[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 171 (Monday, December 31, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H7503-H7506]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      URGING EUROPEAN UNION TO DESIGNATE HIZBALLAH AS A TERRORIST 
                              ORGANIZATION

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree 
to the resolution (H. Res. 834) urging the governments of Europe and 
the European Union to designate Hizballah as a terrorist organization 
and impose sanctions, and urging the President to provide information 
about Hizballah to the European allies of the United States and to 
support the Government of Bulgaria in investigating the July 18, 2012, 
terrorist attack in Burgas.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 834

       Whereas the Department of State has designated Hizballah as 
     a foreign terrorist organization since October 1997;
       Whereas the United States Government designated Hizballah a 
     specially designated terrorist organization in January 1995 
     and a ``Specially Designated Global Terrorist'' pursuant to 
     Executive Order 13224 (66 Fed. Reg. 49079) in October 2001;
       Whereas Hizballah was established in 1982 through the 
     direct sponsorship and support of Iran's Islamic 
     Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Qods Force and, as a 
     primary terrorist proxy of Iran, continues to receive 
     training, weapons, and explosives, as well as political, 
     diplomatic, monetary, and organizational aid, from Iran;
       Whereas Hizballah has been implicated in multiple acts of 
     terrorism over the past 30 years, including the bombings in 
     Lebanon in 1983 of the United States Embassy, the United 
     States Marine barracks, and the French Army barracks, the 
     airline hijackings and the kidnapping of European, American, 
     and other Western hostages in the 1980s and 1990s, and 
     support for the Khobar Towers attack in Saudi Arabia that 
     killed 19 Americans in 1996;
       Whereas, according to the 2011 Country Reports on Terrorism 
     issued by the Department of State, ``Since at least 2004, 
     Hizballah has provided training to select Iraqi Shia 
     militants, including on the construction and use of 
     improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that can penetrate 
     heavily-armored vehicles.'';
       Whereas, in 2007, a senior Hizballah operative, Ali Mussa 
     Daqduq, was captured in Iraq with detailed documents that 
     discussed tactics to attack Iraqi and coalition forces, and 
     has been directly implicated in a terrorist attack that 
     resulted in the murder of 5 members of the United States 
     Armed Forces;
       Whereas Hizballah has been implicated in the terrorist 
     attacks in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the Israeli Embassy in 
     1992 and the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association in 1994;
       Whereas Hizballah has been implicated in acts of terrorism 
     and extrajudicial violence in Lebanon, including the 
     assassination of political opponents;
       Whereas, in June 2011, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, an 
     international tribunal for the prosecution of those 
     responsible for the February 14, 2005, assassination of 
     former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, issued arrest 
     warrants against 4 senior Hizballah members, including its 
     top military commander, Mustafa Badr al-Din, identified as 
     the primary suspect in the assassination;
       Whereas, according to the 2011 Country Reports on Terrorism 
     issued by the Department of State, Hizballah is ``the likely 
     perpetrator'' of 2 bomb attacks that wounded United Nations 
     Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers in Lebanon 
     during 2011;
       Whereas, according to the October 18, 2012, report of the 
     Secretary-General of the United Nations to the United Nations 
     Security Council on the implementation of Security Council 
     Resolution 1559 (2004) (in this preamble referred to as the 
     ``October 18 Report''), ``The maintenance by Hizbullah of 
     sizeable sophisticated military capabilities outside the 
     control of the Government of Lebanon . . . creates an 
     atmosphere of intimidation in the country[,] . . . puts 
     Lebanon in violation of its obligations under Resolution 1559 
     (2004)[,] and constitutes a threat to regional peace and 
     stability.'';
       Whereas, on July 12, 2006, Hizballah engaged in an 
     unprovoked attack on Israel that instigated the 2006 Israel-
     Hizballah War, in which Hizballah deliberately targeted 
     Israeli civilians and utilized innocent Lebanese as human 
     shields in violation of international norms;
       Whereas, since the 2006 conflict, Iran and Syria have 
     provided substantial assistance to Hizballah to rebuild its 
     stockpile of tens of thousands of rockets, including 
     sophisticated long-range weapons that can strike deep into 
     Israeli territory;
       Whereas John Brennan, Assistant to the President for 
     Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, stated on October 26, 
     2012, that Hizballah's ``social and political activities must 
     not obscure [its] true nature or prevent us from seeing it 
     for what it is--an international terrorist organization 
     actively supported by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards 
     Corps-Quds Force'';
       Whereas David Cohen, Under Secretary of the Treasury for 
     Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated on August 10, 
     2012, ``Before al Qaeda's attack on the U.S. on September 11, 
     2001, Hizballah was responsible for killing more Americans in 
     terrorist attacks than any other terrorist group'';
       Whereas, according to a September 13, 2012, Department of 
     the Treasury press release, ``The last year has witnessed 
     Hizballah's most aggressive terrorist plotting outside the 
     Middle East since the 1990s.'';
       Whereas, since 2011, Hizballah has been implicated in 
     thwarted terrorist plots in Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Thailand, and 
     elsewhere;
       Whereas, on July 18, 2012, a suicide bomber attacked a bus 
     in Burgas, Bulgaria, murdering 5 Israeli tourists and the 
     Bulgarian bus driver in a terrorist attack that, according to 
     Mr. Brennan, ``bore the hallmarks of a Hizballah attack'';
       Whereas Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has 
     stated regarding the Burgas terrorist attack, ``We have 
     unquestionable, fully substantiated evidence that this was 
     done by Hizballah backed by Iran.'';
       Whereas Bulgaria is a member of the European Union and of 
     the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO);
       Whereas, according to the October 18 Report, ``There have 
     been credible reports suggesting involvement by Hizbullah and 
     other Lebanese political forces in support of the parties in 
     the conflict in Syria. . . . Such militant activities by 
     Hizbullah in Syria contradict and undermine the 
     disassociation policy of the Government of Lebanon, of which 
     Hizbullah is a coalition member.'';
       Whereas, on October 26, 2012, Mr. Brennan stated, ``We have 
     seen Hizballah training militants in Yemen and Syria, where 
     it continues to provide material support to the regime of 
     Bashar al Assad, in part to preserve its weapon supply 
     lines.'';
       Whereas, on August 10, 2012, the Department of the Treasury 
     designated Hizballah pursuant to Executive Order 13582 (76 
     Fed. Reg. 52209), which targets those responsible for human 
     rights abuses in Syria, for providing support to the 
     Government of Syria;
       Whereas, according to the Department of the Treasury, since 
     early 2011, Hizballah ``has provided training, advice and 
     extensive logistical support to the Government of Syria's 
     increasingly ruthless effort to fight against the 
     opposition'' and has ``directly trained Syrian government 
     personnel inside Syria and has facilitated the training of 
     Syrian forces by Iran's terrorism arm, the Islamic 
     Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force'';
       Whereas, on September 13, 2012, the Department of the 
     Treasury designated the Secretary-General of Hizballah, 
     Hassan Nasrallah, for overseeing ``Hizballah's efforts to 
     help the Syrian regime's violent crackdown on the Syrian 
     civilian population'';
       Whereas, on October 26, 2012, Mr. Brennan stated, ``Even in 
     Europe, many countries . . . have not yet designated 
     Hizballah as a terrorist organization. Nor has the European 
     Union. Let me be clear: failure to designate Hizballah as a 
     terrorist organization makes it harder to defend our 
     countries and protect our citizens. As a result, for example, 
     countries that have arrested Hizballah suspects for plotting 
     in Europe have been unable to prosecute them on terrorism 
     charges''; and
       Whereas, on October 26, 2012, Mr. Brennan called on the 
     European Union to designate Hizballah as a terrorist 
     organization, saying, ``European nations are our most 
     sophisticated and important counterterrorism partners, and 
     together we must make it clear that we will not tolerate 
     Hizballah's criminal and terrorist activities.'': Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) urges the governments of Europe and the European Union 
     to designate Hizballah as a terrorist organization so that 
     Hizballah cannot use the territories of the European Union 
     for fundraising, recruitment, financing, logistical support, 
     training, and propaganda;
       (2) urges the governments of Europe and the European Union 
     to impose sanctions on Hizballah for providing material 
     support to Bashar al Assad's ongoing campaign of violent 
     repression against the people of Syria;
       (3) expresses support for the Government of Bulgaria as it 
     conducts an investigation into the July 18, 2012, terrorist 
     attack in Burgas, and expresses hope that the investigation 
     can be successfully concluded and that the perpetrators can 
     be identified as quickly as possible;
       (4) urges the President to provide all necessary 
     diplomatic, intelligence, and law enforcement support to the 
     Government of Bulgaria to investigate the July 18, 2012, 
     terrorist attack in Burgas;
       (5) reaffirms support for the Government of Bulgaria by the 
     United States as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty 
     Organization (NATO), and urges the United States, NATO, and 
     the European Union to work with the Government of Bulgaria to 
     safeguard its territory and citizens from the threat of 
     terrorism; and
       (6) urges the President to make available to European 
     allies and the European public information about Hizballah's 
     terrorist activities, efforts to subvert democracy within 
     Lebanon, and provision of material support

[[Page H7504]]

     to Bashar al Assad's campaign of violence in Syria.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.


                             General Leave

  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks 
and to insert extraneous material into the Record on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Florida?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 834, 
introduced by my good friend and colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Kelly).
  The resolution before the House condemns the ongoing violence 
perpetrated by Hezbollah. It urges the European Union to classify 
Hezbollah as a designated terrorist organization.
  Now, in March of 2005, the House voted on a similar resolution urging 
the European Union to add Hezbollah as a designated foreign terrorist 
organization; yet here we are again, Mr. Speaker, nearly 8 years later, 
calling for the EU to take this long overdue action.
  As the purveyor of one of the most expansive extremist networks in 
the world, Hezbollah has engaged in nearly three decades of attacks 
against Americans, Europeans, Israeli civilians, in addition to plots 
and attacks on nearly every continent. Among the most egregious 
examples of Hezbollah attacks against innocent civilians abroad were 
its bombings of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in March 1992 and 
the Jewish Cultural Center in Buenos Aires in 1994.
  Hezbollah has never missed an opportunity to target innocent 
civilians, especially innocent Israelis, as the 2006 conflict in 
southern Lebanon illustrated, while using innocent Lebanese as human 
shields. Hezbollah has even turned its weapons on Syrians and against 
other Lebanese, as the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has uncovered. And 
most recently, Mr. Speaker, Hezbollah attacked innocent Israeli and 
Bulgarian civilians in Burgas, Bulgaria.
  Mr. Speaker, given Hezbollah's long and grisly record, it is no 
surprise that many of our allies--from Canada, Great Britain, the 
Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand--have designated Hezbollah as a 
terrorist organization, because that is what it is.
  In this respect, it defies comprehension that our allies in the 
European Union continue to purposely omit Hezbollah from their list of 
designated terrorist organizations. The logic of the European Union's 
decisionmaking on this matter is, at best, baffling, particularly 
against the backdrop of our mutual efforts to address the threats of 
Hezbollah patrons Iran and Syria.
  By simply designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and 
stating the obvious, the European Union could deprive Hezbollah of 
access to millions of dollars in European banks and other financial 
institutions, while making an enormous contribution to regional 
stability, saving hundreds of lives that would otherwise be Hezbollah's 
future victims.
  Again, I strongly support this Kelly resolution, and I urge all of my 
colleagues to do the same.
  With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 834 and 
yield myself as much time as I may consume.
  This important resolution urges the nations of Europe and the 
European Union to designate Hezbollah has a terrorist organization and 
to impose sanctions on it. We know from our experience with Iran that 
sanctions and, in fact, all diplomacy are most effective when they are 
multilateral--the more multilateral, the better.
  We are particularly strong in such matters when we and our friends 
and allies in the European Union stand shoulder to shoulder. That's why 
Europe's seemingly inexplicable refusal to classify Hezbollah as a 
terrorist group has been so disappointing over the years.
  Hezbollah is a charter member of the Foreign Terrorist Organizations 
list in the United States. It's crimes are legion, spread over many 
continents, and far too numerous to list here. They begin in the early 
1980s with deadly bombings of the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Marine and 
French Army barracks in Beirut, and they have continued up to the 
present day. I still remember Ronald Reagan, President Reagan talking 
about it after so many of our marines were murdered in Lebanon.

                              {time}  1240

  Let me mention just a few of the other lowlights: countless 
kidnappings of Americans and Europeans in the 1980s and 1990s; the 
Khobar Towers attack that killed 19 Americans in 1996; the 1992 bombing 
of the Israeli Embassy and the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community 
center in Buenos Aires, again, with multiple killings; the murders of 
Americans in Iraq and the training of other Iraqi militants; and 
countless assassinations in Lebanon, including, most likely, that of 
former prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. In 2006, Hezbollah's 
unprovoked murder of three Israeli soldiers caused a war, during which 
Hezbollah rocketed civilian targets in Lebanon and used Lebanese 
civilian as human shields.
  Over the past 2 years, it has staged attacks from Turkey to Thailand. 
Today, it has forces in Syria fighting on behalf of Assad and the 
murderous Assad regime and helping to train Assad's thugs. In addition, 
this year Hezbollah twice has been directly implicated in terrorism on 
European Union territory--in Bulgaria, where a suicide bomber killed 
five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian, and in Cyprus, where an apparent 
Hezbollah terrorist attack was thwarted.
  The failure of most European nations to designate Hezbollah has been 
based on the flimsiest of reasons; namely, that Hezbollah provides 
social services to the Shiite community and participates in electoral 
politics in Lebanon. In fact, Hezbollah takes a very novel approach to 
electoral politics--using a militia to intimidate voters into voting 
for them. By the way, it's a lesson that Hamas has learned very, very 
well.
  But Europe's failure to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist group is 
not merely a problem because it accords legitimacy to a terrorist 
organization. Rather, it has important operational consequences as 
well. The failure to designate makes it more difficult to prosecute 
cases against Hezbollah crimes committed in Europe. It allows Hezbollah 
to use EU territories to fund-raise, recruit new members, propagandize, 
and train. And thus, the freedom Hezbollah enjoys in Europe ultimately 
affects non-Europeans as well. The European Union obviously will make 
its own decisions on this matter, but it's hard to escape the 
conclusion that the EU's failure to designate Hezbollah undermines both 
Europe's security and ours as well.
  The State Department's top counterterrorism official recently said 
that he's ``cautiously optimistic--at last--about the prospects for an 
EU designation of the group.'' I hope his optimism is justified. Until 
it is borne out with an actual terrorist designation, however, it is 
important that we join the Senate in going on record as urging the 
European Union to make that designation, which would be so beneficial 
to the fight against terrorism worldwide and to our own national 
security.
  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the 
balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), an esteemed member of our 
House Foreign Affairs Committee and the author of this bill.
  Mr. KELLY. I thank the gentlelady for your guidance and your 
leadership the last couple of years. It was a joy serving with you in 
Foreign Affairs.
  I rise today in support of House Resolution 834 and urge the EU and 
member states to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. 
Hezbollah is called ``the A Team'' of international terrorist 
organizations by terrorism experts. Hezbollah was created by Iran's 
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force in 1982, and is a primary 
terrorist proxy of Iran. Hezbollah receives weapons, training, monies, 
and support from Iran and Syria.

[[Page H7505]]

  Hezbollah has left its bloody fingerprints around the world in the 
last 30 years. Hezbollah has been implicated in numerous deadly 
terrorist attacks against Europeans, Americans, and Israelis:
  In 1983, the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut, which killed 63 
people; the 1983 bombing of the U.S. and French barracks of the 
Multinational Force in Lebanon, killing 241 American servicemen and 58 
French soldiers; the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos 
Aires, killing 29 people; the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community 
center building in Buenos Aires, killing 85 people; the suicide bombing 
on July 18, 2012, that killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian 
driver in the town of Burgas, Bulgaria, that had all the hallmarks of a 
Hezbollah attack.
  Hezbollah has created violence and instability in Lebanon. In 
addition to terrorist attacks and political assassinations, it has 
launched thousands of rockets and missiles at Israel from within 
Lebanon. Hezbollah supports Bashar al-Assad's brutal, ongoing violence 
against the Syrian people.
  It's long past time for the EU and its members to join the U.S. and 
other allies and list Hezbollah as a terrorism organization. I would 
ask the EU as a recipient of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to please wake 
up. The U.S. designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in the 
late 1990s. Canada and Australia, as well as the United Kingdom and the 
Netherlands, both EU members, also list Hezbollah as a terrorist 
organization.
  Failure to recognize and designate Hezbollah allows it to continue 
evading law enforcement, intelligence, and security services, and it 
endangers the people of Europe. Hezbollah cannot claim to be a 
legitimate political party or provider of social services when it 
refuses to abandon its terrorist agenda. Both the United States and the 
EU must be united in our fight against Hezbollah.
  This resolution, H. Res. 834, urges the EU and member states to 
designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and to prevent 
Hezbollah from using EU territories for fundraising, for recruitment, 
for training, for propaganda, and any other activities. It urges the EU 
and its members to impose sanctions on Hezbollah for supporting the 
Assad regime's brutal violence against the Syrian people. It affirms 
our support for the Bulgarian government in its investigation of the 
July 18, 2012, terrorist attack, and urges our President to support 
that investigation. It urges the President to provide information to 
our European allies regarding Hezbollah's terrorist activities, 
subversion of democracy in Lebanon, and support of Assad's violence in 
Syria. This Congress has and will do all it can to urge the EU to do 
the right thing and list Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
  In September, my good friend Gus Bilirakis from Florida, Mr. Deutch, 
Mr. Israel, Mr. Sires and I led a bipartisan group of 268 House Members 
to send a letter to the President and the 27 ministers of the European 
Commission urging the Commission to include Hezbollah on the EU 
terrorist list. I might mention Mr. Deutch and I had talked one day 
walking into our offices about how well our staffs have worked together 
to forge this letter, to put it together. And we do things in a lot of 
bipartisan ways. I think sometimes it gets lost in the wash of other 
things that are going on. I especially want to thank all those members 
of the staffs and also one of my staff members, Mr. Isaac Fong, for the 
tireless work he put in.
  Earlier this month, the Senate unanimously passed Senate Resolution 
613, which also urges the EU to declare Hezbollah a terrorist 
organization. H. Res. 834 has over 80 bipartisan cosponsors. I urge my 
colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H. Res. 834. It's time to recognize 
Hezbollah for what it is. If it waddles like a duck and quacks like a 
duck, it's a duck. This is a terrorist organization. It needs to be 
recognized and designated as one worldwide.

  Mr. ENGEL. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
Kucinich).
  Mr. KUCINICH. First of all, I want to begin by thanking the chair and 
the ranking member for their commitment to security, to Israel and to 
the region. I want to thank Mr. Kelly for his commitment, similarly.
  In my office, which I recently shut down because I'm not going to be 
in the next Congress, I had a pedestal on which rested a bomb fragment 
that I brought back from the village of Qana in south Lebanon. Qana is 
the place where Christ is said to have performed his first miracle. And 
Qana was also the place where a bomb dropped on an apartment building 
and killed about 50 women and children.
  I brought a fragment of that bomb back and put it on a pedestal in 
the office. And within that pedestal I put the dog tags of three 
Israeli soldiers who were captured and kidnapped. I got the dog tags 
from their parents. I've had that in my office since 2006, when I first 
went to Lebanon to look at the effects of the war. And I have them 
together because they represent the parenthesis on a human tragedy.

                              {time}  1250

  But we're all concerned about Israel's security. I rose on the floor 
of this House when the war started to talk about putting immediately 
into effect a plan that would stop the war. I've been to south Lebanon 
and Israel on several occasions.
  I want to add a word of caution here because what I'm concerned 
about, notwithstanding the best intentions of my friends who are taking 
a strong stand here, is the impact of this resolution on a United 
Nations force in Lebanon, UNIFIL. There are European troops there. 
Their mission is to enforce U.N. Security Resolution 1701 to end the 
hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.
  UNIFIL has been working with Hezbollah to stabilize south Lebanon. 
And there are reports from the ground that they have helped to achieve 
a good measure of stability in that regard, even reports that Hezbollah 
has worked to help curb the work of terrorist cells of extremist bent. 
UNIFIL has, in effect, worked with Hezbollah. Peacekeepers have worked 
with Hezbollah. They've developed a relationship for future dialogue.
  Now, I'm concerned that this resolution could make it even more 
difficult to enforce UN Resolution 1701 and that, if it's passed, one 
of the things that this Congress has to consider is that the Lebanese 
army, itself, has to be strengthened.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
  Mr. ENGEL. I yield the gentleman 1 minute.
  Mr. KUCINICH. We have to look at the implications of this. If you 
have European countries who are essentially part of the UNIFIL presence 
in south Lebanon in furtherance of a U.N. resolution to end hostilities 
between Hezbollah and Israel, to create safety for both the people of 
Israel and the people of Lebanon, we've got to be very careful here 
that we don't create a situation that is the opposite of what we are 
trying to achieve. If this resolution passes--and unfortunately, I'm 
not going to be able to support it. But if it passes, we have to do 
something to strengthen the Lebanese army, because if the Lebanese army 
isn't strong enough, then you have a situation where the very thing 
that we are opposing here could come to pass and with great force.
  So I would just urge your consideration of that, and I thank you very 
much for giving me an opportunity to put this forward. Again, I thank 
my colleagues for their constant support of Israel.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. 
Deutch).
  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 
834, which urges the European Union to take steps to swiftly designate 
Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
  Despite its history of violent civilian attacks, our European 
partners in fighting terrorism as a whole have yet to formally 
recognize Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization. Mr. Speaker, 
the failure of the EU to gain consensus on this matter serves as a 
grave injustice to those who have been the victims of terror attacks 
masterminded and carried out by Hezbollah throughout the world.
  From the suicide truck bombings of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in 
April 1983 that killed 63, the U.S. Marine barracks bombing in October 
1983 that killed 241 American military personnel, a separate attack on 
the French military compound that killed 58, as well

[[Page H7506]]

as the hijacking of TWA 847 in 1995 and Hezbollah's role in the 1994 
bombing of the Israel-Argentine Mutual Aid Association in Buenos Aires 
that killed 85, right up to the terrorist attack this summer at a 
Bulgarian airport that killed six, Hezbollah has shown its propensity 
to attack civilians and to attack them anywhere in the world. It's also 
shown its propensity to attack even within Lebanon, where the group is 
responsible for the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Hariri.
  Hezbollah and its state sponsor Iran continually spread anti-U.S. and 
anti-Israel rhetoric and excitement, with Hezbollah chief Hassan 
Nasrallah recently threatening to rain down rockets on Israel ``from 
the Lebanese border to Jordan to the Red Sea, from Kiryat Shmona to 
Eilat,'' prompting harsh rebukes from several prominent members of 
Lebanon's Parliament.
  By failing to label Hezbollah a terrorist organization, Hezbollah is 
free to continue its operations, including recruiting and fundraising 
in Europe.
  Mr. Speaker, we deeply value our relationship with our European 
allies, including our joint commitment to combatting terror around the 
globe. We appreciate their partnership in enacting crushing sanctions 
designed to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions, but we do not understand 
the failure of our friends to join together in stopping this 
organization's reign of terror. That's why we are here this morning 
speaking about House Resolution 834.
  Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I'd like to thank my friend, Congressman 
Kelly, as well as Chairman Ros-Lehtinen and Ranking Member Berman for 
their leadership on this issue.
  My friend, Mr. Engel, the incoming ranking member, I look forward to 
working with you, continuing to work on these vitally important issues.
  I urge my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, to support this resolution.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, so I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I also have no further requests for 
time, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of 
this legislation, and thank my good friend Mr. Kelly for authoring it.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution urges the governments of Europe and the 
European Union to designate Hezballah a terrorist organization, so that 
it will not be able to raise funds and recruit operatives in Europe.
  Since Hezballah is one of the most active, dangerous, ruthless, and 
evil terrorist groups in the world, this should be the most obvious 
thing in the world for the European governments to do--the minimum 
action which they should be in a hurry to do on their own, without any 
urging from anybody.
  One reason many European countries have not done so is the ongoing 
presence of anti-Semitism in Europe. It's a very sad story, but it's 
undeniably true that in many European countries large minorities or 
even majorities of the population hold attitudes that can only be 
described as anti-Semitic. Regarding this I'd like to recommend to my 
colleagues a March 2012 study of the Anti-Defamation League on 
``Attitudes Toward Jews in Ten European Countries.'' It is shocking but 
necessary reading--I will be happy to share it with any of my 
colleagues.
  Further, in Europe anti-Semitic opinion doesn't hide its head 
furtively. Rather people who are not anti-Semitic accept various forms 
of anti-Semitic statement and attitudes into seemingly ``mainstream'' 
discussion, where it's allowed to influence government policy--that is, 
anti-Semitic public opinion limits what some governments are willing to 
say and do in fighting anti-Semitism.
  So with this resolution we are also urging the European governments, 
and the European Union, to deal more pro-actively, much more pro-
actively, with anti-Semitism in Europe. Denounce anti-Semitic actions 
and statements whenever they occur--this is a fundamental 
responsibility of every elected official. As elected officials, we 
always have a special responsibility to anyone in danger--and this 
resolution documents very well that Hezbollah is an extraordinarily 
dangerous terrorist group.
  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I do want to recognize the many European 
parliamentarians who have worked hard in fighting anti-Semitism in 
Europe. I've worked with many of them over the years, particularly in 
the Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE and in the Interparliamentary 
Coalition for Combating Anti-Semitism.
  This resolution, with its careful documentation of the extraordinary 
danger posed by Hezballah, will provide Europeans engaged in fighting 
anti-Semitism with a tool they can take to their governments and demand 
that they be much more pro-active against anti-Semitism. For it is 
anti-Semitism that creates the poisonous atmosphere in which Hezballah 
operates.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support this excellent resolution.
  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, As a cosponsor of H. Res. 834, I rise to 
thank Representatives Kelly and Deutch for bringing this important 
resolution to the floor today and to encourage my colleagues to join me 
in supporting the measure.
  H. Res. 834 urges the governments of Europe and the European Union to 
designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. According to John 
Brennan, the deputy national security advisor, Europe's failure to 
designate Hezbollah as a terrorist group makes it more difficult to 
defend the citizens of the European Union and the United States because 
Hezbollah is able to openly raise funds in some European countries and 
because EU countries are unable to prosecute Hezbollah members 
suspected of plotting terrorist attacks.
  Hezbollah has been implicated in multiple acts of terrorism over the 
past 30 years, including the bombings in Lebanon in 1983 of the United 
States Embassy, the United States Marine barracks, and the French Army 
barracks, the airline hijackings and the kidnapping of European, 
American, and other Western hostages in the 1980s and 1990s. Before al 
Qaeda's attack on the U.S. on September 11, 2001, Hezbollah was 
responsible for killing more Americans in terrorist attacks than any 
other terrorist group. Today, Hezbollah is training militants in Yemen 
and Syria and continues to provide financial and material support to 
the regime of Bashar al Assad.
  This resolution urges the governments of Europe and the European 
Union to forbid Hezbollah from using EU territory for the purpose of 
fundraising, recruitment, financing, training and propaganda and it 
will help protect European and American lives. I encourage my 
colleagues to support the bill.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the House suspend the 
rules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 834.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

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