IV 111th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1599 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES July 30, 2010 Mrs. McCarthy of New York (for herself and Mrs. Myrick) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Reaffirming support for Israel as a longtime friend, ally, and strategic partner of the United States and Israel’s right to defend itself.

Whereas, on May 22, 2010, a Gaza-bound flotilla, sponsored by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation, Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH), set sail from Istanbul, Turkey, with hopes to direct international attention to Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip through a violent confrontation; Whereas 600 passengers, including radicals with ties to terrorist groups, boarded the Mavi Marmara ship in Antalya, Turkey, the lead vessel in the “Free Gaza” flotilla; Whereas, on May 31, 2010, after repeated warnings and assurances that aid would be delivered, Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla that was attempting to break through its naval blockade of Gaza; Whereas five of the six ships involved in the flotilla cooperated peacefully, but activists on the Mavi Marmara, reacted violently according to a premeditated plan to incite violence; Whereas when the first Israeli soldier was lowered by helicopter onto the Mavi Marmara, militants onboard tried connecting the steel cables from the overhead helicopters to the boat's antenna, in order to cause the helicopters to crash; Whereas when Israeli soldiers boarded the ship, Mavi Marmara passengers began severely beating the soldiers with iron rods, chairs, and wooden poles, stabbing them with knives, and trying to lynch them, throwing one soldier off the deck, and taking pistols from the soldiers and firing at them with deadly intent; Whereas the Turkish aid group that sent out the flotilla, IHH, belongs to a Saudi-based umbrella organization known as the Union of Good which was established to finance the foreign terrorist organization Hamas; Whereas the United States Treasury Department has designated the Union of Good as supporting terrorism and has included the organization as part of both the Designated Charities and Potential Fundraising Front Organizations for FTOs list and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons; Whereas, on June 14, 2010, the Government of Israel approved and launched a credible investigation into the flotilla incident with two international observers, Lord William David Trimble of Northern Ireland, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, and Ken Watkin, a former judge advocate general of the Canadian Armed Forces; Whereas Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza was put in place as a response to thousands of rocket attacks on Israel from Hamas terrorists in Gaza, is fully compliant with international law, and has succeeded in stopping terrorists from smuggling weapons into Gaza from the sea that can be used to murder innocent Israeli civilians; Whereas Israel has offered to fully deliver all aid intended for Gaza, following close inspection of any ship that attempts to cross its naval blockade; and Whereas Iranian Revolutionary Guard spokesman Ali Shirazi stated that the naval wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard is ready to assist further peace flotillas to Gaza with all its effort and capabilities: Now, therefore, be it

That the House of Representatives— (1)reaffirms its strong support for Israel as a longtime friend, ally, and strategic partner of the United States; (2)supports Israel’s right to defend itself; (3)condemns the violent, premeditated actions of the Insani Yardim Vakfi (IHH); (4)calls upon other nations to express their support for Israel’s right to defend itself and condemn the actions of the IHH; (5)expresses its hope that— (A)the recent incident does not derail the Israeli-Palestinian peace process; (B)other nations continue to work toward steps to have direct negotiations, advance a two-state solution, and advance the peace process; and (C)the recent incident does not stop ongoing efforts to confront the on-going attempts of delegitimizing Israel at the United Nations; (6)denounces efforts by the naval wing of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard to escort future flotillas and escalate future violent confrontations; (7)commends President Barack Obama’s strong support for Israel’s security and his unwavering support for Israel at the United Nations; (8)calls for continued strong United States leadership at the United Nations, including the utilization of its veto power, to prevent any one-sided and politically tainted internal investigation from proceeding; and (9)encourages the Administration to consider whether the IHH should be placed on the list of foreign terrorist organizations and under a visa ban, after an examination by the intelligence community, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Department of the Treasury.