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harm by a party to the conflict was in fact unrea-
sonable under the circumstances. 
(5) Throughout the violent takeover of Gaza by 
Hamas in 2007, the organization engaged in sum-
mary executions and torture, and put the lives of ci-
vilians at constant risk. 
(6) Since that 2007 takeover of Gaza, Hamas 
forces have repeatedly fired rockets into Israel in an 
indiscriminate manner, routinely striking civilian 
population areas that cannot plausibly be considered 
lawful military targets. 
(7) Hamas attacks are routinely launched from 
firing positions in areas of dense civilian population, 
often in or near schools, mosques, or hospitals, with 
no plausible justification based on military necessity. 
(8) Unlawful Hamas tactics also include rou-
tinely forcing Palestinian civilians to gather on the 
roofs of their homes to act as human shields. 
(9) Because these Hamas tactics cannot be jus-
tified by military necessity, they indicate an effort to 
endanger both Israeli and Palestinian civilians. 
(10) The Israel Defense Force, in response to 
such serious violations by Hamas, has vigorously 
taken all feasible precautions to minimize civilian 
casualties and protect civilian objects, in accordance 
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with the international laws of armed conflict. Such 
tactics have included providing warnings to civilians 
when feasible. 
(11) Since 2010, Hamas has enlisted children 
to work as laborers in the tunnel networks between 
Gaza and Egypt. 
(12) On June 9, 2017, the United Nations Re-
lief and Works Agency announced it had discovered 
Hamas tunnels under two of its schools in the Gaza 
Strip, adding it was ‘‘unacceptable that students and 
staff are placed at risk in such a way’’. 
(13) Hamas was designated as a foreign ter-
rorist organization by the Secretary of State on Oc-
tober 8, 1997. 
(14) In addition to Hamas, other armed 
groups, such as Hezbollah, the Islamic State, al- 
Qa’ida, and al-Shabaab, typically use civilians as 
human shields. 
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 
It shall be the policy of the United States to— 
(1) officially and publicly condemn Hamas for 
violating the international law of armed conflict by 
exploiting civilians, civilian property, and other spe-
cially protected personnel and facilities, in an effort 
to shield military targets from lawful attack; and 
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(2) take effective action against those know-
ingly engaging in, supporting, facilitating, or ena-
bling such undisputed violations of international law 
through the use of human shields. 
SEC. 4. UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL. 
The President should direct the United States Per-
manent Representative to the United Nations to use the 
voice, vote, and influence of the United States at the 
United Nations Security Council to secure support for a 
resolution that would— 
(1) 
impose 
multilateral 
sanctions 
against 
Hamas for the use of human shields; 
(2) require member nations to take specific 
steps to prevent the use of human shields and im-
pose consequences on those who use human shields; 
(3) require the United Nations to track and re-
port the use of human shields in any conflict mon-
itored by an organization or agency of the United 
Nations; and 
(4) specify steps to prevent, and consequences 
for, the use of United Nations employees as human 
shields or the use of United Nations facilities or in-
frastructure to enable the use of civilians as human 
shields. 
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SEC. 5. SANCTIONS ON FOREIGN PERSONS RESPONSIBLE 
FOR GROSS VIOLATIONS OF INTERNATION-
ALLY RECOGNIZED HUMAN RIGHTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President shall impose sanc-
tions described in subsection (c) with respect to each per-
son on the list required under subsection (b). 
(b) LIST.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 
President shall transmit to the appropriate congres-
sional committees a list of the following: 
(A) Each foreign person that the President 
determines— 
(i) is a member of Hamas or is acting 
on behalf of Hamas; and 
(ii) on or after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, knowingly orders, con-
trols, or otherwise directs or is complicit 
in, any unlawful attempt to use civilians, 
civilian property, or other protected per-
sons to shields military objectives from 
lawful attack. 
(B) Each foreign person, or each agency or 
instrumentality of a foreign state, that the 
President determines has knowingly, on or after 
the date of the enactment of this Act— 
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(i) significantly facilitated, directly or 
indirectly, any act described in subpara-
graph (A)(ii) by a person described in sub-
paragraph (A)(ii); or 
(ii) attempted to facilitate or support 
any such person. 
(2) UPDATES.—The President shall transmit to 
the appropriate congressional committees an update 
of the list required under paragraph (1)— 
(A) not later than 1 year after the date of 
transmission of such list, and annually there-
after for 3 years; and 
(B) as new information becomes available. 
(c) SANCTIONS DESCRIBED.—The sanctions to be 
imposed on a foreign person or an agency or instrumen-
tality of a foreign state on the list required under sub-
section (b) are the following: 
(1) BLOCKING OF PROPERTY.—The President 
shall exercise all of the powers granted to the Presi-
dent under the International Emergency Economic 
Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) to the extent 
necessary to block and prohibit all transactions in 
property and interests in property of the foreign per-
son or of such agency or instrumentality of a foreign 
state if such property or interests in property are in 
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the United States, come within the United States, or 
are or come within the possession or control of a 
United States person. 
(2) ALIENS INELIGIBLE FOR VISAS, ADMISSION, 
OR PAROLE.— 
(A) VISAS, ADMISSION, OR PAROLE.—An 
alien who the Secretary of State or the Sec-
retary of Homeland Security (or a designee of 
either such Secretary) determines is a foreign 
person on the list required under subsection (b) 
is— 
(i) inadmissible to the United States; 
(ii) ineligible to receive a visa or other 
documentation to enter the United States; 
and 
(iii) otherwise ineligible to be admitted 
or paroled into the United States or to re-
ceive any other benefit under the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et 
seq.). 
(B) CURRENT VISAS REVOKED.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—Any visa or other 
documentation issued to an alien who is a 
foreign person on the list required under 
subsection (b), regardless of when such 
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visa or other documentation was issued, 
shall be revoked and such alien shall be de-
nied admission to the United States. 
(ii) EFFECT OF REVOCATION.—A rev-
ocation under clause (i)— 
(I) shall take effect immediately; 
and 
(II) shall automatically cancel 
any other valid visa or documentation 
that is in the possession of the alien 
who is the subject of such revocation. 
(C) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED 
NATIONS
HEADQUARTERS
AGREEMENT.—The 
sanctions under this paragraph shall not be im-
posed on an individual if admitting such indi-
vidual to the United States is necessary to per-
mit the United States to comply with the 
Agreement regarding the Headquarters of the 
United Nations, signed at Lake Success June 
26, 1947, and entered into force November 21, 
1947, between the United Nations and the 
United States, or with other applicable inter-
national agreements. 
(d) WAIVER.—The President may, on a case-by-case 
basis, waive the application of a sanction under this sec-
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tion with respect to a person or an agency or instrumen-
tality of a foreign state for periods not longer than 180 
days if the President certifies to the appropriate congres-
sional committees that such waiver is in the national secu-
rity interest of the United States. 
(e) PENALTIES.—The penalties provided for in sub-
sections (b) and (c) of section 206 of the International 
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1705) shall 
apply to any person that violates, attempts to violate, con-
spires to violate, or causes a violation of any regulation 
promulgated to carry out this section to the same extent 
that such penalties apply to a person that commits an un-
lawful act described in section 206(a) of such Act. 
(f) REGULATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The President may exercise 
all authorities provided to the President under sec-
tions 203 and 205 of the International Emergency 
Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702 and 1704) 
for purposes of carrying out this section. 
(2) ISSUANCE
OF
REGULATIONS.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act, the President shall prescribe such regula-
tions as may be necessary to implement this section. 
(g) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion may be construed— 
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(1) to limit the authorities of the President pur-
suant to the International Emergency Economic 
Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) or any other 
relevant provision of law; or 
(2) to apply with respect to any activity subject 
to the reporting requirements under title V of the 
National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3091 et 
seq.), or to any authorized intelligence activities of 
the United States. 
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ADMITTED; ALIEN.—The terms ‘‘admitted’’ 
and ‘‘alien’’ have the meanings given such terms in 
section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1101). 
(2) AGENCY OR INSTRUMENTALITY OF A FOR-
EIGN STATE.—The term ‘‘agency or instrumentality 
of a foreign state’’ has the meaning given such term 
in section 1603(b) of title 28, United States Code. 
(3) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Financial Services, 
the Committee on Ways and Means, the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary and the Committee on 
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Foreign Affairs of the House of Representa-
tives; and 
(B) the Committee on Banking, Housing, 
and Urban Affairs, the Committee on the Judi-
ciary, and the Committee on Foreign Relations 
of the Senate. 
(4) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per-
son’’ has the meaning given such term in section 
594.304 of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, as 
in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act. 
(5) HAMAS.—The term ‘‘Hamas’’ means— 
(A) the entity known as Hamas and des-
ignated by the Secretary of State as a foreign 
terrorist organization pursuant to section 219 
of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1189); or 
(B) any person identified as an agent, in-
strumentality, or affiliate of Hamas on the list 
of specially designated nationals and blocked 
persons maintained by the Office of Foreign 
Asset Control of the Department of Treasury, 
the property or interests in property of which 
are blocked pursuant to the International 
Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 
1701 et seq.). 
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(6) 
UNITED
STATES
PERSON.—The 
term 
‘‘United States person’’ has the meaning given such 
term in section 594.315 of title 31, Code of Federal 
Regulations, as in effect on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
Passed the House of Representatives February 14, 
2018. 
Attest: 
KAREN L. HAAS, 
Clerk. 
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