A resolution expressing the sense of the Senate regarding the need for the United States and the international community to take certain actions with respect to the hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.

Mr. President, I send to the desk a resolution about the current outbreak of violence in Israel and Lebanon. I do so for myself, Senators Levin, Sununu, Stabenow, Chafee, and Kennedy. I know that all of us here want to see a peaceful conclusion to the current situation-- peace for Israelis and for Lebanese. The tragic deaths of 57 Lebanese civilians--37 of them children--in the village of Qana on Sunday highlight the urgency for doing so.

This resolution would express the sense of the Senate that the United

States and international community must work urgently with the Governments of Israel and Lebanon to achieve the following six goals: attaining a cessation in the hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel; effectuating the safe return of Israeli soldiers held in Lebanon; disarming Hezbollah, removing Hezbollah forces from southern Lebanon, and replacing those forces with Lebanese army and security forces; reaching agreement to create and deploy an international stabilization force with a robust mandate to enforce a permanent ceasefire and to fully implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559; organizing an international donors conference to solicit and ensure the provision of international resources for the reconstruction of Lebanon; and ensuring that all parties remain engaged to promote peace and security for Israel and Lebanon and the greater Middle East.

I believe that it is important to mention a few points up front. As my colleagues know, the current situation began when two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped by Hezbollah, a terrorist organization that is based in Lebanon but supported by Syria and Iran.

These soldiers were kidnapped from Israeli soil, and during those kidnapping operations, innocent Israelis were killed, and some northern Israeli cities were shelled with rockets.

These facts are very important to remember as we consider the current situation because despite any other frustrations that some people might have with the derailed Israeli-Palestinian peace process, it wasn't Israeli actions which started the cycle of the current bloody situation in which more than 400 Israelis and Lebanese have died.

I would also say unequivocally that I believe that Israel is currently acting in self-defense as a response to attacks on its soil and the kidnapping of its citizens. No country that experienced similar attacks would do anything less--certainly not the United States. And I support fully Israel's right to defend its borders and its citizens.

All violent confrontations, however, must eventually come to an end-- including this one. I think what we are all hoping--Americans, Israelis, Lebanese--is that a resolution of this flare-up will come quickly and without any additional loss of innocent civilians in Lebanon or Israel, so that a climate conducive to tackling the many complex problems confronting the region can exist. Clearly, that climate does not exist at the moment while fighting is ongoing.

However, long-term peace necessitates certain actions. First, I believe that an international stabilization force with real teeth to act against Hezbollah militia and any other terrorist elements will eventually need to be deployed in southern Lebanon. On this point, we must learn from the failures of the current United Nations Stabilization Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, and give any future force the size and mandate to actually fulfill its mission.

Second, long-term peace will require full implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls on the Lebanese Army to deploy to protect the southern border, as well as for the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Long-term peace will also require Israel to cease its attacks in Lebanon, consistent with the Lebanese Government and international community's ability and willingness to stop terrorist elements from launching attacks on Israel. I would remind my colleagues that Israel withdrew voluntarily from Lebanon in 2000--a move that was recognized by the United Nations Secretary General and Security Council as fulfilling completely the terms of U.N. Security Council Resolution 425. To that end, I doubt very much whether Israel would like to stay in Lebanon even one day longer than is absolutely necessary to stop the terror and return Israeli citizens to safety.

My belief in the need for a quick cessation of hostilities is rooted in my concern that the current violence between Israel and Hezbollah is greatly strengthening the hands of Iran and Syria. This is true especially with respect to Iran, which wants to divert international attention away from its nuclear program as well as position itself as the leader of the Arab Muslim world.

Indeed, as the body counts rise, we are seeing the gulf between moderate Arab regimes and their citizens widen dramatically. At the same time, Iran's position as the main backer of Hezbollah is giving it a newfound legitimacy in the eyes of many Arabs. It is critical that we avoid these outcomes because current Iranian nuclear and regional ambitions pose a threat to Israel, to moderate Arab regimes, to the United States, and to the international community alike.

Moreover, long-term peace will be impossible unless the international community gets both Iran and Syria to shut off and cut off Hezbollah and other terrorist groups. By ``shut off,'' I mean that Iran and Syria must send a clear signal to Hezbollah to stop its violent terrorist attacks against Israel. By ``cut off,'' I mean that these countries must stop financing, supplying, and providing safe haven to terrorist groups and their operatives. The international community must also send a strong message to Iran and Syria that they need to stop preventing Lebanon from deploying its army to disarm Hezbollah and protect the border.

But the current situation will not begin to wind down unless, first and foremost, the Israeli hostages are released unharmed.

After that, the short-term goals should be the deployment of an international stabilization force with real teeth in the south and some kind of international monitoring of land, sea, and air crossings to ensure that Hezbollah will not be rearmed by Syria and Iran.

The long-term goals are obviously that U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 is fully implemented. Full implementation of that resolution means, among other things, that an effective Lebanese Army is deployed along that country's southern border and that Hezbollah is disarmed.

It is quite apparent that after decades of operational and financial support from Syria, and especially Iran, Hezbollah's military wing is currently too strong for the relatively weak Lebanese Government to deal with. So to the extent that Israeli actions weaken Hezbollah's capabilities, they also create the possibility of strengthening the Lebanese Government's hand to reign in militias and terrorists. But there might be a point of diminishing returns where Hezbollah is somewhat weakened while Iran and Syria are greatly strengthened--an outcome that it is essential to avoid. Hopefully, the combination of the current attacks against Hezbollah, a quick cessation of hostilities, and the immediate deployment--concurrent with the end of hostilities--of an international force with real teeth will make that the case.

I realize that there are many voices in the Arab world who accuse the U.S. of ignoring the plight of the innocent Lebanese citizens who have been caught in the crossfire because Hezbollah militants have shamefully hidden themselves and their weapons among the civilian population. I do not believe that this is the case. And I think that the U.S. could help to prove this by organizing an international donors' conference as quickly as possible to assist the Lebanese in rebuilding their country.

As I said before, I think we in Congress all share a desire to see peace in the Middle East. I would hope that once all of the steps I have talked about today come into place that the United States would take a lead role in bringing about that peace because U.S. leadership, and our active and high-level engagement, have always been an essential part of the Middle East peace process.

I believe that this resolution will send a strong signal that the world needs to support the Lebanese people, respect Israel's right to defend itself, and be tough with Hezbollah, Iran, and Syria. These are the necessary signals that we need to send in order for there to truly be hope at the end of this tunnel. I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I ask that the text of the resolution be printed in the Record following my remarks.

Mr. President, I am pleased to join Senator Dodd, Senator Sununu and our other cosponsors in offering Senate Resolution 548, which expresses the sense of the Senate regarding the need for the United States and the international community to take certain actions with respect to the hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.

Like all Americans, I am deeply concerned about the ongoing violence and the loss of civilian lives in the Middle East.

Hezbollah, an organization on the State Department's list of terrorist organizations, must accept full responsibility for sparking this latest round of violence. I support Israel's right to defend itself in response to Hezbollah's acts of terrorism against it. As this resolution urges, I hope that the governments of Iran and Syria will end their material and logistical support for Hezbollah and use their significant influence over Hezbollah to disarm the group and release all kidnapped prisoners.

As this resolution also urges, I favor the United States and the international community working with the governments of Israel and Lebanon on an urgent basis to attain a cessation in the hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel based on: the safe return of Israeli soldiers held by Hezbollah; the disarmament of Hezbollah, the removal of all Hezbollah forces from southern Lebanon, and the replacement of those forces with army and security forces of the Government of Lebanon; an reaching an agreement to fully implement United Nations Security Counsel Resolution 1559 and to create and deploy an international stabilization force with a clear mandate to enforce a permanent ceasefire.

I also hope that the U.S. Government and the international community will work together to organize an international donors conference to solicit and ensure the provision of international support for the reconstruction of Lebanon's infrastructure; and to remain engaged to promote sustainable peace and security for Israel and Lebanon and the greater Middle East.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 548 submitted earlier today.

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, that the motion to reconsider be laid on the table, and that any statements relating thereto be printed in the Record.