[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15371]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 EXPRESSING VIGOROUS SUPPORT AND UNWAVERING COMMITMENT TO THE WELFARE, 
     SECURITY, AND SURVIVAL OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL AS A JEWISH AND 
  DEMOCRATIC STATE WITH SECURE BORDERS, AND RECOGNIZING AND STRONGLY 
  SUPPORTING ITS RIGHT TO ACT IN SELF-DEFENSE TO PROTECT ITS CITIZENS 
                       AGAINST ACTS OF TERRORISM

  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
the Committee on Foreign Affairs be discharged from further 
consideration of House Resolution 813, and ask for its immediate 
consideration in the House.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Indiana?
  There was no objection.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 813

       Whereas Hamas was founded with the stated goal of 
     destroying the State of Israel;
       Whereas Hamas has been designated by the Secretary of State 
     as a Foreign Terrorist Organization;
       Whereas Hamas refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist, 
     renounce violence, and accept previous agreements between 
     Israel and the Palestinians;
       Whereas Hamas has launched thousands of rockets and 
     missiles since Israel dismantled settlements and withdrew 
     from Gaza in 2005;
       Whereas terrorists in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip have 
     fired approximately 900 rockets and missile shells into 
     Israel this year, an increase from roughly 675 attacks in 
     2011 and 350 in 2010;
       Whereas Hamas has increased the range of its rockets, 
     reportedly with support from Iran and others, putting 
     additional large numbers of Israelis in danger of rocket 
     attacks from Gaza;
       Whereas, on November 14, 2012, President Barack Obama 
     condemned the rocket fire from Gaza into Israel and 
     reiterated Israel's right to self-defense; and
       Whereas Israel, a fellow democracy, has an inherent right 
     to self defense in the face of terrorist attacks: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) expresses unwavering commitment to the security of the 
     State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure 
     borders, and recognizes and strongly supports its inherent 
     right to act in self-defense to protect its citizens against 
     acts of terrorism;
       (2) reiterates that Hamas must end Gaza-linked terrorist 
     rocket and missile attacks against Israel, recognize Israel's 
     right to exist, renounce violence, and agree to accept 
     previous agreements between Israel and the Palestinians;
       (3) urges the United Nations Security Council to condemn 
     the recent spike in Gaza-linked terrorist missile attacks 
     against Israel, which risk causing civilian casualties in 
     both Israel and Gaza; and
       (4) encourages the President to continue to work 
     diplomatically with the international community to prevent 
     Hamas and other Gaza-based terrorist organizations from 
     retaining or rebuilding the capability to launch rockets and 
     missiles against Israel.

  The resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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