 
        ``military wing'', but not the organization as a whole, as a terrorist 
        organization;
Whereas, despite restrictions put on Hizballah since the designation of its 
        military wing, the group continues to conduct illicit narcotrafficking, 
        money laundering, and weapons trafficking throughout Europe and the 
        world; and
Whereas the House of Representatives has previously called on the European Union 
        to fully designate Hizballah as a terrorist organization, passing House 
        Resolution 359 in October 2017 and House Resolution 558 on September 20, 
        2022: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) applauds and expresses support for the continued, 
        increased cooperation between the United States and the 
        European Union (EU) in thwarting Hizballah's criminal and 
        terrorist activities;
            (2) supports transcontinental efforts within Europe to 
        share intelligence information among police and security 
        services to facilitate greater cooperation in tracking, 
        apprehending, and prosecuting terrorists, foreign fighters, and 
        potential offenders;
            (3) encourages the European Union to implement sanctions 
        against Hizballah-affiliated terrorists in tandem with the 
        United States;
            (4) recommends greater civil society engagement in both the 
        United States and Europe to underscore Hizballah's malign 
        regional influence; and
            (5) urges the European Union to designate Hizballah in its 
        entirety as a terrorist organization and increase pressure on 
        the group, including through--
                    (A) facilitating better cross-border cooperation 
                between European Union members in combating Hizballah;
                    (B) issuing arrest warrants against members and 
                active supporters of Hizballah;
                    (C) freezing Hizballah's assets in Europe, 
                including those masquerading as charities; and
                    (D) prohibiting fundraising activities in support 
                of Hizballah.
                                 <all>
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