[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 180 (Wednesday, November 1, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H5197-H5199]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 URGING THE EUROPEAN UNION TO DESIGNATE HIZBALLAH IN ITS ENTIRETY AS A 
                         TERRORIST ORGANIZATION

  Mr. LAWLER. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H. Res. 599) urging the European Union to designate Hizballah in 
its entirety as a terrorist organization.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                              H. Res. 599

       Whereas, in April 1983, a Hizballah terror attack against 
     the United States Embassy in Beirut killed 63 people;
       Whereas, in October 1983, a Hizballah terror attack against 
     the United States Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, killed 
     241 American and 58 French servicemembers supporting the 
     Multinational Force peacekeeping mission;
       Whereas, in July 2012, a Hizballah terror attack, carried 
     out by an operative with dual Lebanese-French citizenship, in 
     Burgas, Bulgaria, killed 5 Israeli tourists and 1 Bulgarian;
       Whereas, in March 2013, a Swedish-Lebanese Hizballah 
     operative in Cyprus was convicted of planning terror attacks 
     against Israeli tourists;
       Whereas, in June 2015, a Hizballah operative was sentenced 
     to 6 years in prison after he stockpiled more than 8 tons of 
     ammonium nitrate in Cyprus;
       Whereas the Hizballah International Financing Prevention 
     Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-102) and the Hizballah 
     International Financing Prevention Amendments Act of 2018 
     (Public Law 115-272) broadened financial sector sanctions 
     against Hizballah to compel foreign financial institutions to 
     refrain from supporting the terrorist group;
       Whereas, in May 2018, the Department of the Treasury 
     imposed sanctions on Abdullah Safi-Al-Din, Hizballah's 
     representative to Iran, Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi, a Hizballah 
     financier, and blacklisted 5 of Bazzi's companies, including 
     Belgian energy services conglomerate Global Trading Group NV;
       Whereas, in October 2018, French police raided the Islamic 
     Zahra Centre on suspicion of supporting Hizballah, freezing 
     the organization's funds, and seizing illegal weapons;
       Whereas, in September 2020, 4 former leaders of the Zahra 
     Centre France were arrested on suspicion of continuing to run 
     that association and supporting Hizballah;
       Whereas, in July 2019, the Department of the Treasury 
     designated 2 Hizballah-backed members of Lebanese Parliament, 
     Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan Ra'd, and Hizballah security 
     official Wafiq Safa, stating that Hizballah uses its 
     operatives in parliament to advance its violent activities;
       Whereas, as of April 2021, Germany believed there to be 
     1,250 people with suspected links to Hizballah in the 
     country;
       Whereas Europol's June 2022 European Union Terrorism 
     Situation and Trend Report outlined that Hizballah ``has been 
     using the EU as a base for fundraising, recruitment, and 
     criminal activities'', and the report also stated that 
     Hizballah ``is suspected of managing the transportation and 
     distribution of illegal drugs into the EU, dealing with 
     firearms trafficking and running professional money 
     laundering operations that include the provision of money 
     laundering services for other criminal organizations'';
       Whereas United States-led Project Cassandra and Operation 
     Cedar exposed the criminal-business wing of Hizballah, the 
     Business Affairs Component (BAC) of Hezbollah's External 
     Security Organization;
       Whereas, during Project Cassandra, Hizballah elements 
     involved in drug trafficking were arrested in the United 
     States, South America, and several European countries, 
     including France, Belgium, Germany, and Italy;
       Whereas Hizballah's criminal activity in Europe is run by 
     the BAC, which reports to the External Security Organisation, 
     also known as Unit 910, or the Islamic Jihad Organization, 
     and Abdallah Safieddine, Hizballah's representative in Iran, 
     is also involved in this activity;
       Whereas, in August 2020, United Nations Secretary General 
     Guterres called on Lebanon to disarm Hizballah, citing the 
     terror group's persistent violation of Resolution 1701 
     (2006);
       Whereas Iran is the prime sponsor of Hizballah, harboring, 
     financing, training, and arming the group;
       Whereas the Department of the Treasury and Department of 
     State estimate that Iran provides as much as $700,000,000 per 
     year to Hizballah in the form of financial and logistical 
     support, weapons, and training;
       Whereas Hizballah now has an arsenal of approximately 
     150,000 missiles and rockets, with increased sophistication 
     and many of which can reach deep into Israel;
       Whereas Hizballah fighters have been supporting the Assad 
     regime in Syria, often leading operations in the conflict 
     which has left more than 500,000 dead;
       Whereas Hizballah trains and provides weapons for militias 
     in Iraq and Yemen, further destabilizing the region and 
     perpetuating violence in those countries;
       Whereas Hizballah activities continue to plague Lebanon 
     with profound economic and political instability and 
     violence;
       Whereas Hizballah's cross border illicit arms and drugs 
     trafficking undermines the Lebanese Armed Forces, the 
     legitimate security establishment of the country as outlined 
     in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006);
       Whereas, in October 2012, Hizballah Deputy Secretary 
     General Naim Qassem stated that ``[Hizballah does not] have a 
     military wing and a political one . . . Every element of 
     Hizballah, from commanders to members as well as our various 
     capabilities, are in the service of the resistance'';
       Whereas the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, the 
     Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Serbia, 
     and Kosovo, among others, have declared Hizballah in its 
     entirety as a terror organization;
       Whereas, in March 2016, the Gulf Cooperation Council 
     formally branded Hizballah, in its entirety, a terrorist 
     organization, and the League of Arab States shortly 
     thereafter adopted the same designation;
       Whereas the Department of the Treasury has diligently added 
     persons and entities to the list of Specially Designated 
     Global Terrorists who have provided material support to the 
     Hizballah terrorist organization, thereby hampering its 
     financing and logistical capabilities;
       Whereas the European Union, in July 2013, designated 
     Hizballah's so-called ``military wing'', but not the 
     organization as a whole, as a terrorist organization;
       Whereas, despite restrictions put on Hizballah since the 
     designation of its military wing, the group continues to 
     conduct illicit narcotrafficking, money laundering, and 
     weapons trafficking throughout Europe and the world; and
       Whereas the House of Representatives has previously called 
     on the European Union to fully designate Hizballah as a 
     terrorist organization, passing House Resolution 359 in 
     October 2017 and House Resolution 558 on September 20, 2022: 
     Now, therefore, be it
         Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
         (1) applauds and expresses support for the continued, 
     increased cooperation between the United States and the 
     European Union (EU) in thwarting Hizballah's criminal and 
     terrorist activities;
         (2) supports transcontinental efforts within Europe to 
     share intelligence information among police and security 
     services to facilitate greater cooperation in tracking, 
     apprehending, and prosecuting terrorists, foreign fighters, 
     and potential offenders;
         (3) encourages the European Union to implement sanctions 
     against Hizballah-affiliated terrorists in tandem with the 
     United States;
         (4) recommends greater civil society engagement in both 
     the United States and Europe to underscore Hizballah's malign 
     regional influence; and
         (5) urges the European Union to designate Hizballah in 
     its entirety as a terrorist organization and increase 
     pressure on the group, including through--
         (A) facilitating better cross-border cooperation between 
     European Union members in combating Hizballah;
         (B) issuing arrest warrants against members and active 
     supporters of Hizballah;
         (C) freezing Hizballah's assets in Europe, including 
     those masquerading as charities; and
         (D) prohibiting fundraising activities in support of 
     Hizballah.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Cline). Pursuant to the rule, the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler) and the gentleman from Illinois 
(Mr. Schneider) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.


                             General Leave

  Mr. LAWLER. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise

[[Page H5198]]

and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on this 
measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. LAWLER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, 3 weeks ago, Hamas launched a brutal and unprovoked 
terrorist attack on our ally, Israel, from its perch in the Gaza Strip.
  Now Israel is engaged in a major military operation in response to 
the pressing threat posed by this Iran-backed terrorist group. For 
years, Hamas benefited from the misconception that it was focused on 
governing the Gaza Strip but make no mistake, there is no difference 
between the political and military wings of terrorist organizations.
  One of Hamas' allies in the region, Hezbollah, also benefits from 
this misguided fiction that its political and military entities are 
separate. Like with Hamas, this is unequivocally false. Even 
Hezbollah's leader himself admits there is no distinction between the 
two, so it is unfortunate that the European Union includes Hezbollah's 
military branch on its list of sanctioned terrorist organizations, but 
not its political wing.
  This has enabled Hezbollah to use Europe as a base to plan extremist 
terrorist activities and exploit global financial networks to pay for 
them. Right now, Hezbollah is launching near daily attacks on Israel's 
northern borders with rockets, mortars, and antitank missiles. Every 
one of these attacks risks the opening of a second front in this war.
  Does this sound like the work of a political party? Yet, the EU's 
continued recognition of this arbitrary distinction between political 
and military wings allows Hezbollah to continue to operate throughout 
Europe, even while causing casualties in Israel. This issue has never 
been more urgent. We must make clear to these terrorist proxies that we 
are not fooled about their true intention: the destruction of Israel. 
We must make clear to Iran that it cannot hide behind its terrorist 
proxies.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge our allies in the European Union to designate 
Hezbollah in full as a terrorist organization.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues in the House to vote in support of 
this resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1515

  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, and I 
yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I have spoken about Iran, Hamas, and the various bills 
on the floor today seeking to bring peace and prosperity to the region. 
That is why I am proud to lead H. Res. 599, urging the European Union 
to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization.
  I thank our former colleague and the current president of the 
American Jewish Committee, Ted Deutch, for his groundbreaking work on 
this issue.
  Like Hamas, Hezbollah is an Iran-backed terrorist organization 
committed to the destruction of Israel and of peace throughout the 
region, and the U.S. has done the right thing by recognizing it as 
such.
  Our good friends in Europe often make a distinction between the 
organization's political and military wings, seeing the former as a 
partner they can try to work with. Looking at how Lebanon has been on 
the verge of becoming a failed state, we cannot underestimate the 
pernicious role played by Hezbollah.
  Hezbollah bombed our Embassy in Beirut in April 1983, killing 63 
people. Then, in October of the same year, attacked a Marine Corps 
barracks, killing 241 Americans.
  Their nefarious behavior has never stopped. They murdered Israeli 
tourists in Bulgaria in 2012 and tried to do so again in Cyprus in 
2013. Two years later, they got caught in Cyprus with 8 tons of 
ammonium nitrate.
  That year, Congress passed the Hezbollah International Financing 
Prevention Act of 2015, which I was proud to help lead and follow up on 
in 2018.
  Despite our best efforts to counter it, the resolution describes in 
detail Hezbollah's nefarious activities in Belgium, France, and Germany 
and throughout the European Union.
  I have always said that the world is at its best when America leads. 
We have led in countering Hezbollah, and now we must urge our European 
allies to join us as we look at Hezbollah's skirmishing with Israel and 
loudly supporting Hamas and threatening a war on a second front at a 
most perilous time.
  I hope and trust our European partners will take this as a wake-up 
call. Hezbollah is a terrorist organization in its entirety and must be 
designated as such in its entirety.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. LAWLER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the right to close, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Manning), my good friend and the vice ranking 
member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend, Representative Brad 
Schneider, for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bipartisan resolution that I 
reintroduced with Congressman Brad Schneider and colleagues on both 
sides of the aisle.
  This resolution, originally introduced by former Congressman Ted 
Deutch and passed by the House last Congress, urges the European Union 
to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization.
  Mr. Speaker, the terrorist group Hezbollah is a linchpin of Iran's 
axis of resistance and is responsible for thousands of civilian deaths 
in the Middle East and around the globe, including the 1983 Marine 
Corps barracks bombing in Beirut and the 1994 AMIA Jewish community 
center bombing in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  Until 9/11, Hezbollah had killed more Americans than any other 
terrorist group. Today, it maintains an arsenal of 150,000 rockets 
aimed at Israel.
  In recent weeks, Hezbollah has fired upon Israel, threatening to open 
up a second front in the war along Israel's northern border, risking a 
wider regional confrontation and putting civilians in Lebanon at risk.
  Given these facts, it is incomprehensible that any EU member state 
can credibly assert any distinction between Hezbollah's so-called 
military and political wings.
  The truth is, there is one unified Hezbollah, and it is dedicated to 
carrying out terrorist activities around the world. That is why this 
bipartisan resolution calls on our partners in the EU to take a 
stronger stand against worldwide terrorism by designating Hezbollah as 
a whole as a terrorist organization.
  We must continue to keep pressure on Hezbollah, Hamas, and all other 
terrorist groups that threaten the United States and our ally Israel, 
and that undermine peace, security, and stability throughout the region 
and around the world.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge support for this bipartisan measure.
  Mr. LAWLER. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the right to close, and I reserve 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 599 is critical for making sure our friends and 
allies in Europe join us in pushing back against Hezbollah and making 
sure it no longer can pose a threat to Lebanon, Israel, and the people 
of the region.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. LAWLER. Mr. Speaker, every day that passes risks further 
escalation from Hezbollah on Israel's northern border.
  We must not allow Hezbollah to continue to present the illusion that 
its political and military wings are distinct. The EU must designate 
Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization to permanently 
dispense with this fiction.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution, 
and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Lawler) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 599.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the

[[Page H5199]]

rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________