[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 665 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 665

Condemning the murder of Israeli and Palestinian children in Israel and 
          the ongoing and escalating violence in that country.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 10, 2014

 Mr. McKinley (for himself, Mr. Vargas, Mr. Lamborn, Mr. Smith of New 
 Jersey, Mr. Griffin of Arkansas, Mr. McClintock, Mr. Johnson of Ohio, 
 Mr. Dent, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Mr. Farenthold, Mr. Roskam, and Mr. Grimm) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                           on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Condemning the murder of Israeli and Palestinian children in Israel and 
          the ongoing and escalating violence in that country.

Whereas on April 23, 2014, the Palestinian factions of Fatah and Hamas announced 
        a deal to unify Palestinian Authority rule over the West Bank and Gaza 
        and to hold elections;
Whereas Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007 and is a designated 
        terrorist organization by the governments of the United States, Israel, 
        Canada, Japan, Jordan and Egypt, as well as the European Union;
Whereas Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist and its charter calls 
        for the destruction of the Jewish State;
Whereas Israel remains a strategic partner and ally since its establishment in 
        1948 and is a vibrant democracy with a strong rule of law situated in a 
        hostile neighborhood in the Levant;
Whereas Israel has the right to self-defense as declared in Article 51 of the 
        Charter of the United Nations;
Whereas Israelis Naftali Frenkel, 16, Gilad Shaer, 16, and Eyal Yifrach, 19, 
        were kidnapped on June 12, 2014, and subsequently murdered by two 
        suspected Hamas members in the West Bank;
Whereas Israel launched Operation Brother's Keeper to first retrieve the young 
        boys and then to infiltrate and destroy Hamas' network in the West Bank;
Whereas Palestinian Mohammed Abu Khdeir, 16, was abducted and killed in a 
        retaliatory act by extremists on July 2, 2014, in Jerusalem;
Whereas Israeli political leaders strongly denounced the killing of Mohammed Abu 
        Khdeir, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stating: ``I 
        unequivocally condemn the murder of a Palestinian youth in Jerusalem . . 
        .'' and ``Murder, riots, incitement, vigilantism -- they have no place 
        in our democracy.'';
Whereas Hamas continues to perpetuate violence against Israel, launching 
        hundreds of rocket attacks on large population centers in Israel from 
        Gaza;
Whereas Israel has made numerous efforts to avoid conflict through a proposed 
        ``quiet for quiet'' formula which Hamas explicitly rejected; and
Whereas the Israel Defense Force consequently initiated Operation Protective 
        Edge to respond to these ongoing threats to Israeli citizens: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) condemns the kidnapping and murder of Naftali Frenkel, 
        Gilad Shaer, and Eyal Yifrach by terrorists associated with 
        Hamas and the murder of Mohammed Abu Khdeir by extremists;
            (2) commends Israeli authorities for acting swiftly to 
        apprehend the killers of Mohammed Abu Khdeir and expects that 
        the murderers will be punished to the full extent of the law;
            (3) calls on the Hamas-backed Palestinian Authority to 
        cooperate fully with the Israeli government to apprehend the 
        murderers of Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaer, and Eyal Yifrach and 
        bring them to justice;
            (4) calls on Hamas to halt its attacks on Israel and stop 
        provoking Israel into a conflict; and
            (5) urges the Palestinian Authority to sever ties with 
        Hamas until it recognizes Israel's right to exist and renounces 
        terrorism.
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