[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 101 Introduced in House (IH)]






109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 101

  Urging the European Union to add Hezbollah to the European Union's 
             wide-ranging list of terrorist organizations.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 15, 2005

Mr. Saxton (for himself, Mr. Wexler, Mr. Engel, Mr. Chabot, Mr. Cantor, 
    Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, Mr. Menendez, and Mr. Ackerman) submitted the 
     following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                        International Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Urging the European Union to add Hezbollah to the European Union's 
             wide-ranging list of terrorist organizations.

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 soldiers 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 the adherence of Israel to 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 
        nearly 80 percent of Palestinian terrorist attacks against Israeli 
        targets, resulting in over 20 percent of Israeli casualties in terrorist 
        attacks for that year;
Whereas the European Union agreed by consensus to classify Hamas, another 
        Palestinian terrorist organization, 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, the United Kingdom, 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, among other 
        things;
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 stemming from Hezbollah and other extremist organizations; and
Whereas cooperation between the United States and the European Union regarding 
        combating 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.
                                 <all>