[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 17025-17026]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 548--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE 
  NEED FOR THE UNITED STATES AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY TO TAKE 
 CERTAIN ACTIONS WITH RESPECT TO THE HOSTILITIES BETWEEN HEZBOLLAH AND 
                                 ISRAEL

  Mr. DODD (for himself, Mr. Levin, Mr. Sununu, Ms. Stabenow, Mr. 
Chafee, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Feingold, and Mrs. Feinstein) submitted the 
following resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 548

       Whereas, on June 12, 2000, the Government of Lebanon 
     advised the United Nations that it would consider deploying 
     its armed forces throughout southern Lebanon following 
     confirmation by the United Nations Secretary-General that the 
     Government of Israel had fully withdrawn its armed forces 
     from that country in accordance with United Nations Security 
     Council Resolution 425 (1978);
       Whereas, on June 16, 2000, the United Nations Security 
     Council endorsed the Secretary-General's conclusion that 
     Israel had withdrawn all of its forces from Lebanon in 
     accordance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 
     425;
       Whereas, notwithstanding the reservations of both Israel 
     and Lebanon regarding the final line determining what 
     constitutes an Israeli withdrawal in accordance with United 
     Nations Security Council Resolution 425, the governments of 
     both countries confirmed that establishing the identifying 
     line was the sole responsibility of the United Nations, and 
     that they would respect the line that the United Nations 
     identified;
       Whereas Hezbollah remains an armed terrorist presence in 
     Lebanon and continues to receive material and political 
     support from the Governments of Syria and Iran;
       Whereas, as affirmed in Public Law 108-175, the Governments 
     of Syria and Iran have significant influence over Hezbollah;
       Whereas United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 
     (2004) calls for the withdrawal of all foreign forces and the 
     dismantlement of all independent militias in Lebanon;
       Whereas the international community has provided 
     insufficient encouragement and resources to the Government of 
     Lebanon to enable the Government to comply with the relevant 
     provisions of United Nations Security Council Resolution 
     1559;
       Whereas Hezbollah launched an unprovoked attack against 
     Israel on July 12, 2006, killing 7 Israeli soldiers and 
     taking 2 soldiers hostage, its fifth provocative act against 
     Israel since the summer of 2005;
       Whereas the Government of Israel, as reaffirmed in S. Res. 
     534, has the right to defend itself and to take appropriate 
     action to deter aggression by terrorist groups and their 
     state sponsors;
       Whereas fighting between Israel and Hezbollah to date has 
     caused significant damage to Lebanon's and Israel's 
     infrastructures that will necessitate the expenditure of 
     significant sums to rebuild;
       Whereas more than 400 citizens of Israel and Lebanon have 
     already lost their lives in the ongoing conflict;
       Whereas over 14,000 United States citizens have been 
     evacuated from Lebanon at a cost of over $60,000,000;
       Whereas more than 1,000,000 Israelis living in northern 
     Israel are under threat of Hezbollah rockets;
       Whereas more than 700,000 Lebanese civilians have been 
     displaced by the fighting, and the United Nations Emergency 
     Relief Coordinator is seeking more than $170,000,000 in 
     donations from international donors to pay for food, 
     medicine, water, and sanitation services over the next 3 
     months;
       Whereas the United States Government has pledged 
     $30,000,000 in short-term humanitarian assistance to address 
     the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon;
       Whereas the fragile democracy of Lebanon is in jeopardy of 
     collapsing without significant international support to 
     address the humanitarian crisis in the country and to 
     strengthen the capacity of the army and security forces of 
     the Government of Lebanon to gain effective control of all 
     territory in Lebanon; and
       Whereas continued fighting between Hezbollah and Israel is 
     a threat to the peace and security of the peoples of Israel 
     and Lebanon:
       Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
       (1) the Governments of Syria and Iran should--
       (A) end all material and logistical support for Hezbollah, 
     including attempts to replenish Hezbollah's supply of 
     weapons; and
       (B) use their significant influence over Hexbollah to 
     disarm the group and release all kidnapped prisoners;
       (2) the United States Government and the international 
     community must work urgently with the Governments of Israel 
     and Lebanon--
       (A) to attain a cessation in the hostilities between 
     Hezbollah and Israel based on--
       (i) effectuating the safe return of Israeli soldiers held 
     in Lebanon;
       (ii) the disarmament of Hezbollah, the removal of all 
     Hezbollah forces from southern Lebanon, and the replacement 
     of those forces with army and security forces of the 
     Government of Lebanon; and
       (iii) reaching an agreement to fully implement United 
     Nations Security Council Resolution 1559 and to create and 
     deploy an international stabilization force with a clear 
     mandate to enforce a permanent ceasefire;
       (B) to organize an international donors conference to 
     solicit and ensure the provision of international resources 
     for the reconstruction of roads, bridges, hospitals, 
     electrical and communications systems, and other civilian 
     infrastructure damaged or destroyed in Lebanon during the 
     hostilities;
       (C) to remain engaged to promote sustainable peace and 
     security for Israel and Lebanon and the greater Middle East; 
     and
       (D) to assist the Government of Lebanon on its path to 
     democracy by promoting necessary internal political reforms; 
     and
       (3) the territorial integrity, sovereignty, unity, and 
     political independence of Lebanon should be strongly 
     supported.
  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I send to the desk a resolution about the 
current outbreak of violence in Israel and Lebanon. I do so for myself, 
Senators Levin, Sununu, Stabenow, Chafee, and Kennedy. I know that all 
of us here want to see a peaceful conclusion to the current situation--
peace for Israelis and for Lebanese. The tragic deaths of 57 Lebanese 
civilians--37 of them children--in the village of Qana on Sunday 
highlight the urgency for doing so.
  This resolution would express the sense of the Senate that the United 
States and international community must work urgently with the 
Governments of Israel and Lebanon to achieve the following six goals: 
attaining a cessation in the hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel; 
effectuating the safe return of Israeli soldiers held in Lebanon; 
disarming Hezbollah, removing Hezbollah forces from southern Lebanon, 
and replacing those forces with Lebanese army and security forces; 
reaching agreement to create and deploy an international stabilization 
force with a robust mandate to enforce a permanent ceasefire and to 
fully implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 1559; 
organizing an international donors conference to solicit and ensure the 
provision of international resources for the reconstruction of Lebanon; 
and ensuring that all parties remain engaged to promote peace and 
security for Israel and Lebanon and the greater Middle East.
  I believe that it is important to mention a few points up front. As 
my colleagues know, the current situation began when two Israeli 
soldiers were kidnapped by Hezbollah, a terrorist organization that is 
based in Lebanon but supported by Syria and Iran.
  These soldiers were kidnapped from Israeli soil, and during those 
kidnapping operations, innocent Israelis were killed, and some northern 
Israeli cities were shelled with rockets.
  These facts are very important to remember as we consider the current 
situation because despite any other frustrations that some people might 
have with the derailed Israeli-Palestinian peace process, it wasn't 
Israeli actions

[[Page 17026]]

which started the cycle of the current bloody situation in which more 
than 400 Israelis and Lebanese have died.
  I would also say unequivocally that I believe that Israel is 
currently acting in self-defense as a response to attacks on its soil 
and the kidnapping of its citizens. No country that experienced similar 
attacks would do anything less--certainly not the United States. And I 
support fully Israel's right to defend its borders and its citizens.
  All violent confrontations, however, must eventually come to an end--
including this one. I think what we are all hoping--Americans, 
Israelis, Lebanese--is that a resolution of this flare-up will come 
quickly and without any additional loss of innocent civilians in 
Lebanon or Israel, so that a climate conducive to tackling the many 
complex problems confronting the region can exist. Clearly, that 
climate does not exist at the moment while fighting is ongoing.
  However, long-term peace necessitates certain actions. First, I 
believe that an international stabilization force with real teeth to 
act against Hezbollah militia and any other terrorist elements will 
eventually need to be deployed in southern Lebanon. On this point, we 
must learn from the failures of the current United Nations 
Stabilization Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, and give any future force the 
size and mandate to actually fulfill its mission.
  Second, long-term peace will require full implementation of U.N. 
Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls on the Lebanese Army to 
deploy to protect the southern border, as well as for the disarmament 
of Hezbollah.
  Long-term peace will also require Israel to cease its attacks in 
Lebanon, consistent with the Lebanese Government and international 
community's ability and willingness to stop terrorist elements from 
launching attacks on Israel. I would remind my colleagues that Israel 
withdrew voluntarily from Lebanon in 2000--a move that was recognized 
by the United Nations Secretary General and Security Council as 
fulfilling completely the terms of U.N. Security Council Resolution 
425. To that end, I doubt very much whether Israel would like to stay 
in Lebanon even one day longer than is absolutely necessary to stop the 
terror and return Israeli citizens to safety.
  My belief in the need for a quick cessation of hostilities is rooted 
in my concern that the current violence between Israel and Hezbollah is 
greatly strengthening the hands of Iran and Syria. This is true 
especially with respect to Iran, which wants to divert international 
attention away from its nuclear program as well as position itself as 
the leader of the Arab Muslim world.
  Indeed, as the body counts rise, we are seeing the gulf between 
moderate Arab regimes and their citizens widen dramatically. At the 
same time, Iran's position as the main backer of Hezbollah is giving it 
a newfound legitimacy in the eyes of many Arabs. It is critical that we 
avoid these outcomes because current Iranian nuclear and regional 
ambitions pose a threat to Israel, to moderate Arab regimes, to the 
United States, and to the international community alike.
  Moreover, long-term peace will be impossible unless the international 
community gets both Iran and Syria to shut off and cut off Hezbollah 
and other terrorist groups. By ``shut off,'' I mean that Iran and Syria 
must send a clear signal to Hezbollah to stop its violent terrorist 
attacks against Israel. By ``cut off,'' I mean that these countries 
must stop financing, supplying, and providing safe haven to terrorist 
groups and their operatives. The international community must also send 
a strong message to Iran and Syria that they need to stop preventing 
Lebanon from deploying its army to disarm Hezbollah and protect the 
border.
  But the current situation will not begin to wind down unless, first 
and foremost, the Israeli hostages are released unharmed.
  After that, the short-term goals should be the deployment of an 
international stabilization force with real teeth in the south and some 
kind of international monitoring of land, sea, and air crossings to 
ensure that Hezbollah will not be rearmed by Syria and Iran.
  The long-term goals are obviously that U.N. Security Council 
Resolution 1559 is fully implemented. Full implementation of that 
resolution means, among other things, that an effective Lebanese Army 
is deployed along that country's southern border and that Hezbollah is 
disarmed.
  It is quite apparent that after decades of operational and financial 
support from Syria, and especially Iran, Hezbollah's military wing is 
currently too strong for the relatively weak Lebanese Government to 
deal with. So to the extent that Israeli actions weaken Hezbollah's 
capabilities, they also create the possibility of strengthening the 
Lebanese Government's hand to reign in militias and terrorists. But 
there might be a point of diminishing returns where Hezbollah is 
somewhat weakened while Iran and Syria are greatly strengthened--an 
outcome that it is essential to avoid. Hopefully, the combination of 
the current attacks against Hezbollah, a quick cessation of 
hostilities, and the immediate deployment--concurrent with the end of 
hostilities--of an international force with real teeth will make that 
the case.
  I realize that there are many voices in the Arab world who accuse the 
U.S. of ignoring the plight of the innocent Lebanese citizens who have 
been caught in the crossfire because Hezbollah militants have 
shamefully hidden themselves and their weapons among the civilian 
population. I do not believe that this is the case. And I think that 
the U.S. could help to prove this by organizing an international 
donors' conference as quickly as possible to assist the Lebanese in 
rebuilding their country.
  As I said before, I think we in Congress all share a desire to see 
peace in the Middle East. I would hope that once all of the steps I 
have talked about today come into place that the United States would 
take a lead role in bringing about that peace because U.S. leadership, 
and our active and high-level engagement, have always been an essential 
part of the Middle East peace process.
  I believe that this resolution will send a strong signal that the 
world needs to support the Lebanese people, respect Israel's right to 
defend itself, and be tough with Hezbollah, Iran, and Syria. These are 
the necessary signals that we need to send in order for there to truly 
be hope at the end of this tunnel. I urge my colleagues to support this 
resolution.

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