[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 149 (Tuesday, December 9, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6465-S6466]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DENOUNCING THE USE OF CIVILIANS AS HUMAN SHIELDS BY HAMAS AND OTHER
TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS IN VIOLATION OF INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW
Mr. SCHATZ. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 616, H. Con.
Res. 107.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the concurrent
resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 107) denouncing the
use of civilians as human shields by Hamas and other
terrorist organizations in violation of international
humanitarian law.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
concurrent resolution, which had been reported from the Committee on
Foreign Relations, with an amendment and an amendment to the preamble
and an amendment to the title.
(Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part
printed in italic.)
(Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic.)
H. Con. Res. 107
Whereas the use of human shields is unconscionable and
morally unacceptable;
Whereas since June 15, 2014, there have been over 2,000
rockets fired by Hamas and other terrorist organizations from
Gaza into Israel;
Whereas Hamas uses civilian populations as human shields by
placing their missile batteries in densely populated areas
and near schools, hospitals, and mosques;
Whereas Israel dropped leaflets, made announcements, placed
phone calls, and sent text messages to the Palestinian people
in Gaza warning them in advance that an attack was imminent,
and went to extraordinary lengths to target only terrorist
actors and to minimize collateral damage;
Whereas Hamas urged the residents of Gaza to ignore the
Israeli warnings and to remain in their houses and encouraged
Palestinians to gather on the roofs of their homes to act as
human shields;
Whereas on July 23, 2014, the 46-Member UN Human Rights
Council passed a resolution to form a commission of inquiry
over Israel's operations in Gaza that completely fails to
condemn Hamas for its indiscriminate rocket attacks and its
unconscionable use of human shields, with the United States
being the lone dissenting vote;
Whereas public reports have cited the role of Iran and
Syria in providing material support and training to Hamas and
other terrorist groups carrying out rocket and mortar attacks
from Gaza;
Whereas throughout the summer of 2006 conflict between the
State of Israel and the terrorist organization Hezbollah,
Hezbollah forces utilized innocent civilians as human
shields;
Whereas al Qaeda, Al-Shabaab, Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL), and other foreign terrorist organizations
typically use innocent civilians as human shields;
Whereas the United States and Israel have cooperated on
missile defense projects, including Iron Dome, David's Sling,
and the Arrow Anti-Missile System, projects designed to
thwart a diverse range of threats, including short-range
missiles and rockets fired by non-state actors, such as
Hamas;
Whereas the United States provided $460,000,000 in fiscal
year 2014 for Iron Dome research, development, and
production;
[[Page S6466]]
Whereas, during the most recent rocket attacks from Gaza,
Iron Dome successfully intercepted dozens of rockets that
were launched against Israeli population centers; and
Whereas 5,000,000 Israelis are currently living under the
threat of rocket attacks from Gaza: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring),
That Congress--
(1) strongly condemns the use of innocent civilians as
human shields;
(2) calls on the international community to recognize and
condemn Hamas' use of human shields;
(3) places responsibility for the rocket attacks against
Israel on Hamas and other terrorist organizations, such as
Palestine Islamic Jihad;
(4) supports the sovereign right of the Government of
Israel to defend its territory and its citizens from Hamas'
rocket attacks, kidnapping attempts, and the use of tunnels
and other means to carry out attacks against Israel;
(5) expresses condolences to the families of the innocent
victims on both sides of the conflict;
(6) supports Palestinian civilians who reject Hamas and all
forms of terrorism and violence, desiring to live in peace
with their Israeli neighbors;
(7) supports efforts to demilitarize the Gaza Strip,
removing Hamas's means to target Israel, including its use of
tunnels, rockets, and other means; and
(8) condemns the United Nations Human Rights Council's
biased resolution establishing a commission of inquiry into
Israel's Gaza operations.
Mr. SCHATZ. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported
amendment to the resolution be agreed to, the resolution, as amended,
be agreed to, and that the committee-reported amendment to the preamble
be agreed to, the preamble, as amended, be agreed to, and that the
committee-reported amendment to the title be agreed to, and that the
motions to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee-reported amendment in the nature of a substitute was
agreed to.
The concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 107), as amended, was agreed
to.
The committee-reported amendment to the preamble in the nature of a
substitute was agreed to.
The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
The committee-reported amendment to the title was agreed to, as
follows:
Amend the title so as to read: ``A concurrent resolution
denouncing the use of civilians as human shields by Hamas and
other terrorist organizations.''.
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