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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 872 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 872

     Reaffirming the need for transatlantic cooperation to combat 
                        antisemitism in Europe.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           November 15, 2023

 Mr. Keating (for himself and Mr. Fitzpatrick) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
     Reaffirming the need for transatlantic cooperation to combat 
                        antisemitism in Europe.

Whereas antisemitism is a persistent scourge that must be confronted early and 
        aggressively whenever and wherever it emerges;
Whereas antisemitism in Europe is widespread according to many surveys and 
        studies, including those conducted by the European Union Agency for 
        Fundamental Rights, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and media outlets;
Whereas, on October 7, 2023, Hamas carried out barbaric terrorist attacks 
        against the people and State of Israel resulting in over 1,200 Israeli 
        deaths as well as the deaths of at least 30 Americans and the taking of 
        over 200 people as hostages;
Whereas the United States, European, and global leaders have condemned the 
        October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks which represent the worst single-day 
        massacre of Jews since the Holocaust;
Whereas in a showing of transatlantic solidarity for Israel, President Biden, 
        French President Macron, German Chancellor Scholz, Italian Prime 
        Minister Meloni, and UK Prime Minister Sunak released a joint statement 
        expressing their ``steadfast and united support to the State of 
        Israel,'' and their ``unequivocal condemnation of Hamas and its 
        appalling acts of terrorism'';
Whereas in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Israel, antisemitic 
        incidents have been recorded across Europe, including in England, 
        Scotland, Spain, Portugal, France, Germany, Switzerland, the 
        Netherlands, and Turkey with the French Ministry of Interior recording 
        327 antisemitic incidents since October 7, and the CST, the UK's Jewish 
        community's security organization recording an increase of 581 percent 
        of antisemitic incidents;
Whereas in response to the increase in antisemitic incidents, United States and 
        European leaders have recognized the threat posed against the Jewish 
        community and have implemented measures to provide support;
Whereas, in September 2023 remarks at the 54th Session of the UN Human Rights 
        Council, United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism 
        Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt noted, ``Around the globe we have witnessed 
        mass shootings at synagogues, violent attacks on Jewish people in the 
        streets and Jewish cemeteries desecrated. These antisemitic incidents 
        seek to divide us from one another, erode trust in government and 
        nongovernmental institutions, and undermine democracies'';
Whereas in testimony to the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe in 
        December 2022, Rabbi Andrew Baker, Director of International Jewish 
        Affairs at the American Jewish Committee, urged European governments to 
        better tackle antisemitism and emphasized the importance of accurate 
        data collection, securing Jewish community buildings, and expanding 
        Holocaust education in Europe;
Whereas ADL's 2023 Global 100: An Index of Antisemitism, found that some of the 
        most stubborn anti-Jewish tropes remain deeply entrenched in 10 European 
        countries, with roughly one in four people harboring extensive classic 
        antisemitic beliefs. The report found perpetually high antisemitic 
        attitudes across Europe including among 37 percent of individuals 
        surveyed in Hungary, 35 percent in Poland, 29 percent in Ukraine, 26 
        percent in Russia, 26 percent in Spain, 22 percent in Belgium, 15 
        percent in France, 12 percent in Germany, 10 percent in the UK, and 6 
        percent in the Netherlands;
Whereas ADL also found that while Holocaust awareness is virtually universal 
        across Europe, Holocaust denial and distortion remain high;
Whereas in Hungary and Ukraine, 19 percent believe the Holocaust is a myth and 
        did not happen, or say the numbers of Jews who died were ``greatly 
        exaggerated'';
Whereas elsewhere in Europe, survey data found that 17 percent of Russians, 15 
        percent of Poles, 5 percent of Germans, and 4 percent of Dutch 
        respondents denied the Holocaust occurred;
Whereas Tel Aviv University's Antisemitism Worldwide Report for 2022 found a 
        persistently high number of antisemitic incidents across Europe, 
        including 1,652 incidents in the UK, 436 incidents in France, 241 
        incidents in Italy, 45 incidents in Hungary, 23 incidents in Spain, 14 
        incidents in Sweden, and nine incidents in Bulgaria;
Whereas Tel Aviv University also found that the COVID-19 pandemic sparked an 18-
        percent rise in antisemitic hate speech, especially online;
Whereas the World Jewish Congress has also warned about the proliferation of 
        conspiracy theories blaming Jews for creating or spreading the virus;
Whereas surveys by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and the 
        European Commission found that while almost 90 percent of Jewish 
        respondents in Europe believe antisemitism is increasing, only 36 
        percent of the European general public think that it is increasing;
Whereas the European Union has stepped up its efforts to combat antisemitism, 
        but significant work remains;
Whereas the European Commission appointed a Coordinator on combating 
        antisemitism and fostering Jewish life in 2015, established a Working 
        Group on combating antisemitism in 2018, and adopted the first ever 
        European Union strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish 
        life in 2021, which found that ``contemporary antisemitism can be found 
        in radical and fringe groups espousing right-wing, left-wing or Islamist 
        extremism, it can hide behind anti-Zionism, but it can also be found in 
        the centre of society'';
Whereas the United States and European allies have worked closely in the 
        Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to secure 
        adoption of the 2014 Declaration on Enhancing Efforts to Combat Anti-
        Semitism, and to produce practical guides on addressing the security 
        needs of Jewish communities and countering antisemitism through 
        education;
Whereas the United States, the European Commission, and many EU Member States 
        have embraced the nonlegally binding working definition of antisemitism 
        inclusive of its examples adopted in 2016 by the member states of the 
        International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), as a valuable tool 
        to help understand and enhance efforts to counter antisemitism;
Whereas, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, European 
        Union countries collect different types of data on antisemitism and use 
        different methodologies, which prevents direct comparison between 
        countries;
Whereas some European countries do not collect any official data at all;
Whereas, in January 2021, the Congressionally established Special Envoy to 
        Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, within the United States Department of 
        State, was elevated to hold the rank of ambassador, a signal of strong 
        commitment of the United States Government in combating antisemitism;
Whereas, in May 2023, the Biden administration released the first-ever United 
        States National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism declaring that 
        ``protecting the Jewish community from antisemitism is essential to our 
        broader fight against all forms of hate, bigotry, and bias--and to our 
        broader vision of a thriving, inclusive, and diverse democracy'';
Whereas it is clear that antisemitism and violent extremists abroad provide 
        material, ideological, or financial support for antisemitic movements in 
        the United States;
Whereas hate has no borders, and antisemitic conspiracy theories and harassment 
        continue to spread and promulgate online, a serious concern around the 
        world;
Whereas while antisemitism often appears in subtle ways, such as insensitive 
        remarks that are brushed off, or negative stereotypes that go 
        unchallenged, these incidents have the possibility to escalate to 
        violence or genocide if they are left unchecked; and
Whereas antisemitism threatens not only the Jewish community, but the human 
        rights of all persons, and poses serious risks to communities across the 
        transatlantic alliance and the world: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns antisemitism in the United States and around 
        the world and reaffirms the commitment of the United States to 
        combat antisemitism in all its forms;
            (2) condemns Hamas and its acts of terrorism targeted 
        against the Jewish people and the State of Israel as well as 
        recognizes the need for increased vigilance due to the 
        subsequent threat of further antisemitic attacks in the United 
        States and Europe;
            (3) reaffirms the strong transatlantic alliance between the 
        United States and Europe and recognizes the need to work 
        together to take concrete steps to fight global antisemitism in 
        the world and online;
            (4) supports the full implementation of the United States 
        National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism;
            (5) recognizes the importance of the Office of the Special 
        Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism as well as the Office 
        of the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues in combating 
        antisemitism;
            (6) calls on all European governments and the European 
        Union to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and 
        security of Jewish communities in Europe;
            (7) recognizes that the European Commission has taken bold 
        action to address antisemitism by adopting the first ever 
        European Union strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering 
        Jewish life in 2021;
            (8) urges all European Union member states to develop their 
        own national strategies or action plans against antisemitism, 
        with a focus on stopping both ``real-world'' and online 
        harassment and abuse;
            (9) encourages European leaders to fully implement their 
        respective strategies on combating antisemitism, standardize 
        their data collection of antisemitic incidents, and share best 
        practices in combating antisemitism;
            (10) calls on European governments to ensure that school 
        curricula include the Holocaust and modern-day antisemitism, 
        and that law enforcement education includes hate crime 
        prevention and response training; and
            (11) encourages the United States Special Envoy to Monitor 
        and Combat Antisemitism and the United States Special Envoy for 
        Holocaust issues to focus on addressing persistent antisemitism 
        and Holocaust distortion and denial in Europe.
                                 <all>
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