IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 34 

Recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Gaza, reaffirming the United States strong support for Israel, and supporting the 

Israeli-Palestinian peace process. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 8, 2009 

Ms. PELOSI (for herself, Mr. BOEHNER, Mr. HOYER, Mr. CANTOR, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. PENCE, Mr. LARSON of Connecticut, Mr. MCCARTHY of California, Mr. BERMAN, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. ACKERMAN, and Mr. 

BURTON of Indiana) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Recognizing Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks 

from Gaza, reaffirming the United States strong support 

for Israel, and supporting the Israeli-Palestinian peace 

process. 

Whereas Hamas was founded with the stated goal of destroying the State of Israel; 

Whereas Hamas has been designated by the United States as 

a Foreign Terrorist Organization; 

Whereas Hamas has refused to comply with the Quartet’s 

(the United States, the European Union, Russia, and the 

United Nations) requirements that Hamas recognize 

Israel’s right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to acVerDate Nov 24 2008 02:07 Jan 09, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR34.IH HR34

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•HRES 34 IH 

cept previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians; 

Whereas in June 2006, Hamas illegally crossed into Israel, 

attacked Israeli forces, and kidnaped Corporal Gilad 

Shalit, whom they continue to hold today; 

Whereas Hamas has launched thousands of rockets and mortars against Israeli population centers since 2001, and 

has launched more than 6,000 such rockets and mortars 

since Israel withdrew its civilian population and its military from Gaza in 2005; 

Whereas Hamas has increased the range and payload of its 

rockets, reportedly with support from Iran and others, 

putting hundreds of thousands of Israelis in danger of 

rocket attacks from Gaza; 

Whereas Hamas locates elements of its terrorist infrastructure in civilian population centers, thus using innocent civilians as human shields; 

Whereas Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement on December 27, 2008, that ‘‘We strongly condemn 

the repeated rocket and mortar attacks against Israel 

and hold Hamas responsible for breaking the cease-fire 

and for the renewal of violence there’’; 

Whereas on December 27, 2008, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud 

Olmert said, ‘‘For approximately seven years, hundreds 

of thousands of Israeli citizens in the south have been 

suffering from missiles being fired at them. . . . In such 

a situation we had no alternative but to respond. We do 

not rejoice in battle but neither will we be deterred from 

it. . . . The operation in the Gaza Strip is designed, first 

and foremost, to bring about an improvement in the security reality for the residents of the south of the country’’; 


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•HRES 34 IH 

Whereas the humanitarian situation in Gaza, including shortages of food, water, electricity, and adequate medical 

care, is becoming more acute; 

Whereas Israel has facilitated humanitarian aid to Gaza with 

hundreds of trucks carrying humanitarian assistance and 

numerous ambulances entering the Gaza Strip since the 

current round of fighting began on December 27, 2008; 

Whereas on January 6, 2009, before the United Nations Security Council, Secretary Rice stated that: ‘‘The situation 

before the current events in Gaza was clearly not sustainable. Hundreds of thousands of Israelis lived under the 

daily threat of rocket attack, and frankly, no country, 

none of our countries, would have been willing to tolerate 

such a circumstance. Moreover, the people of Gaza 

watched as insecurity and lawlessness increased and as 

their living conditions grew more dire because of Hamas’s 

actions which began with the illegal coup against the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. . . . A ceasefire that returns 

to those circumstances is unacceptable and it will not 

last’’; and 

Whereas the ultimate goal of the United States is a sustainable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that will 

ensure the welfare, security, and survival of the State of 

Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders, and a viable, independent, and democratic Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with 

the State of Israel: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) expresses vigorous support and unwavering 

3 commitment to the welfare, security, and survival of 

4 the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state 


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1 with secure borders, and recognizes its right to act 

2 in self-defense to protect its citizens against 

3 Hamas’s unceasing aggression, as enshrined in the 

4 United Nations Charter; 

5 (2) reiterates that Hamas must end the rocket 

6 and mortar attacks against Israel, recognize Israel’s 

7 right to exist, renounce violence, agree to accept pre8 vious agreements between Israel and the Palestin9 ians, and verifiably dismantle its terrorist infrastruc10 ture; 

11 (3) encourages the Administration to work ac12 tively to support a durable and sustainable cease-fire 

13 in Gaza , as soon as possible, that prevents Hamas 

14 from retaining or rebuilding its terrorist infrastruc15 ture, including the capability to launch rockets and 

16 mortars against Israel, and thereby allowing for the 

17 long-term improvement of daily living conditions for 

18 the people of Gaza; 

19 (4) believes strongly that the lives of innocent 

20 civilians must be protected to the maximum extent 

21 possible, expresses condolences to innocent Pales22 tinian and Israeli victims and their families, and re23 iterates that humanitarian needs in Gaza should be 

24 addressed promptly and responsibly; 

25 (5) calls on all nations— 


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1 (A) to condemn Hamas for deliberately 

2 embedding its fighters, leaders, and weapons in 

3 private homes, schools, mosques, hospitals, and 

4 otherwise using Palestinian civilians as human 

5 shields, while simultaneously targeting Israeli 

6 civilians; and 

7 (B) to lay blame both for the breaking of 

8 the ‘‘calm’’ and for subsequent civilian casual9 ties in Gaza precisely where blame belongs, that 

10 is, on Hamas; 

11 (6) supports and encourages efforts to diminish 

12 the appeal and influence of extremists in the Pales13 tinian territories, and strengthen moderate Palestin14 ians who are committed to a secure and lasting 

15 peace with Israel; 

16 (7) calls on Egypt to intensify its efforts to halt 

17 smuggling between Gaza and Egypt and affirms the 

18 willingness of the United States to continue to assist 

19 Egypt in these efforts; 

20 (8) calls for the immediate release of the kid21 naped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who has been ille22 gally held in Gaza since June 2006; and 

23 (9) reiterates its strong support for a just and 

24 sustainable resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian con25 flict achieved through negotiations between Israel 


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1 and the Palestinian Authority in order to ensure the 

2 welfare, security, and survival of the State of Israel 

3 as a Jewish and democratic state with secure bor4 ders, and a viable, independent, and democratic Pal5 estinian state living side by side in peace and secu6 rity with the State of Israel. 

Æ 


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