Title: Urging the European Union to designate Hizballah in its entirety as a terrorist organization.
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
This resolution applauds and expresses support for the continued cooperation between the United States and the European Union in thwarting Hezbollah's terrorist activities. It also urges the European Union to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 558 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 558

 Urging the European Union to designate Hizballah in its entirety as a 
                        terrorist organization.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 26, 2021

 Mr. Deutch (for himself, Mr. Bilirakis, Ms. Manning, Mr. Meijer, Mr. 
    Torres of New York, Mrs. Wagner, Mr. Lieu, Mr. Wilson of South 
    Carolina, Mr. Schneider, and Mr. Hill) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Urging the European Union to designate Hizballah in its entirety as a 
                        terrorist organization.

Whereas, in April 1983, a Hizballah terror attack against the United States 
        Embassy in Beirut killed 63 people;
Whereas, in October 1983, a Hizballah terror attack against the United States 
        and French barracks of the Multinational Force in Lebanon killed 241 
        American and 58 French soldiers;
Whereas, in July 2012, a Hizballah terror attack, carried out by an operative 
        with French citizenship, in Burgas, Bulgaria, killed 5 Israeli tourists 
        and 1 Bulgarian;
Whereas, in March 2013, a Swedish-Lebanese Hizballah operative in Cyprus was 
        convicted of planning terror attacks against Israeli tourists;
Whereas, in June 2015, a Hizballah operative was sentenced to 6 years in prison 
        after he stockpiled more than 8 tons of ammonium nitrate in Cyprus;
Whereas, in December 2015, the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act 
        of 2015 (Public Law 114-102) was signed into law in the United States, 
        broadening financial sector sanctions against Hizballah to compel 
        foreign financial institutions to refrain from supporting the terrorist 
        group;
Whereas, in May 2018, the Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on 
        Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi, a Hizballah financier, and blacklisted 5 of his 
        companies, including Belgian energy services conglomerate Global Trading 
        Group;
Whereas, in October 2018, French police raided the Islamic Zahra Centre on 
        suspicion of supporting Hizballah, freezing the organization's funds, 
        and seizing illegal weapons;
Whereas, in September 2020, 4 former leaders of the Zahra Centre were arrested 
        on suspicion of continuing to run the association;
Whereas, in July 2019, the Department of the Treasury listed 2 Hizballah-backed 
        members of Lebanese Parliament, Amin Sherri and Mohammad Raad, to the 
        terror blacklist, stating that Hizballah uses its parliamentary power to 
        advance its violent activities;
Whereas, in April 2020, Germany investigated over 1,050 people with suspected 
        links to Hizballah;
Whereas Europol's June 2020 European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report 
        outlined that Hizballah is ``suspected of trafficking diamonds and drugs 
        and of money laundering via the trade in second-hand cars'', and the 
        report also stated that ``investigations face the difficulty of 
        demonstrating that the funds collected are channeled to the military 
        wing of the organization'';
Whereas United States-led Operations Cassandra and Cedar exposed the criminal-
        business wing of Hizballah via the External Security Organization 
        Business Affairs Component (BAC);
Whereas, during Operation Cassandra, Hizballah elements involved in drug 
        trafficking were arrested in the United States, South America, and 
        several European countries, including France, Belgium, Germany, and 
        Italy;
Whereas Hizballah's criminal activity in Europe is run by the BAC, which reports 
        to the External Security Organisation, a.k.a. Unit 910, or the Islamic 
        Jihad Organization (IJO), and Abdallah Safieddine, Hizballah's 
        representative in Iran, is also involved in this activity;
Whereas, in August 2020, United Nations Secretary General Guterres called on 
        Lebanon to disarm Hizballah, citing the terror group's persistent 
        violation of Resolution 1701 (2006);
Whereas Iran is the prime sponsor of Hizballah, harboring, financing, training, 
        and arming the group;
Whereas the Department of the Treasury and Department of State estimate that 
        Iran provides as much as $700,000,000 per year to Hizballah in the form 
        of financial and logistical support, weapons, and training;
Whereas Hizballah now has an arsenal of approximately 150,000 missiles and 
        rockets, many of which can reach deep into Israel;
Whereas Hizballah fighters have been supporting the Assad regime in Syria, often 
        leading operations in the conflict which has left more than 500,000 
        dead;
Whereas Hizballah's destabilizing actions in Syria has fueled a migrant crisis 
        that has brought over 700,000 refugees to Europe;
Whereas Hizballah trains and provides weapons for Shiite militias in Iraq and 
        Yemen, further destabilizing the region and perpetuating violence in 
        those countries;
Whereas Hizballah activities continue to plague Lebanon with profound economic 
        and political instability and violence;
Whereas, in August 2020, 200 Lebanese people died when a massive stockpile of 
        ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut's port;
Whereas the Lebanese Armed Forces, the legitimate security establishment of the 
        country as outlined in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 
        (2006), are struggling to control the flow of weapons and Hizballah 
        fighters at Lebanon's borders;
Whereas, in October 2012, Hizballah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem stated 
        that ``[Hizballah does not] have a military wing and a political one . . 
        . Every element of Hizballah, from commanders to members as well as our 
        various capabilities, are in the service of the resistance'';
Whereas, as of March 2021, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, the 
        Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Serbia, and Kosovo 
        have designated Hizballah in its entirety as a terror organization;
Whereas, in March 2016, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the bloc of 6 Gulf Arab 
        nations, formally branded Hizballah, in its entirety, a terrorist 
        organization, and the League of Arab States shortly thereafter adopted 
        the same designation;
Whereas the Department of the Treasury has diligently added persons and entities 
        to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists who have provided 
        material support to the Hizballah terrorist organization, thereby 
        hampering its financing and logistical capabilities;
Whereas the European Union, in July 2013, designated Hizballah's so-called 
        ``military wing'', but not the organization as a whole, as a terrorist 
        organization;
Whereas, despite restrictions put on Hizballah since the designation of its 
        military wing, the group continues to conduct illicit narcotrafficking, 
        money laundering, and weapons trafficking throughout Europe and the 
        world; and
Whereas the House of Representatives has previously called on the European Union 
        to fully designate Hizballah as a terrorist organization, passing House 
        Resolution 359 in October 2017: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) applauds and expresses support for the continued, 
        increased cooperation between the United States and the 
        European Union in thwarting Hizballah's criminal and terrorist 
        activities;
            (2) supports transcontinental efforts within Europe to 
        share intelligence information among police and security 
        services to facilitate greater cooperation in tracking, 
        apprehending, and prosecuting terrorists, foreign fighters, and 
        potential offenders;
            (3) encourages the European Union to implement sanctions 
        against Hizballah-affiliated terrorists in tandem with the 
        United States;
            (4) recommends greater civil society engagement in both the 
        United States and Europe to underscore Hizballah's malign 
        regional influence; and
            (5) urges the European Union to designate Hizballah in its 
        entirety as a terrorist organization and increase pressure on 
        the group, including through--
                    (A) facilitating better cross-border cooperation 
                between European Union members in combating Hizballah;
                    (B) issuing arrest warrants against members and 
                active supporters of Hizballah;
                    (C) freezing Hizballah's assets in Europe, 
                including those masquerading as charities; and
                    (D) prohibiting fundraising activities in support 
                of Hizballah.
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