[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 101 Engrossed in House (EH)]
In the House of Representatives, U.S.,
March 14, 2005.
Whereas Hezbollah is a Lebanon-based radical organization with terrorist cells
based in Europe, Africa, North America, South America, Asia, and
elsewhere, receiving financial, training, weapons, and political and
organizational aid from Iran and Syria;
Whereas Hezbollah has led a 23-year global campaign of terror targeting
American, German, French, British, Italian, Israeli, Kuwaiti, Saudi
Arabian, Argentinean, Thai, Singaporean, and Russian civilians, among
others;
Whereas former Director of Central Intelligence George Tenet called Hezbollah
``an organization with the capability and worldwide presence [equal to]
al Queda, equal if not far more [of a] capable organization . . .
[t]hey're a notch above in many respects . . . which puts them in a
state sponsored category with a potential for lethality that's quite
great'';
Whereas Hezbollah has been suspected of numerous terrorist acts against
Americans, including the suicide truck bombing of the United States
Embassy and Marine Barracks in Beirut in October 1983 and the Embassy
annex in Beirut in September 1984;
Whereas the French unit of the Multinational Force in Beirut was also targeted
in the October 1983 attack, in which 241 United States Servicemembers
and 58 French paratroopers were killed;
Whereas Hezbollah has attacked Israeli and Jewish targets in South America in
the mid-1990s, including the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina,
in March 1992 and the AMIA Jewish Cultural Center in Buenos Aires in
July 1994;
Whereas Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for kidnappings of United States
and Israeli civilians and French, British, German, and Russian
diplomats, among others;
Whereas even after Israel's compliance with United Nations Security Council
Resolution 425 (1978) by withdrawing from Lebanon, Hezbollah has
continued to carry out attacks against Israel and its citizens;
Whereas Hezbollah has expanded its operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
providing training, financing and weapons to Palestinian terrorist
organizations on the European Union terrorist list, including the Al
Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine;
Whereas in 2004 Hezbollah instigated, financed, or played a role in implementing
a significant number of Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israeli
targets;
Whereas the European Union agreed by consensus to classify Hamas as a terrorist
organization for purposes of prohibiting funding from the European Union
to Hamas;
Whereas the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of
2003 (Public Law 108-175) urges the Government of Lebanon to assert the
sovereignty of the Lebanese state over all of its territory and to evict
all terrorist and foreign forces from southern Lebanon, including
Hezbollah and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards;
Whereas, although the European Union has included Imad Fayiz Mughniyah, a key
operations and intelligence officer of Hezbollah, on its terrorist list,
it has not included his organization on the list;
Whereas the United States, Canada, and Australia have all classified Hezbollah
as a terrorist organization and the United Kingdom has placed the
Hezbollah External Security Organization on its terrorist list;
Whereas leaders of Hezbollah have made statements denouncing any distinction
between its ``political and military'' operations, such as Hezbollah's
representative in the Lebanese Parliament, Mohammad Raad, who stated in
2001 that ``Hezbollah is a military resistance party, and it is our task
to fight the occupation of our land. . . . There is no separation
between politics and resistance.'';
Whereas in a book recently published by the deputy secretary-general of
Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, entitled ``Hezbollah -- the Approach, the
Experience, the Future'', Qassem writes ``Hezbollah is a jihad
organization whose aim, first and foremost, is jihad against the Zionist
enemy, while the political, pure and sensible effort can serve as a prop
and a means of support for jihad'';
Whereas United Nations Security Council resolution 1559 (2004), jointly
sponsored by the United States and France, calls upon all remaining
foreign forces to withdraw from Lebanon and for the disbanding and
disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias;
Whereas in December 2004 the Department of State placed Al-Manar, Hezbollah's
satellite television network, on the Terrorist Exclusion List, and in
December 2004 the French Council of State banned the broadcasting of Al-
Manar in France
Whereas France, Germany, and Great Britain, with the support of the High
Representative of the European Union, have created a working group with
Iran to discuss regional security concerns, including the influence of
terror perpetuated by Hezbollah and other extremist organizations;
Whereas on March 10, 2005, the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to adopt
a resolution that stated ``Parliament considers that clear evidence
exists of terrorist activities on the part of Hezbollah and that the
[EU] Council should take all necessary steps to curtail them.''; and
Whereas cooperation between the United States and the European Union regarding
efforts to combat international terrorism is essential to the promotion
of global security and peace: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) urges the European Union to classify Hezbollah as a terrorist
organization for purposes of prohibiting funding from the European Union
to Hezbollah and recognizing it as a threat to international security;
(2) condemns the continuous terrorist attacks perpetrated by
Hezbollah; and
(3) condemns Hezbollah's continuous support of Palestinian terrorist
organizations on the European Union terrorist list, such as the Al Aqsa
Martyrs Brigade, Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Attest:
Clerk.