Congressional Record, Volume 147 Issue 89 (Monday, June 25, 2001)

[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 89 (Monday, June 25, 2001)]
[House]
[Pages H3487-H3488]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

CALLING UPON HEZBOLLAH TO ALLOW RED CROSS TO VISIT FOUR ABDUCTED
ISRAELIS

Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules
and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 99) expressing the sense of the
House of Representatives that Lebanon, Syria, and Iran should call upon
Hezbollah to allow representatives of the International Committee of
the Red Cross to visit four abducted Israelis, Adi Avitan, Binyamin
Avraham, Omar Souad, and Elchanan Tannenbaum, presently held by
Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
The Clerk read as follows:

H. Res. 99

Whereas on October 7, 2000, Hezbollah units, in clear
violation of international law, crossed the Lebanese border
into Israel and kidnapped three Israeli soldiers, Adi Avitan,
Binyamin Avraham, and Omar Souad;
Whereas on October 15, 2000, Hezbollah announced that it
had abducted a fourth Israeli, Elchanan Tannenbaum;
Whereas these captives are being held by Hezbollah in
Lebanon;
Whereas the 1999 Department of State report on foreign
terrorist organizations stated that Hezbollah receives
substantial amounts of financial assistance, training,
weapons, explosives, and political, diplomatic, and
organizational assistance from Iran and Syria;
Whereas Syria voted in favor of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights in the United Nations General Assembly;
Whereas Lebanon voted in favor of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights in the United Nations General Assembly;
Whereas Iran voted in favor of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights in the United Nations General Assembly;
Whereas the International Committee of the Red Cross has
made numerous attempts to gain access to assess the condition
of these prisoners; and
Whereas the International Committee of the Red Cross has
been denied access to these prisoners: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of
Representatives that Lebanon, Syria, and Iran should call
upon Hezbollah to allow representatives of the International
Committee of the Red Cross to visit four abducted Israelis,
Adi Avitan, Binyamin Avraham, Omar Souad, and Elchanan
Tannenbaum, presently held by Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
Jersey (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith).
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Speaker, even in the midst of war or violent conflict, the need
for some limits must be underlined. Those limits are of crucial
importance in that they remind us of our essential humanity. When
humanitarian standards are ignored, we need to call them to the
attention of those who seem to be violating them. In the case of the
individuals mentioned in the resolution now before us, who are Israeli
soldiers and civilians, the rules are, in fact, being ignored. This
resolution relates to several Israeli soldiers and one civilian who
have been kidnapped from Israel itself or in Europe. Their captors have
admitted holding them and they have said that they are alive, but that
is all that is known about them.
In defiance of international norms, their captors are not permitting
the International Committee of the Red Cross to have access to them. Of
course, the captives should be treated humanely. Of course, they should
be released, but they should certainly, at the very least, be provided
with protections of international humanitarian law. The International
Committee of the Red Cross should be provided with access to them so
that their welfare can be ascertained and other appropriate protections
be afforded to them. It is cynical and cruel for Hezbollah to deny the
ICRC access to them. The real harm is being done to their families who
wait for word of their welfare.
Madam Speaker, let me just say that the governments of Lebanon,
Syria, and Iran either fund Hezbollah or allow it to operate on their
territory. This resolution asks those governments to use their
influence to ask Hezbollah to do the right thing. It is not too much to
ask. I request that my colleagues join me in supporting this
resolution.
Madam Speaker, I would like to thank the chairman of the full
committee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde); the ranking member
of the full committee, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos); and
the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman); and the ranking Democrat of the
Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Ackerman) for moving this bill through their committees.
I also want to thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) for
sponsoring it. It is a good resolution and it deserves the support of
this body.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, I thank my friend, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr.
Smith), for his words in support of this resolution; and I rise in
strong support of this resolution.
Madam Speaker, I want to begin by thanking the chairman of the full
committee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde); our distinguished
ranking member, the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos); my
Republican colleagues, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman), the
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cantor), the gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Kirk), and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) for their work;
and my other colleague, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Ackerman), for
helping to get this resolution to the floor for quick consideration
today.
In October 2000, Adi Avitan, Binyamin Avraham, and Omar Souad were
abducted while on a routine patrol of Israel's northern border. A
fourth man, Elchanan Tannenbaum, a reservist, was taken while on a
business trip in Europe.
At the present time, these men are believed to be held by the
Hezbollah on Lebanese soil. The United Nations Secretary General Kofi
Annan and the International Committee of the Red Cross have made
numerous overtures to Hezbollah in an effort to gain access to assess
the physical condition and well-being of these prisoners. The Hezbollah
has rejected these requests each and every time.
The continued detention of these men by Hezbollah troops is
unacceptable and must be addressed immediately.
The conditions of their capture and the subject of detention run
completely counter to the international standards and laws. Given that
the State Department Report on Terrorism has named Iran and Syria as
the patron states of Hezbollah, we must hold the governments in Tehran
and Damascus responsible for the well-being of these men.
As signatories to the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, Iran and
Syria have a responsibility to the international community to take
concrete steps to encourage Hezbollah to permit this visit to take
place. President Khatami and President Assad have made statements
regarding the desire to join the community of nations. If these
statements truly represent the desires of Iran and Syria, I ask them to
take the first step toward achieving that objective by exerting their
considerable influence over Hezbollah to allow the International
Committee of the Red Cross to do their job without further delay.
I first met the families of these men on a visit to Israel earlier
this year in January with Members from New York, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Weiner) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler). It was
my hope

[[Page H3488]]

that by the time we met again that their sons and fathers would be
home.
Last month, I stood beside them once again here in Washington, but
the void left by their sons and fathers still remains. I know that the
families are grateful that they need not fight for their sons and
fathers alone. They are joined by well over 70 Members of the House and
the Senate who have cosponsored this resolution before us. We send a
strong signal to the patron states of Hezbollah; but most of all, we
must send hope to Adi, to Binyamin, to Omar, and Elchanan and their
families. We can do just that by passing this resolution today.
Therefore, Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this
resolution.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SHAW. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of House
Resolution 99, a resolution to urge Lebanon, Syria, and Iran to allow
the International Red Cross to visit the four abducted Israelis. Many
of my constituents have contacted me to voice their concerns for the
Israeli citizen and the three Israeli soldiers that were taken hostage.
I recently received a group of letters from the fifth grade class at
the Jacobson Sinai Academy of North Dade, asking me to ``imagine how
their families are crying from sorrow because their child has been
kidnapped.'' I believe Congress has a responsibility to push for
International Red Cross intervention to check on the status of the
captured Israelis.
We should continue diplomatic efforts to seek the help of Syria and
Iran in opening a dialogue with the Hezbollah. H. Res. 99 sends an
important message to the international community that these hostages
have not been forgotten, even while the security situation in the
Middle East has deteriorated since last fall. I urge the House to
unanimously pass this resolution and continue to work towards a lasting
peace in the Middle East.
Mr. GILMAN. Madam Speaker. I yield myself such time as I may consume
and ask unanimous consent to revise and extend my remarks.
It is with regret that we have to bring this resolution before the
House today, but it is necessary to do so, because of an ongoing human
tragedy--the capture of several individuals by a terrorist band
operating with the support, or perhaps the acquiescence, of three
Middle Eastern states, and which is holding them without providing any
access by international humanitarian organizations.
I want to express my appreciation for the efforts of the gentleman
from New York, Mr. Crowley, and the gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Kirk,
who have worked so diligently on this resolution. Also, I want to thank
the Chairman of the Committee, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde)
and my colleagues, the gentleman from New York, (Mr. Ackerman), our
subcommittee Ranking Member, and the gentleman from California (Mr.
Lantos), the full Committee ranking member.
Last October, Hezbulloh terrorists crossed the Israeli border near
the so-called Shebaa Farms area and captured 3 soldiers. Later that
month, they kidnapped an Israeli businessman in Europe.
This resolution is not just about the legality of the captivity of
these individuals, although of course they should be released. The
narrow question we are focusing is on whether they should be allowed
visits by the International Committee of the Red Cross--and who should
be making that appeal to their captors.
There is no question about who is responsible for this act--
Hezbulloh. Those countries which allow Hezbollah to operate, or which
fund it--namely Iran, Syria, and Lebanon--are in a position to
influence this request.
We are asking that they would use their influence. It's just that
simple. That is what this resolution is seeking.
Accordingly, I ask my colleagues to fully support this resolution,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. KIRK. Madam Speaker, I rise today to call on the immediate
release of three Israeli soldiers and one Israeli citizen who have been
held hostage by Hezbollah in Lebanon for the last eight months. I thank
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) for sponsoring this
resolution and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Hyde) for bringing it
to the floor today.
On October 7, 2000, Hezbollah terrorists crossed the Lebanese border
into Israel, ambushed an IDF patrol unit, and abducted Adi Avitan,
Binyamin Avraham, and Omar Souad. Only a week later, Elchanan
Tannenbaum, an Israeli civilian, was abducted while on a business trip
to Switzerland. Despite constant international pressure, Hezbollah has
not yet shown any signs of releasing these four hostages. Hezbollah
continues to deny any requests to meet with these four men.
The kidnaping of these three soldiers and one citizen is yet another
intolerable element of the ongoing struggle in the Middle East. Iran
and Hezbollah's blatant violation of established international norms
must be confronted. Syria, Lebanon, and Iran all voted in favor of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the United Nations General
Assembly, yet Hezbollah has continued to deny the International
Committee of the Red Cross access to these prisoners.
Having worked against Hezbollah in Bosnia, I am aware of the danger
they pose to Israelis and America abroad. We must take all necessary
steps to ensure that, at the very least, Syria, Lebanon, and Iran call
upon Hezbollah to allow representatives of the International Committee
of the Red Cross to visit these Israeli hostages. For 261 days, these
four men have been held captive. The families of these young men cannot
continue to be tormented by the uncertainty of their loved ones'
existence. Hezbollah has remained tight lipped on the condition of
these men, and several Arabic language newspapers have reported that at
least one of the soldiers had died in captivity.
The United States must take a strong position against Hezbollah and
call for these terrorists to allow the International Committee of the
Red Cross to visit Adi Avitan, Binyamin Avraham, Omar Souad, and
Elchanan Tannenbaum. This resolution is a re-affirmation of our
commitment to Israel and the values of democracy, justice, and human
decency.

{time} 1600

Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and
I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests
for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) that the House
suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 99.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of
those present have voted in the affirmative.
Mr. CROWLEY. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be
postponed.

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