[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13649-13654]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    DENOUNCING USE OF CIVILIANS AS HUMAN SHIELDS BY HAMAS AND OTHER 
                        TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
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, as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 107

       Whereas the term ``human shields'' refers to the use of 
     civilians, prisoners of war, or other noncombatants whose 
     mere presence is designed to protect combatants and objects 
     from attack;
       Whereas the use of human shields violates international 
     humanitarian law (also referred to as the Law of War or Law 
     of Armed Conflict);
       Whereas Additional Protocol I, Article 50(1) to the Geneva 
     Convention defines ``civilian'' as, ``[a]ny person who does 
     not belong to one of the categories of persons referred to in 
     Article 4(A) (1), (2), (3), and (6) of the Third Convention 
     and in Article 43 of this Protocol. In the case of doubt 
     whether a person is a civilian, that person shall be 
     considered a civilian.'';
       Whereas Additional Protocol I, Article 51(7) to the Geneva 
     Convention states, ``[T]he presence or movement of the 
     civilian population or individual civilians shall not be used 
     to render certain points or areas immune from military 
     operations, in particular in attempts to shield military 
     objectives from attacks or to shield, favour or impede 
     military operations. The Parties to the conflict shall not 
     direct the movement of the civilian population or individual 
     civilians in order to attempt to shield military objectives 
     from attacks or to shield military operations.'';
       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 has been using civilian populations as human 
     shields by placing their missile batteries in densely 
     populated areas and near schools, hospitals, and mosques;
       Whereas Israel drops leaflets, makes announcements, places 
     phone calls and sends text messages to the Palestinian people 
     in Gaza warning them in advance that an attack is imminent, 
     and goes to extraordinary lengths to target only terrorist 
     actors;
       Whereas Hamas has urged the residents of Gaza to ignore the 
     Israeli warnings and to remain in their houses and has 
     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 without a single mention of 
     the indiscriminate rocket attacks by Hamas or the 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 human shields in violation of 
     international humanitarian law;
       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 has provided $235,000,000 in 
     fiscal year 2014 for Iron Dome research, development, and 
     production;
       Whereas, during the most recent rocket attacks from Gaza, 
     Iron Dome has successfully intercepted dozens of rockets that 
     were launched against Israeli population centers; and
       Whereas 5 million Israelis are currently living under the 
     threat of rocket attacks from Gaza: Now, therefore, be it

[[Page 13650]]

       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' breaches of international law through the use 
     of human shields;
       (3) places responsibility for the rocket attacks against 
     Israel on Hamas and other terrorist organizations, such as 
     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) condemns Hamas' repeated refusals to accept a cease-
     fire with Israel;
       (8) supports efforts to permanently demilitarize the Gaza 
     Strip, removing Hamas's means to target Israel, including its 
     use of tunnels, rockets, and other means; and
       (9) condemns the United Nations Human Rights Council's 
     biased commission of inquiry into Israel's Gaza operations.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Royce) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from California.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to 
include extraneous material on the concurrent resolution.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from California?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Let me begin by expressing my appreciation to the chairman and 
ranking member of the Middle East Subcommittee, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen of 
Florida, and Mr. Deutch of Florida for their good work on this 
legislation. I am pleased to have worked with Mr. Engel and the 
leadership to ensure that this legislation was scheduled for the floor 
today for consideration.
  Mr. Speaker, this legislation places responsibility for the 
escalation and violence squarely where it belongs: with the Iranian-
backed terrorist group Hamas. Hamas is deliberately targeting Israeli 
civilians through the use not only of rockets but longer and longer 
range missiles--2,500 of these so far--aimed at cities--Tel Aviv and 
Jerusalem, attempting to attack Israeli communities. Remember, these 
attacks are at civilian populations, they are not at military 
installations. And Hamas is perpetuating the kidnapping and murder, 
which started with three Israeli teenagers.
  Again and again, we have seen these incursions through these 
tunnels--32 new tunnels found so far--3 miles into Israeli territory. 
One of the amazing things, when you go into the tunnels, you see not 
only how they are used for these attacks, but what they have in reserve 
in these tunnels: ropes, syringes, tranquilizers, handcuffs, 
explosives, walls and walls of explosives. These were attempts to 
inflict mass casualty attacks on the civilian population.
  $100 million is approximately what was spent on these tunnels, at the 
expense, I might add, of the Palestinian people. That is 4,000 trucks 
of equipment coming in over the border from Israel with cement--which 
was presumed to be used, hopefully, for schools or hospitals--with 
cement, with aggregate, with steel, instead used for the construction 
of these tunnels tunneling under Israel.
  Less than 10 years ago, Israel pulled out of Gaza. The Strip was 
going to flourish without Israel's control. That was what we were told. 
But it wasn't supposed to be this way. It wasn't supposed to be a 
situation where Hamas would take resources and plow it into terror day 
by day.
  Today, the Gaza Strip is a terrorist sanctuary on Israel's borders 
with sanctuaries within this sanctuary. We now know 32 of these are 
tunnels.
  Beyond targeting Israeli civilians with kidnapping and indiscriminate 
firing of rockets, Hamas shows a callous disregard for the lives of the 
Palestinians it ostensibly represents. That is the purpose of this 
initiative here today, to call attention to that fact.
  Earlier this month, the Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri appeared on 
Al-Aqsa television and encouraged Gaza residents to act as human 
shields. That is the responsibility they ask as they are hidden down in 
these tunnels. As they are in these bunkers, they ask their civilian 
population to go and make of themselves human shields in front of 
rocket launchers.
  The world can't let terrorists embed their forces among the civilian 
population, using them as human shields, without speaking out. This is 
a direct violation of international humanitarian law and the law of 
war, sacrificing the innocent in an effort to protect those engaged in 
terror from an Israeli response.
  Hamas is engaging in a crime of enormous proportions, perpetrated by 
those who are deliberately hiding among civilians to protect 
themselves. According to the Geneva Convention, the presence of the 
civilian population, or individual civilians, shall not be used to 
render certain points or areas immune from military operations, in 
particular, in attempts to shield military objectives from attack, or 
to shield, favor, or impede military operations. That is the Geneva 
Convention.
  A full court press to discredit Israel is on in the United Nations. 
My question is: Where are the defenders of international law in 
condemning Hamas' use of human shields? I saw the report. There is no 
mention in there of the rockets being fired against Israel.
  Yes, this is a case where Israel is using missile defense to protect 
its civilians, and Hamas is using their civilians to protect their 
missiles. It is a case where we have to recognize Israel's right to 
defend its people by taking necessary and appropriate force to 
neutralize the threat posed by Hamas.
  Think about the recent discovery that Israeli security sources 
unearthed, evidence that Hamas was preparing to dispatch 200 terrorists 
via ten tunnels toward six Israeli communities with a goal of killing 
and kidnapping scores and scores of Israelis on the Jewish New Year. If 
that was on our border with Canada, how would we react?
  I urge all of my colleagues to support this resolution, which takes a 
strong stand against Hamas' crimes, and I reserve the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 107, condemning Hamas' use 
of human shields in Gaza.
  Mr. Speaker, in recent weeks, on our TV screens and computer 
monitors, in the pages of newspapers and magazines, we have seen the 
bloody and brutal results of war. We have heard the reports of so many 
lives lost. No matter where you come from or what you believe, if you 
don't grieve over every innocent killed, you simply don't have a heart.
  What is missing from many of these stories, though, is why these 
blameless men, women, and children ended up in harm's way. When Israel 
acts to defend itself, it does everything it can do to warn civilians 
and minimize loss of life. Israel warns Palestinians ahead of time, 
going so far as to say specifically where an airstrike is going to 
occur.
  What does Hamas do, on the other hand? It forces Palestinians to stay 
in their homes, to stay in the line of fire. All the while, Hamas 
leaders cower in their underground tunnels. Then they have the cynicism 
to point their cameras at the dead, show the world the outcome of their 
human shield strategy, and blame Israel. It is despicable and it is 
shameful.
  This resolution sends a clear message. The Palestinian people of Gaza 
should not have to take this anymore from Hamas.
  It also makes clear that we support taking away Hamas' ability to 
wage terror campaigns.
  As Secretary Kerry said on Tuesday:

       Any process to resolve the crisis in Gaza in a lasting and 
     meaningful way must lead to the disarmament of Hamas and all 
     terrorist groups.

  Now is the time for the United States to stand firm in our support of 
Israel.

[[Page 13651]]

Hamas has Qatar and Turkey, shamefully, to support them, and the rest 
of the world has turned a deaf ear to Israel's pleas for security.
  The U.N. Human Rights Council, which, frankly, is a joke, even voted 
to investigate Israel for war crimes, with the United States casting 
the courageous lone dissenting vote. We know the Human Rights Council 
typically has a muddled view of Israeli-Palestinian issues. But given 
the constant barrage of Hamas rockets, launched from civilian 
population centers, day in and day out, week in and week out, year in 
and year out, and falling on Israeli civilian population centers, the 
Council seems especially out of touch.
  We ought to mention something that is very important. This war 
started because Hamas keeps attacking the Israeli civilian population 
through the years with its missiles--civilians. So for Hamas to now 
fret over civilian casualties, which is the fault of them in both Gaza 
and Israel, really just rings hollow.

                              {time}  1445

  If Hamas were so concerned about human casualties, why does it target 
Israeli civilian populations, as it has all these years?
  As Israel's security is threatened and its reputation is smeared--
frankly, the media hasn't been helpful or evenhanded--this moral 
equivalency between a terrorist group and a democratic country trying 
to protect its citizens is sometimes sickening.
  The United States is the only one true friend that Israel has. We 
must always stand up for Israel's security, and we must state plainly 
that Israel is not alone.
  I want to thank Representative Ros-Lehtinen and Representative Deutch 
for their leadership on this issue. They have done very strong work in 
bringing to light Hamas' deplorable crimes against the Israeli and 
Palestinian people. I also want to thank Representative Steve Israel 
and Representative Tom Cole for sponsoring a similar resolution, which 
the House passed just a few weeks ago.
  I also want to thank Chairman Royce, who has worked diligently and 
hard to bring consensus to our committee, so we can speak with one 
voice to let the Israeli people know that when it comes to the support 
of Israel, support is strong and bipartisan from this Congress, and 
that is the way it should be.
  So only when the world rejects Hamas and its tactics and when Hamas 
can no longer rain terrorist rockets on Israel and send the Palestinian 
to their deaths will peace between Israelis and Palestinians be 
possible.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I 
reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen), chair of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee 
on the Middle East and North Africa and author of this measure.
  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I thank my good friend, the chairman of our 
committee, Ed Royce of California, as well as the ranking member, Eliot 
Engel, for their continued efforts in support of human rights and 
Israel's right to defend herself.
  Mr. Speaker, this resolution condemning Hamas' use of human shields 
in violation of international humanitarian law is an extremely 
important and timely measure, given the current situation in Israel and 
Gaza.
  I want to first thank my colleague from South Florida, Ted Deutch, 
for joining me in introducing this legislation. It was at an official 
factfinding mission trip that we took to the Middle East earlier this 
month where Ted and I realized how important this measure was needed.
  While we were there, Hamas had already begun to increase the 
frequency of indiscriminate rocket attacks against Israel. Prime 
Minister Netanyahu was compelled to respond, but made it clear from the 
very beginning that the objective was to restore peace and security to 
the people of Israel and that quiet would be met with quiet, but Hamas 
would not relent and only increased its attacks.
  While Hamas was firing rockets at innocent Israeli civilians, Israel 
was taking every step imaginable to avoid Palestinian civilian 
casualties. Hamas' response was to intentionally place the Palestinians 
in harm's way.
  It stores its rockets and weapons underneath the homes of 
Palestinians and even in at least three schools run by the United 
Nations Relief and Works Agency, and it uses Palestinian men, women, 
and children as human shields, in violation of international 
humanitarian law, by placing its missile batteries in densely-populated 
areas and near schools, hospitals, and mosques.
  Mr. Speaker, the contrast between Israel--a legitimate sovereign 
state--and Hamas--a terrorist organization--could not be any clearer. 
Israel values and goes to great lengths to protect human life, while 
Hamas has no respect for human life and goes to great lengths to 
sacrifice anyone, including the Palestinian people, in the name of its 
war against Israel.
  Israel has accepted repeated cease-fire offers. Hamas has rejected 
them all. While Israel seeks to fight terrorism, Hamas is an 
internationally recognized terror organization that is being supported 
by countries like Qatar in its war against our true democratic ally, 
Israel, yet it is Israel that wrongfully faces international 
condemnation for exercising her right to protect her citizens and 
defend herself and gets singled out when the world should be condemning 
Hamas.
  Last week, Mr. Speaker, the U.N. Human Rights Council, an institution 
that has been leading the anti-Israel charge for years now and has 
since lost any legitimacy that it might have had, passed a resolution 
to investigate what it calls war crimes and human rights violations by 
Israel, not Hamas.
  There was not even a word about Hamas' attacks against innocent 
Israeli civilians, nor Hamas' use of Palestinians as human shields. Of 
the 47 members on the Human Rights Council, you would think that there 
would be many voices of reason--or some voices of reason--to speak out 
against this obvious anti-Israel bias, but the United States was the 
lone voice of dissent against this anti-Israel resolution.
  Our so-called European allies lacked the courage of their 
convictions, and they couldn't even muster the resolve to vote for or 
against the resolution. Instead, they abstained. This is a disgrace, 
and it is a shame.
  If the United Nations Human Rights Council will not act and use its 
voice, that is why it is so important for the U.S. House of 
Representatives to pass this resolution and not only stand up for the 
Palestinian people who have been made pawns in Hamas' mission to 
destroy Israel, to their detriment, but for Israel in the face of this 
biased anti-Israel agenda.
  We must be the counterbalance, Mr. Speaker. We must send a message to 
the world that we will continue to stand alongside Israel and that we 
will condemn Hamas and its use of human shields. I urge my colleagues 
to support this resolution to stand up for our ally, Israel, and to 
stand up for human rights and American ideals and principles.
  I thank the chairman, Mr. Royce, and the ranking member, Mr. Engel, 
as well as my South Florida colleague, Mr. Deutch, for their help.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Deutch), my good friend and colleague, the ranking member 
of the Middle East Subcommittee and coauthor of this resolution.
  Mr. DEUTCH. I thank Chairman Royce and Ranking Member Engel and 
especially Chairman Ros-Lehtinen for her partnership in this effort to 
call the world's attention to Hamas' use of innocent civilians as human 
shields. I also thank Casey Kustin of my staff, Eddy Acevedo of 
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen's staff, and the committee staff as well, for 
bringing this important resolution to the floor.
  Chairman Ros-Lehtinen and I were in Israel the night that the world 
learned the tragic fate of the three Israeli teens: Eyal, Gilad, and 
Naftali. We mourned with the families and tens of thousands of others 
at their joint funeral, and we were there just days later when 16-year-
old Mohammed Abu Khdeir was brutally and tragically murdered.

[[Page 13652]]

  In the wake of these heartbreaking deaths, violence escalated when 
Hamas began indiscriminately launching rockets at Israel, with the sole 
purpose of causing terror and death. Israel responded.
  Every civilian death is tragic. We continue to mourn the loss of 
innocent lives on both sides of this conflict, but we cannot forget how 
this started, and we cannot forget who is responsible.
  It is Hamas that has chosen to launch 2,600 rockets at civilians. It 
is Hamas that hides rockets and rocket launchers in UNRA schools, in 
mosques, and even in hospitals, using the Palestinian people as cover 
for their weapon stockpiles and their rocket launchers.
  It is Hamas that chose to spend millions of dollars digging tunnels 
into Israel to launch terrorist attacks and fortifying underground 
bunkers for its terror commanders, instead of investing, so that the 
people of Gaza have a chance at a prosperous future.
  It is Hamas that is responsible for the miserable condition of the 
Palestinians in Gaza, even before this military engagement started.
  As former President Clinton said last week:

       Hamas was perfectly well aware of what would happen if they 
     started raining rockets in Israel. They fired a thousand of 
     them, and they have a strategy designed to force Israel to 
     kill their own civilians, so that the rest of the world will 
     condemn them.

  Mr. Speaker, while Israel warns the residents of Gaza of incoming 
attacks via text messages, phone calls, and leaflets, Hamas' spokesmen 
go on television to urge people to stay in their homes to act as human 
shields. This is a direct violation of the Geneva Convention. Let me be 
clear: the use of civilians as shields to protect military objectives 
is a violation of international law.
  It is time for responsible nations to condemn this abhorrent behavior 
and condemn the use of innocent civilians as human shields.
  Passing House Concurrent Resolution 107 won't stop Hamas from putting 
the lives of its citizens at risk as human shields, but it will make 
clear that the U.S. House condemns the terrorists who wants to destroy 
and murder Israelis--the terrorists who violate international law by 
using human shields.
  I ask my colleagues to please support this resolution.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  It has been said many times, but I think we should say it again: 
Israel uses its missiles to protect its citizens, and Hamas uses its 
citizens to protect its missiles. That says it all. That is just a 
disgrace, and it is a fact.
  The United States must back Israel in its quest for security. Any 
cease-fire that is put forth must contain the total disarming of Hamas 
and the total destruction of those death tunnels that Hamas has been 
building to try to kill Israeli civilians. That concrete was allowed to 
be trucked in, under the eyes of Israel, because they were told that 
the concrete would be used to build schools and infrastructure. 
Instead, the concrete was used to build tunnels to kill Israelis. This 
really cannot be tolerated at all.
  I would also say again that the media reporting of what is really 
going on in Gaza has been less than stellar. There are atrocities in 
Syria, but that seems to be yesterday's story. So while every death in 
Gaza and in Israel is something over which we grieve, there are more 
deaths in Syria every single day in that bloody civil war than there 
have been in Gaza, yet you hear no mention of it on the news. All you 
do is have cameras focused on Gaza.
  War is hell. Nobody wants war, but a terrorist organization like 
Hamas must be told that terrorism cannot prevail.
  Israel's fight is not with the Palestinian people. It is with Hamas, 
a terrorist organization that denies Israel's very right to exist and 
that wants to kill as many Israelis and Jews around the world and 
destroy the State of Israel. That is why the United States and the 
European Union have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization.
  We need to put that in perspective. A terrorist organization that 
uses its own people as human shields is not to ever be taken seriously, 
nor has it the right to lecture anybody about the sanctity of human 
life.
  In closing, let me say again that Israel has the right to self-
defense. Hamas' use of human shields demonstrates just how much they 
devalue human life. The Palestinian people deserve better than Hamas. 
The Israeli people deserve better.
  I want to again thank my friend, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, and Mr. Deutch, 
for their hard work on this issue. I want to thank my friend, Chairman 
Royce, for his leadership on so many issues, but on this issue as well.
  Democrats and Republicans agree that we stand by our ally, Israel, 
and we condemn the terrorist organization Hamas, which uses its own 
people as human shields.
  I yield back the balance of my time.

                              {time}  1500

  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Florida (Mr. Yoho). He is a member of the House Committee on Foreign 
Affairs.
  Mr. YOHO. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate it.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 107.
  This resolution denounces the cowardly act of using civilians--women 
and children--as human shields by Hamas and any other terrorist 
organization, which is in violation of international humanitarian law.
  As a member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East 
and North Africa, I was proud to have worked with Congresswoman Ros-
Lehtinen, Chairman Royce, and Ranking Member Engel. It is my hope that 
this resolution sends a very clear message to Hamas that their 
abhorrent practice of using civilians as human shields must stop.
  Hamas has continued to fire rockets indiscriminately into Israel from 
residential areas within Gaza, as well as having continued to store 
munitions near schools and hospitals.
  Mr. Speaker, what kind of human does this kind of thing? It is a 
coward. It is a person who does not value human life.
  Since June of 2014, over 2,000 rockets have been fired at Israel. In 
response to the repeated rocket attacks, the United States and Israel 
have worked together on missile defense projects, such as the Iron 
Dome. The Iron Dome is an effective missile defense system. It has 
proven its worth time after time, intercepting dozens of Hamas rockets 
bound for densely-populated areas within Israel.
  This resolution must pass in order to assure our Israeli allies of 
our commitment to them, as well as to send a very clear message to 
Hamas that their use of human shields must stop.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I was in Haifa, Israel, in August of 2006 during the second Lebanon 
war, during the war between Hezbollah and Israel. While I was there, I 
was in Haifa. Rockets were raining down. For 30 days, rockets rained 
down on that city. Air sirens were blaring during the day. It looked 
like a ghost town. It was very debilitating, as you can imagine.
  What amazed me was the targeting of the civilian areas of that town 
and the targeting of the hospitals--the deliberate targeting of 
civilians. That was the goal. At one point, we had to go into a bunker 
when rockets were fired close to where we were.
  The one takeaway I had was that out of that came the Iron Dome. In a 
few short years, that system, the Iron Dome, which they were working 
on, went from the drawing board to deployment and battle, proving its 
mettle, and it proved its ability to shield Israelis in the south from 
the Hamas rocket threat more recently. Congress, I think, can be proud 
of our role here in backing the Iron Dome, which is recognized as part 
of this resolution.
  There is another part of this resolution, Mr. Speaker. I have to tell 
you that Israel has more than the right to defend itself; it has the 
duty to protect its citizens. I saw what happened in Haifa--over 600 
people in that one trauma hospital I was in.

[[Page 13653]]

  It is exercising that responsibility right now to protect its people 
because, time and again, day after day, these rockets continue to be 
fired from these rocket launchers in Hamas-held territory.
  No country would stand for the Hamas terror organization's rockets 
and tunnels. Remember, these tunnels come 3 miles into the border, 3 
miles under Israel--one of them right outside an Israeli kindergarten. 
That is Hamas.
  Of course, Hamas' whole reason for being, for any of you who have 
read its charter, is to attack Israel and to attack Jews. This 
nihilistic terrorist organization works to kill the maximum number of 
Israeli innocents while using its own population as human shields. Yes, 
that is a double war crime.
  Since the last conflict, Hamas has improved on all aspects of its 
operation, courtesy of Iran. In the same way Iran supplied Hezbollah, 
Iran supplies Hamas, and this could not have been done without the 
longer-range missiles--the M-302s--that Iran has now transferred into 
the inventory of Hamas, so that Jerusalem and Tel Aviv can be targets.
  Earlier this month, my committee held a hearing that exposed Iran as 
the primary backer of Hamas through weapons, through funding, through 
missiles. Imagine the increase in material support to Hamas from Iran 
if that government--if the Ayatollah regime--is granted further 
sanctions relief as part of nuclear negotiations.
  I ask all Members to join me in condemning Hamas on its despicable 
use of human shields and to continue to stand with Israel to face down 
the many shared threats that we face.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise with a heavy heart as death and 
violence once again rips the Middle East. Innocent civilians find 
themselves again hostage in a war that none of them sought. The rockets 
continue to rain down in Israel and civilians in Gaza find it harder 
and harder to find refuge. And there is no end in sight despite the 
ongoing work of peacemakers.
  The most pressing need at the moment is an immediate ceasefire that 
ends the rocket fire, allows humanitarian aid to reach those in need, 
and lays the foundation for efforts to address Israel's long term 
security needs. I am disappointed by the absence of any language in 
this resolution supporting international efforts to bring about an 
immediate ceasefire. Additionally, no one has come forward today to 
argue how this legislation brings us any closer to a peaceful 
resolution in the region or an end to the violence, terror, and fear 
being experienced in Israel and Gaza.
  Over 1,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, many, but not all of 
them civilians. Over 50 Israelis, including 3 civilians and two 
Israeli-American soldiers, have been killed so far. The key concern for 
me is the qualifier--so far. A key question at this volatile moment is 
how to end the violence. This resolution is absolutely silent on that 
point.
  I strongly believe that we need to work for an immediate ceasefire to 
prevent further death and destruction in both Israel and Gaza. I 
commend the U.S. for continuing to seek an immediate ceasefire which I 
fully support. Despite the gallant attempts of the Secretary of State 
and the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and others, an agreement 
remains elusive and the violence continues.
  The resolution rightly condemns Hamas, a terrorist organization that 
has shown time and again its disregard for innocent human life. The 
only party that seems to benefit from further chaos and loss of life is 
Hamas, which continues to lob rockets at innocent Israelis. The barrage 
of rockets must stop. Hamas has no regard for the lives it puts in 
danger. Its despicable tactics have been thoroughly denounced by the 
international community including the U.N. Secretary General who 
recently noted that ``the United Nations position is clear: We condemn 
strongly the rocket attacks. These must stop immediately. We condemn 
the use of civilians--schools, hospital and other civilian facilities--
for military purposes. No country would accept rockets raining down on 
its territory--and all countries and parties have an international 
obligation to protect civilians.''
  The resolution recognizes, as President Obama has, that Israel has a 
right to defend itself from relentless rocket attacks. The current 
rocket count is well over 1,000 and growing every day. Israel does not 
need authorization from the U.S. House of Representatives to act to 
stop the rocket fire by Hamas.
  I have been to Sderot. I talked with Israelis living in the shadows 
of the rockets, including one woman whose relative was killed by a 
rocket from Gaza in a previous conflict. And I remember her fervent 
desire to live at peace with her neighbors.
  I would point out that the resolution rightly recognizes that 
innocent civilians on both sides have suffered. According to the U.N., 
nearly 10% of the population of Gaza are seeking shelter at U.N. 
facilities, some of which have been attacked. The U.S. has recently 
announced it would provide $47 million to help meet immediate 
humanitarian needs in Gaza amid deteriorating conditions.
  However, I remain concerned that this resolution does not press for 
an immediate ceasefire by all parties or urge or express support for 
efforts by the U.S. and international community to push for that peace. 
That is the best way to support innocent civilians on both sides--
ending the violence that threatens them. You can't force peace on those 
who don't want it, but we must make every effort to offer a path out of 
misery and suffering and fear.
  As President Obama has said, ``Israel has a right to defend itself 
against rocket and tunnel attacks from Hamas.'' He also stated, ``I've 
also said, however, that we have serious concerns about the rising 
number of Palestinian civilian deaths and the loss of Israeli lives. 
And that is why it now has to be our focus and the focus of the 
international community to bring about a ceasefire that ends the 
fighting and that can stop the deaths of innocent civilians, both in 
Gaza and in Israel.''
  As a Congress, we should join with the State Department, the U.N. 
Security Council, and others in urging all parties to redouble efforts 
to protect civilians, to find a way to end the violence and ensure 
peace and security for all, and to then move to find a long-term 
resolution that meets Israel's security needs and the rights of 
civilians to live in peace. This cycle of violence cannot continue 
indefinitely.
  Innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians cannot afford another 
three weeks of rocket fire and further bloodshed. We must continue to 
push for a ceasefire and to help find a long term solution that will 
allow Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace, side by side. What is 
needed now is de-escalation of violence and escalation of diplomatic 
efforts.
  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 107, 
a resolution expressing the sense of the House of Representatives in 
support of the State of Israel as it defends itself against rocket 
attacks launched by Hamas.
  These deadly rocket attacks launched from Gaza into Israel by Hamas 
against unarmed civilian populations are deserving of the condemnation 
of this House and the international community.
  Mr. Speaker, since the most recent airstrikes began, hundreds of 
persons--Israelis and Palestinians--have been killed and many hundreds 
more injured.
  No sovereign nation can be expected to stand idly by while unprovoked 
acts of violence are perpetrated against its citizens by terrorists or 
foreign entities.
  Israel has, as do all countries under the law of nations, the right 
to exist and the right to self-defense. This means Israel is allowed to 
take all necessary, appropriate, and measured actions required to keep 
its people safe. Hamas should cease using their fellow citizens as 
human shields.
  But at the end of the day, the peace and justice we all seek will 
come from the parties acting in good faith to find a just and lasting 
peace that recognizes Israel's right to exist, renounces violence and 
terrorism, and achieves the two-state solution.
  Among the most important things that can be done to bring peace and 
the two-state solution into being and to halt the suffering is for the 
Administration to redouble its efforts to mediate a peaceful resolution 
of the conflict and for the President Mahmoud Abbas to exercise 
stronger leadership in rallying and uniting the Palestinian people 
under the banner of peace with justice.
  Mr. Speaker, I condemn launching rockets into civilian populations. 
In addition to death and destruction, such attacks instill fear and 
cause suffering to innocent men, women, and children.
  Finally, I offer sympathies for the loss of life among the Israelis 
and the Palestinians.
  As the great theologian St. Augustine reminds us, ``peace is the 
necessary condition in which people can be free to work out their 
eternal destiny.''
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Royce) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 107, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the

[[Page 13654]]

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

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