[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 616 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 616

   Condemning the recent increase in acts of anti-Semitism in member 
        countries of the European Union, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 2004

    Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (for herself, Mr. Pence, Mrs. Jo Ann Davis of 
    Virginia, Mr. McCotter, and Mr. Blunt) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
   Condemning the recent increase in acts of anti-Semitism in member 
        countries of the European Union, and for other purposes.

Whereas since the outbreak of violence against Israel and in the West Bank and 
        Gaza in 2000, member countries of the European Union (EU) have 
        experienced an increase in acts of anti-Semitism;
Whereas violent attacks on individuals of the Jewish faith and Jewish 
        institutions in EU countries were reported to be committed often by 
        disaffected members, mostly youths, of Arab-Muslim minorities;
Whereas members of the Arab-Muslim minorities in Europe are themselves frequent 
        targets of racist and anti-Islamic attitudes;
Whereas France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Denmark have witnessed numerous 
        physical and verbal attacks directed against individuals of the Jewish 
        faith and have experienced acts of vandalism against Jewish 
        institutions;
Whereas, since the second Intifada began, one-third of the total anti-Semitic 
        attacks committed worldwide have taken place in France;
Whereas, according to an Anti-Defamation League survey, almost two-thirds of 
        Europeans believe ``that the recent outbreak of violence against Jews in 
        Europe is a result of anti-Israel sentiment and not traditional anti-
        Semitic or anti-Jewish feelings'';
Whereas in Belgium in particular, since the beginning of the ``al-Aqsa 
        Intifada'' in the autumn of 2000, the number of violent actions against 
        Jews and Jewish institutions has increased, with the suspected 
        perpetrators mainly from Muslim and Arab communities;
Whereas on December 5, 2001, the Chief Rabbi of Brussels, Albert Gigi, was 
        physically assaulted by a group of youths in Brussels;
Whereas in August 2003 in Denmark, the widely circulated newspaper Jytland 
        Posten carried a radical Islamist's offer of a reward of $35,000 for the 
        murder of prominent Jews;
Whereas more than 50 years after the horrors of the Holocaust, anti-Semitism has 
        again become a disease spreading throughout the world;
Whereas these murderous and one-sided approaches are not directed at finding a 
        fair and balanced solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and are 
        also assaults not only on Jews, but also on what Israel represents, 
        which is democratic values, modern society, and the West;
Whereas on April 28, 2004, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
        Europe (OSCE), comprised of countries from Europe, Central Asia, and 
        North America, convened a conference in Berlin focusing on the problem 
        of anti-Semitism, including sessions on the roles of governments, civil 
        society, education, and media in combating prejudice and in promoting 
        tolerance;
Whereas this was the second OSCE conference on anti-Semitism intended to draw 
        high-level attention to the problem of anti-Semitism in Europe and 
        focusing on practical measures that can be taken by the OSCE and 
        nongovernmental organizations to combat anti-Semitism and promote 
        tolerance;
Whereas clause 3 of the summary statement at the OSCE Conference on Anti-
        Semitism stipulated that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should not be 
        allowed to serve as a cover for the expression of anti-Semitic positions 
        and opinions;
Whereas at that conference, Secretary of State Colin Powell stated that ``[w]e 
        are appalled that in recent years the incidence of anti-Semitic hate 
        crimes has been on the increase within our community of democratic 
        nations . . . [a]ll of us recognize that we must take decisive measures 
        to reverse this disturbing trend,'' adding that ``our states must work 
        together with non-governmental organizations, religious leaders and 
        other respected figures within our societies to combat anti-Semitism by 
        word and deed . . . [w]e need to work in close partnership to create a 
        culture of social tolerance and civic courage, in which anti-Semitism 
        and other forms of racial and religious hatred are met with the active 
        resistance of our citizens, authorities and political leaders'';
Whereas as a prelude to this anti-Semitism conference, EU countries, in 
        coordination with the United States, worked to reaffirm anti-Semitism as 
        a form of racism and xenophobia and secured references to anti-Semitism 
        in three resolutions adopted by consensus at the 60th Session of the 
        United Nations Commission on Human Rights; and
Whereas section 598 of division D of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2004 
        (Public Law 108-199), requires that ``a description of persecution 
        targeted at specific religions, including acts of anti-Semitism'' be 
        included in the report required by section 102(b)(1)(B) of the 
        International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (22 U.S.C. 6412(b)(1)(B)): 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) all countries should formally recognize the seriousness 
        of acts of anti-Semitism and should take decisive action 
        against those individuals and entities that incite hatred and 
        perpetrate criminal acts against Jewish populations;
            (2) member countries of the European Union (EU) should 
        continue to officially and publicly repudiate those individuals 
        and entities that carry out acts of anti-Semitism and should 
        undertake tougher and more unified measures to combat the 
        growth of violence and intimidation throughout the European 
        continent against individuals of the Jewish faith and Jewish 
        institutions;
            (3) the EU should protect the safety and well-being of 
        their Jewish communities through the establishment of the 
        position of a director to monitor and combat anti-Semitism 
        within the EU through education, media analysis, and 
        coordination with responsible partners in each EU member 
        country;
            (4) the delegates from the 55 countries at the Organization 
        for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Conference on 
        Anti-Semitism should call on their governments to make anti-
        Semitism a criminal offense and should establish a framework 
        within the OSCE to monitor anti-Semitic activities in the OSCE 
        region, to monitor governmental implementation of legislation 
        to combat anti-Semitism, to coordinate between law enforcement 
        organizations in such countries, and to implement relevant 
        educational programs for the next generation of Europeans;
            (5) the President should direct the United States Permanent 
        Representative to the United Nations to work with EU member 
        countries to secure passage of a resolution condemning anti-
        Semitism at the upcoming session of the United Nations General 
        Assembly; and
            (6) combating acts of anti-Semitism worldwide through 
        concrete diplomatic efforts, on both a bilateral and 
        multilateral basis, should be a foreign policy priority for the 
        United States, and the Secretary of State should regularly 
        report to Congress on the status of these efforts.
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