I 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3131 

To direct the Secretary of State to submit a report on whether any support 

organization that participated in the planning or execution of the recent 

Gaza flotilla attempt should be designated as a foreign terrorist organization and any actions taken by the Department of State to express 

gratitude to the government of Greece for preventing the Gaza flotilla 

from setting sail in contravention of Israel’s legal blockade of Gaza, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 6, 2011 

Mr. BILIRAKIS (for himself, Mr. ENGEL, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mrs. MALONEY, 

Mr. SARBANES, Ms. BERKLEY, Mr. CARTER, Mr. FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. 

YOUNG of Florida, Mr. GRIMM, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. ROTHMAN of New 

Jersey, Mr. ROSKAM, and Mr. SIRES) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the 

Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined 

by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 

within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of State to submit a report on 

whether any support organization that participated in 

the planning or execution of the recent Gaza flotilla 

attempt should be designated as a foreign terrorist organization and any actions taken by the Department of 

State to express gratitude to the government of Greece 

for preventing the Gaza flotilla from setting sail in contravention of Israel’s legal blockade of Gaza, and for 

other purposes. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) Since 1948, the United States, Greece, and 

6 the international community at large have recog7 nized Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself and 

8 conduct legitimate self-defense. 

9 (2) Since 2001, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic 

10 Jihad and the other Palestinian terrorist organiza11 tions operating in the Gaza Strip and supported by 

12 Iran and Syria have launched over 10,000 rockets 

13 into Israeli civilian populations and across Israeli 

14 territory. 

15 (3) Since the beginning of 2010, Israel has pro16 vided over 100,000 tons of aid to the people living 

17 in Gaza. 

18 (4) Israel’s blockade is acknowledged by the 

19 United States as necessary and legal given Hamas’ 

20 control of Gaza, intention to secure greater weap21 onry for aggressive purposes and open desire to de22 stroy Israel. 

23 (5) According to sources, the United Nations24 commissioned Palmer Report which was released on 

25 July 7, 2011, concludes that the Israeli naval blockVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:37 Oct 11, 2011 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3131.IH H3131

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1 ade on Gaza is legal and is in accordance with inter2 national law. 

3 (6) The Israeli Government has repeatedly indi4 cated that any desire to provide humanitarian mate5 riel to Gaza can be done through the port of Ashdod 

6 then delivered to Gaza by land. 

7 (7) Recent past history has suggested that the 

8 sole intent of the flotillas is to provoke an Israeli 

9 military response in the international waters of the 

10 eastern Mediterranean Sea. 

11 (8) The Central Intelligence Agency and the 

12 Department of the Treasury have determined that 

13 flotilla organizers Free Gaza and the Insan Hak ve 

14 Hurriyetleri ve Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH), an Is15 lamic nongovernmental organization (known in 

16 English as the Foundation for Human Rights and 

17 Freedoms and Humanitarian Relief), have known 

18 terrorist ties. 

19 (9) In 2010, IHH organized a flotilla that in20 cluded the ship Mavi Marmara carrying 40 IHH 

21 members, including Fatima Mahmadi, Ken O’Keefe, 

22 Hassan Iynasi, Hussein Urosh, Ahmad Umimon, 

23 and others with known links to Al Qaeda, Hamas, 

24 and other terrorist organizations who were armed 

25 with 100 metal rods, 200 knives, 150 military selfVerDate Mar 15 2010 22:37 Oct 11, 2011 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3131.IH H3131

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1 defense vests, 50 wooden clubs, gas masks, and a 

2 telescopic sight for a gun. 

3 (10) The explicit objective of the Gaza Flotilla 

4 organizers that set sail in 2010 was to breach 

5 Israel’s coastal security by breaking the lawful and 

6 legitimate Israeli maritime security perimeter 

7 around the Gaza Strip. 

8 (11) According to a June 7, 2010, report by the 

9 Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center 

10 (known by its Hebrew acronym MALAM), based on 

11 security interviews of the Gaza Flotilla participants, 

12 at least 40 of the 500 passengers aboard the Mavi 

13 Marmara vessel were IHH operatives who boarded 

14 the ship in an Istanbul port prior to the security 

15 checks conducted at the port in Antalya, Turkey, to 

16 which the other passengers, mostly humanitarian 

17 volunteers, were subject. 

18 (12) According to this Intelligence and Ter19 rorism Information Center report, these IHH activ20 ists were equipped with communications equipment, 

21 flak jackets, and gas masks. 

22 (13) The group operated with a clear internal 

23 hierarchy, with specific activists nominated as fight24 ing commanders and who turned the upper deck of 


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1 the Mavi Marmara into its headquarters, blocking it 

2 off to other passengers. 

3 (14) In the most recent organization of a Gaza 

4 flotilla, Greece worked with the Israeli Government 

5 in order to prohibit any violations of Israel’s legal 

6 blockade of Gaza. 

7 (15) Greece has proven itself to be a strategic 

8 partner and ally of the United States in anchoring 

9 political stability and advancing economic develop10 ment in the Balkan and Black Sea regions of south11 east Europe and Eurasia, in the Middle East and 

12 northern Africa, and throughout the eastern Medi13 terranean Sea. 

14 (16) Greece is an active participant in peace15 keeping and peace-building operations conducted by 

16 international organizations, including the United 

17 Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization 

18 (NATO), the European Union (EU), and the Orga19 nization for Security and Cooperation in Europe 

20 (OSCE). 

21 (17) Greece acted without hesitation in prohib22 iting any Greek-flagged or foreign-flagged vessels 

23 from setting sail out of Greek ports into the water 

24 of the Gaza naval blockade. 


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1 (18) Pursuant to a decision by the Minister of 

2 Citizen Protection, Mr. C. Papoutsis, the departure 

3 of ships with Greek and foreign flags from Greek 

4 ports to Gaza was prohibited on July 1, 2011, and 

5 the Hellenic Coast Guard ordered that all appro6 priate measures be taken for the implementation of 

7 such decision. 

8 (19) The Greek Government worked diligently 

9 to ensure the safety of even the organizers of the flo10 tilla knowing that their reckless, irresponsible, and 

11 provocative acts against a sovereign country engaged 

12 in self-defense could result in great bodily harm or 

13 even death to themselves and other individuals. 

14 (20) The Greek Government took more extraor15 dinary measures to ensure that the broader mari16 time area of the eastern Mediterranean Sea would 

17 be continuously monitored by electronic means for 

18 tracking, where applicable, the movements of the 

19 ships allegedly participating in such an illegal cam20 paign. 

21 (21) Greek authorities boarded ships and took 

22 into custody several individuals, including Captain 

23 John Klusmire of the ship Audacity of Hope as it 

24 violated Greek Coast Guard orders by setting sail 

25 without permission. 


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1 (22) Greek authorities acted in accordance with 

2 the recommendation of the Quartet—the United 

3 States, the European Union, the United States and 

4 Russia—as it urged countries to prohibit Gaza5 bound flotillas that would serve solely to escalate 

6 tension in the Middle East. 

7 SEC. 2. DECLARATION OF CONGRESS. 

8 Congress— 

9 (1) notes the important role that Greece has 

10 played in the wider European, Eurasian, and Middle 

11 Eastern regions, and in the community of nations by 

12 promoting, peace, freedom, democracy, and security; 

13 and 

14 (2) stands behind Israel for its sovereign right 

15 to defend its citizens and its territory, and specifi16 cally for its actions to prevent the import of offen17 sive weaponry into the hands of Hamas, Palestinian 

18 Jihad, and other terrorist organizations in the Gaza 

19 Strip. 

20 SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

21 It is the sense of Congress that the United States 

22 should take appropriate diplomatic steps to express grati23 tude to Greece for upholding the rule of law in preventing 

24 hostile forces from violating a legal naval blockade of Gaza 


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1 by Israel and thereby advancing the security of its ally 

2 Israel. 

3 SEC. 4. REPORT. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than six months after 

5 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 

6 State shall submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

7 of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 

8 Foreign Relations of the Senate a report on whether any 

9 support organization that participated in the planning or 

10 execution of the recent Gaza flotilla attempt should be des11 ignated as a foreign terrorist organization pursuant to sec12 tion 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

13 1189). 

14 (b) CONTENTS.—The report required under sub15 section (a) shall include information on the following: 

16 (1) The sources of any logistical, technical, or 

17 financial support for the Gaza flotilla ships, includ18 ing the Audacity of Hope, that were set to set sail 

19 from Greece on July 1, 2011. 

20 (2) Any actions taken by the Department of 

21 State to express support and gratitude for the prin22 cipled stance taken by the Government of Greece to 

23 prevent the recent Gaza flotilla attempt to violate 

24 Israel’s lawful blockade of Gaza. 

Æ 


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