HCON 107 RFS 
Whereas Additional Protocol I, Article 50(1) to the Geneva 
Convention defines ‘‘civilian’’ as, ‘‘[a]ny person who does 
not belong to one of the categories of persons referred to 
in Article 4(A) (1), (2), (3), and (6) of the Third Conven-
tion and in Article 43 of this Protocol. In the case of 
doubt whether a person is a civilian, that person shall be 
considered a civilian.’’; 
Whereas Additional Protocol I, Article 51(7) to the Geneva 
Convention states, ‘‘[T]he presence or movement of the 
civilian population or individual civilians shall not be used 
to render certain points or areas immune from military 
operations, in particular in attempts to shield military ob-
jectives from attacks or to shield, favour or impede mili-
tary operations. The Parties to the conflict shall not di-
rect the movement of the civilian population or individual 
civilians in order to attempt to shield military objectives 
from attacks or to shield military operations.’’; 
Whereas since June 15, 2014, there have been over 2,000 
rockets fired by Hamas and other terrorist organizations 
from Gaza into Israel; 
Whereas Hamas has been using civilian populations as 
human shields by placing their missile batteries in dense-
ly populated areas and near schools, hospitals, and 
mosques; 
Whereas Israel drops leaflets, makes announcements, places 
phone calls and sends text messages to the Palestinian 
people in Gaza warning them in advance that an attack 
is imminent, and goes to extraordinary lengths to target 
only terrorist actors; 
Whereas Hamas has urged the residents of Gaza to ignore 
the Israeli warnings and to remain in their houses and 
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HCON 107 RFS 
has encouraged Palestinians to gather on the roofs of 
their homes to act as human shields; 
Whereas on July 23, 2014, the 46-Member UN Human 
Rights Council passed a resolution to form a commission 
of inquiry over Israel’s operations in Gaza without a sin-
gle mention of the indiscriminate rocket attacks by 
Hamas or the use of human shields, with the United 
States being the lone dissenting vote; 
Whereas public reports have cited the role of Iran and Syria 
in providing material support and training to Hamas and 
other terrorist groups carrying out rocket and mortar at-
tacks from Gaza; 
Whereas throughout the summer of 2006 conflict between the 
State of Israel and the terrorist organization Hezbollah, 
Hezbollah forces utilized human shields in violation of 
international humanitarian law; 
Whereas Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, Islamic State of Iraq and the 
Levant (ISIL) and other foreign terrorist organizations 
typically use innocent civilians as human shields; 
Whereas the United States and Israel have cooperated on 
missile defense projects, including Iron Dome, David’s 
Sling, and the Arrow Anti-Missile System, projects de-
signed to thwart a diverse range of threats, including 
short-range missiles and rockets fired by non-state ac-
tors, such as Hamas; 
Whereas the United States has provided $235,000,000 in fis-
cal year 2014 for Iron Dome research, development, and 
production; 
Whereas, during the most recent rocket attacks from Gaza, 
Iron Dome has successfully intercepted dozens of rockets 
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that were launched against Israeli population centers; 
and 
Whereas 5 million Israelis are currently living under the 
threat of rocket attacks from Gaza: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
concurring), That Congress— 
(1) strongly condemns the use of innocent civil-
ians as human shields; 
(2) calls on the international community to rec-
ognize and condemn Hamas’ breaches of inter-
national law through the use of human shields; 
(3) places responsibility for the rocket attacks 
against Israel on Hamas and other terrorist organi-
zations, such as Islamic Jihad; 
(4) supports the sovereign right of the Govern-
ment of Israel to defend its territory and its citizens 
from Hamas’ rocket attacks, kidnapping attempts 
and the use of tunnels and other means to carry out 
attacks against Israel; 
(5) expresses condolences to the families of the 
innocent victims on both sides of the conflict; 
(6) supports Palestinian civilians who reject 
Hamas and all forms of terrorism and violence, de-
siring to live in peace with their Israeli neighbors; 
(7) condemns Hamas’ repeated refusals to ac-
cept a cease-fire with Israel; 
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(8) supports efforts to permanently demilitarize 
the Gaza Strip, removing Hamas’s means to target 
Israel, including its use of tunnels, rockets, and 
other means; and 
(9) condemns the United Nations Human 
Rights Council’s biased commission of inquiry into 
Israel’s Gaza operations. 
Passed the House of Representatives July 30, 2014. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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