[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 534 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]








109th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 534

Condemning Hezbollah and Hamas and their state sponsors and supporting 
            Israel's exercise of its right to self-defense.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 18, 2006

 Mr. Frist (for himself, Mr. Reid, Mr. Biden, Mr. Santorum, Mr. Nelson 
 of Florida, Mr. Kyl, Mr. Bond, Mrs. Hutchison, Mr. Levin, Mrs. Dole, 
  Mr. Grassley, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Smith, Mr. Talent, Mr. Roberts, Mr. 
    Vitter, Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Voinovich, Mr. Allen, Mr. Coleman, Mr. 
    McConnell, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Akaka, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Bayh, Mr. 
   Bingaman, Mrs. Boxer, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. Carper, Mrs. Clinton, Mr. 
  Conrad, Mr. Dayton, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Dorgan, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Feingold, 
 Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. Harkin, Mr. Inouye, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. 
     Kerry, Mr. Kohl, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Lautenberg, Mr. Leahy, Mr. 
 Lieberman, Mrs. Lincoln, Mr. Menendez, Ms. Mikulski, Mrs. Murray, Mr. 
 Nelson of Nebraska, Mr. Obama, Mr. Pryor, Mr. Reed, Mr. Rockefeller, 
 Mr. Salazar, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Schumer, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. Wyden, and 
 Mr. McCain) submitted the following resolution; which was considered 
                             and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Condemning Hezbollah and Hamas and their state sponsors and supporting 
            Israel's exercise of its right to self-defense.

Whereas Israel fully complied with United Nations Security Council Resolution 
        425 (adopted March 19, 1978) by completely withdrawing its forces from 
        Lebanon, as certified by the United Nations Security Council and 
        affirmed by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan on June 16, 
        2000, when he said, ``Israel has withdrawn from [Lebanon] in full 
        compliance with Security Council Resolution 425.'';
Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 (adopted September 2, 
        2004) calls for the complete withdrawal of all foreign forces and the 
        dismantlement of all independent militias in Lebanon;
Whereas despite Resolution 1559, the terrorist organization Hezbollah remains 
        active in Lebanon and has amassed thousands of rockets aimed at northern 
        Israel;
Whereas the Government of Lebanon, which includes representatives of Hezbollah, 
        has done little to dismantle Hezbollah forces or to exert its authority 
        and control throughout all geographic regions of Lebanon;
Whereas Hezbollah receives financial, military, and political support from Syria 
        and Iran;
Whereas the United States has enacted several laws, including the Syria 
        Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2003 (22 
        U.S.C. 2151 note) and the Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 (50 
        U.S.C. 1701 note), that call for the imposition of sanctions on Syria 
        and Iran for, among other things, their support for terrorism and 
        terrorist organizations;
Whereas the Government of Israel has shown restraint in the past year even 
        though Hezbollah has launched at least 4 separate attacks into Israel 
        using rockets and ground forces;
Whereas, without provocation, on the morning of July 12, 2006, Hezbollah 
        launched an attack into northern Israel, killing 7 Israeli soldiers and 
        taking 2 hostage into Lebanon;
Whereas on June 25, 2006, despite Israel's evacuation of Gaza in 2005, the 
        terrorist organization Hamas, which is also supported by Syria and Iran, 
        entered sovereign Israeli territory, attacked an Israeli military base, 
        killed 2 Israeli soldiers, and captured an Israeli soldier, and has 
        refused to release that soldier;
Whereas rockets have been launched from Gaza into Israel since Israel's 
        evacuation of Gaza in 2005; and
Whereas both Hezbollah and Hamas refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist and 
        call for the destruction of Israel: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) reaffirms its steadfast support for the State of 
        Israel;
            (2) supports Israel's right of self-defense and Israel's 
        right to take appropriate action to deter aggression by 
        terrorist groups and their state sponsors;
            (3) urges the President to continue fully supporting Israel 
        as Israel exercises its right of self-defense in Lebanon and 
        Gaza;
            (4) calls for the immediate and unconditional release of 
        Israeli soldiers who are being held captive by Hezbollah or 
        Hamas;
            (5) condemns the Governments of Iran and Syria for their 
        continued support for Hezbollah and Hamas, and holds the 
        Governments of Syria and Iran responsible for the acts of 
        aggression carried out by Hezbollah and Hamas against Israel;
            (6) condemns Hamas and Hezbollah for exploiting civilian 
        populations as shields and locating their military activities 
        in civilian areas;
            (7) urges the President to use all available political and 
        diplomatic means, including sanctions, to persuade the 
        governments of Syria and Iran to end their support of Hezbollah 
        and Hamas;
            (8) calls on the Government of Lebanon to do everything in 
        its power to find and free the kidnapped Israeli soldiers being 
        held in its territory, and to fulfill its responsibility under 
        United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 (adopted 
        September 2, 2004) to disband and disarm Hezbollah;
            (9) calls on the United Nations Security Council to condemn 
        these unprovoked acts and to demand compliance with Resolution 
        1559, which requires that Hezbollah and other militias be 
        disbanded and disarmed, and that all foreign forces be 
        withdrawn from Lebanon;
            (10) urges all sides to protect innocent civilian life and 
        infrastructure and strongly supports the use of all diplomatic 
        means available to free the captured Israeli soldiers; and
            (11) recognizes that thousands of American nationals reside 
        peacefully in Lebanon, and that those American nationals in 
        Lebanon concerned for their safety should receive the full 
        support and assistance of the United States government.
                                 <all>