{"database": "openregs", "table": "congressional_record", "rows": [["CREC-2012-12-31-pt1-PgH7503", "2012-12-31", 112, 2, null, null, "URGING EUROPEAN UNION TO DESIGNATE HIZBALLAH AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION", "HOUSE", "HOUSE", "DESIGNATING", "H7503", "H7506", "[{\"name\": \"Ileana Ros-Lehtinen\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Eliot L. Engel\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Mike Kelly\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Dennis J. Kucinich\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Theodore E. Deutch\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Christopher H. Smith\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}, {\"name\": \"Chris Van Hollen\", \"role\": \"speaking\"}]", "[{\"congress\": \"112\", \"type\": \"SRES\", \"number\": \"613\"}, {\"congress\": \"112\", \"type\": \"HRES\", \"number\": \"834\"}, {\"congress\": \"112\", \"type\": \"HRES\", \"number\": \"834\"}, {\"congress\": \"112\", \"type\": \"HRES\", \"number\": \"834\"}]", "158 Cong. Rec. H7503", "Congressional Record, Volume 158 Issue 171 (Monday, December 31, 2012)\n\n[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 171 (Monday, December 31, 2012)]\n[House]\n[Pages H7503-H7506]\nFrom the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]\n\n      URGING EUROPEAN UNION TO DESIGNATE HIZBALLAH AS A TERRORIST\n                              ORGANIZATION\n\n  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree\nto the resolution (H. Res. 834) urging the governments of Europe and\nthe European Union to designate Hizballah as a terrorist organization\nand impose sanctions, and urging the President to provide information\nabout Hizballah to the European allies of the United States and to\nsupport the Government of Bulgaria in investigating the July 18, 2012,\nterrorist attack in Burgas.\n  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.\n  The text of the resolution is as follows:\n\n                              H. Res. 834\n\n       Whereas the Department of State has designated Hizballah as\n     a foreign terrorist organization since October 1997;\n       Whereas the United States Government designated Hizballah a\n     specially designated terrorist organization in January 1995\n     and a ``Specially Designated Global Terrorist'' pursuant to\n     Executive Order 13224 (66 Fed. Reg. 49079) in October 2001;\n       Whereas Hizballah was established in 1982 through the\n     direct sponsorship and support of Iran's Islamic\n     Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Qods Force and, as a\n     primary terrorist proxy of Iran, continues to receive\n     training, weapons, and explosives, as well as political,\n     diplomatic, monetary, and organizational aid, from Iran;\n       Whereas Hizballah has been implicated in multiple acts of\n     terrorism over the past 30 years, including the bombings in\n     Lebanon in 1983 of the United States Embassy, the United\n     States Marine barracks, and the French Army barracks, the\n     airline hijackings and the kidnapping of European, American,\n     and other Western hostages in the 1980s and 1990s, and\n     support for the Khobar Towers attack in Saudi Arabia that\n     killed 19 Americans in 1996;\n       Whereas, according to the 2011 Country Reports on Terrorism\n     issued by the Department of State, ``Since at least 2004,\n     Hizballah has provided training to select Iraqi Shia\n     militants, including on the construction and use of\n     improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that can penetrate\n     heavily-armored vehicles.'';\n       Whereas, in 2007, a senior Hizballah operative, Ali Mussa\n     Daqduq, was captured in Iraq with detailed documents that\n     discussed tactics to attack Iraqi and coalition forces, and\n     has been directly implicated in a terrorist attack that\n     resulted in the murder of 5 members of the United States\n     Armed Forces;\n       Whereas Hizballah has been implicated in the terrorist\n     attacks in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on the Israeli Embassy in\n     1992 and the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association in 1994;\n       Whereas Hizballah has been implicated in acts of terrorism\n     and extrajudicial violence in Lebanon, including the\n     assassination of political opponents;\n       Whereas, in June 2011, the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, an\n     international tribunal for the prosecution of those\n     responsible for the February 14, 2005, assassination of\n     former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri, issued arrest\n     warrants against 4 senior Hizballah members, including its\n     top military commander, Mustafa Badr al-Din, identified as\n     the primary suspect in the assassination;\n       Whereas, according to the 2011 Country Reports on Terrorism\n     issued by the Department of State, Hizballah is ``the likely\n     perpetrator'' of 2 bomb attacks that wounded United Nations\n     Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers in Lebanon\n     during 2011;\n       Whereas, according to the October 18, 2012, report of the\n     Secretary-General of the United Nations to the United Nations\n     Security Council on the implementation of Security Council\n     Resolution 1559 (2004) (in this preamble referred to as the\n     ``October 18 Report''), ``The maintenance by Hizbullah of\n     sizeable sophisticated military capabilities outside the\n     control of the Government of Lebanon . . . creates an\n     atmosphere of intimidation in the country[,] . . . puts\n     Lebanon in violation of its obligations under Resolution 1559\n     (2004)[,] and constitutes a threat to regional peace and\n     stability.'';\n       Whereas, on July 12, 2006, Hizballah engaged in an\n     unprovoked attack on Israel that instigated the 2006 Israel-\n     Hizballah War, in which Hizballah deliberately targeted\n     Israeli civilians and utilized innocent Lebanese as human\n     shields in violation of international norms;\n       Whereas, since the 2006 conflict, Iran and Syria have\n     provided substantial assistance to Hizballah to rebuild its\n     stockpile of tens of thousands of rockets, including\n     sophisticated long-range weapons that can strike deep into\n     Israeli territory;\n       Whereas John Brennan, Assistant to the President for\n     Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, stated on October 26,\n     2012, that Hizballah's ``social and political activities must\n     not obscure [its] true nature or prevent us from seeing it\n     for what it is--an international terrorist organization\n     actively supported by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards\n     Corps-Quds Force'';\n       Whereas David Cohen, Under Secretary of the Treasury for\n     Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, stated on August 10,\n     2012, ``Before al Qaeda's attack on the U.S. on September 11,\n     2001, Hizballah was responsible for killing more Americans in\n     terrorist attacks than any other terrorist group'';\n       Whereas, according to a September 13, 2012, Department of\n     the Treasury press release, ``The last year has witnessed\n     Hizballah's most aggressive terrorist plotting outside the\n     Middle East since the 1990s.'';\n       Whereas, since 2011, Hizballah has been implicated in\n     thwarted terrorist plots in Azerbaijan, Cyprus, Thailand, and\n     elsewhere;\n       Whereas, on July 18, 2012, a suicide bomber attacked a bus\n     in Burgas, Bulgaria, murdering 5 Israeli tourists and the\n     Bulgarian bus driver in a terrorist attack that, according to\n     Mr. Brennan, ``bore the hallmarks of a Hizballah attack'';\n       Whereas Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has\n     stated regarding the Burgas terrorist attack, ``We have\n     unquestionable, fully substantiated evidence that this was\n     done by Hizballah backed by Iran.'';\n       Whereas Bulgaria is a member of the European Union and of\n     the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO);\n       Whereas, according to the October 18 Report, ``There have\n     been credible reports suggesting involvement by Hizbullah and\n     other Lebanese political forces in support of the parties in\n     the conflict in Syria. . . . Such militant activities by\n     Hizbullah in Syria contradict and undermine the\n     disassociation policy of the Government of Lebanon, of which\n     Hizbullah is a coalition member.'';\n       Whereas, on October 26, 2012, Mr. Brennan stated, ``We have\n     seen Hizballah training militants in Yemen and Syria, where\n     it continues to provide material support to the regime of\n     Bashar al Assad, in part to preserve its weapon supply\n     lines.'';\n       Whereas, on August 10, 2012, the Department of the Treasury\n     designated Hizballah pursuant to Executive Order 13582 (76\n     Fed. Reg. 52209), which targets those responsible for human\n     rights abuses in Syria, for providing support to the\n     Government of Syria;\n       Whereas, according to the Department of the Treasury, since\n     early 2011, Hizballah ``has provided training, advice and\n     extensive logistical support to the Government of Syria's\n     increasingly ruthless effort to fight against the\n     opposition'' and has ``directly trained Syrian government\n     personnel inside Syria and has facilitated the training of\n     Syrian forces by Iran's terrorism arm, the Islamic\n     Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force'';\n       Whereas, on September 13, 2012, the Department of the\n     Treasury designated the Secretary-General of Hizballah,\n     Hassan Nasrallah, for overseeing ``Hizballah's efforts to\n     help the Syrian regime's violent crackdown on the Syrian\n     civilian population'';\n       Whereas, on October 26, 2012, Mr. Brennan stated, ``Even in\n     Europe, many countries . . . have not yet designated\n     Hizballah as a terrorist organization. Nor has the European\n     Union. Let me be clear: failure to designate Hizballah as a\n     terrorist organization makes it harder to defend our\n     countries and protect our citizens. As a result, for example,\n     countries that have arrested Hizballah suspects for plotting\n     in Europe have been unable to prosecute them on terrorism\n     charges''; and\n       Whereas, on October 26, 2012, Mr. Brennan called on the\n     European Union to designate Hizballah as a terrorist\n     organization, saying, ``European nations are our most\n     sophisticated and important counterterrorism partners, and\n     together we must make it clear that we will not tolerate\n     Hizballah's criminal and terrorist activities.'': Now,\n     therefore, be it\n       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--\n       (1) urges the governments of Europe and the European Union\n     to designate Hizballah as a terrorist organization so that\n     Hizballah cannot use the territories of the European Union\n     for fundraising, recruitment, financing, logistical support,\n     training, and propaganda;\n       (2) urges the governments of Europe and the European Union\n     to impose sanctions on Hizballah for providing material\n     support to Bashar al Assad's ongoing campaign of violent\n     repression against the people of Syria;\n       (3) expresses support for the Government of Bulgaria as it\n     conducts an investigation into the July 18, 2012, terrorist\n     attack in Burgas, and expresses hope that the investigation\n     can be successfully concluded and that the perpetrators can\n     be identified as quickly as possible;\n       (4) urges the President to provide all necessary\n     diplomatic, intelligence, and law enforcement support to the\n     Government of Bulgaria to investigate the July 18, 2012,\n     terrorist attack in Burgas;\n       (5) reaffirms support for the Government of Bulgaria by the\n     United States as a member of the North Atlantic Treaty\n     Organization (NATO), and urges the United States, NATO, and\n     the European Union to work with the Government of Bulgaria to\n     safeguard its territory and citizens from the threat of\n     terrorism; and\n       (6) urges the President to make available to European\n     allies and the European public information about Hizballah's\n     terrorist activities, efforts to subvert democracy within\n     Lebanon, and provision of material support\n\n[[Page H7504]]\n\n     to Bashar al Assad's campaign of violence in Syria.\n\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from\nFlorida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Engel)\neach will control 20 minutes.\n  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida.\n\n                             General Leave\n\n  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all\nMembers may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks\nand to insert extraneous material into the Record on this measure.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the\ngentlewoman from Florida?\n  There was no objection.\n  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I yield myself such time as I may consume.\n  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of House Resolution 834,\nintroduced by my good friend and colleague from Pennsylvania (Mr.\nKelly).\n  The resolution before the House condemns the ongoing violence\nperpetrated by Hezbollah. It urges the European Union to classify\nHezbollah as a designated terrorist organization.\n  Now, in March of 2005, the House voted on a similar resolution urging\nthe European Union to add Hezbollah as a designated foreign terrorist\norganization; yet here we are again, Mr. Speaker, nearly 8 years later,\ncalling for the EU to take this long overdue action.\n  As the purveyor of one of the most expansive extremist networks in\nthe world, Hezbollah has engaged in nearly three decades of attacks\nagainst Americans, Europeans, Israeli civilians, in addition to plots\nand attacks on nearly every continent. Among the most egregious\nexamples of Hezbollah attacks against innocent civilians abroad were\nits bombings of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires in March 1992 and\nthe Jewish Cultural Center in Buenos Aires in 1994.\n  Hezbollah has never missed an opportunity to target innocent\ncivilians, especially innocent Israelis, as the 2006 conflict in\nsouthern Lebanon illustrated, while using innocent Lebanese as human\nshields. Hezbollah has even turned its weapons on Syrians and against\nother Lebanese, as the Special Tribunal for Lebanon has uncovered. And\nmost recently, Mr. Speaker, Hezbollah attacked innocent Israeli and\nBulgarian civilians in Burgas, Bulgaria.\n  Mr. Speaker, given Hezbollah's long and grisly record, it is no\nsurprise that many of our allies--from Canada, Great Britain, the\nNetherlands, Australia, New Zealand--have designated Hezbollah as a\nterrorist organization, because that is what it is.\n  In this respect, it defies comprehension that our allies in the\nEuropean Union continue to purposely omit Hezbollah from their list of\ndesignated terrorist organizations. The logic of the European Union's\ndecisionmaking on this matter is, at best, baffling, particularly\nagainst the backdrop of our mutual efforts to address the threats of\nHezbollah patrons Iran and Syria.\n  By simply designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and\nstating the obvious, the European Union could deprive Hezbollah of\naccess to millions of dollars in European banks and other financial\ninstitutions, while making an enormous contribution to regional\nstability, saving hundreds of lives that would otherwise be Hezbollah's\nfuture victims.\n  Again, I strongly support this Kelly resolution, and I urge all of my\ncolleagues to do the same.\n  With that, Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 834 and\nyield myself as much time as I may consume.\n  This important resolution urges the nations of Europe and the\nEuropean Union to designate Hezbollah has a terrorist organization and\nto impose sanctions on it. We know from our experience with Iran that\nsanctions and, in fact, all diplomacy are most effective when they are\nmultilateral--the more multilateral, the better.\n  We are particularly strong in such matters when we and our friends\nand allies in the European Union stand shoulder to shoulder. That's why\nEurope's seemingly inexplicable refusal to classify Hezbollah as a\nterrorist group has been so disappointing over the years.\n  Hezbollah is a charter member of the Foreign Terrorist Organizations\nlist in the United States. It's crimes are legion, spread over many\ncontinents, and far too numerous to list here. They begin in the early\n1980s with deadly bombings of the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. Marine and\nFrench Army barracks in Beirut, and they have continued up to the\npresent day. I still remember Ronald Reagan, President Reagan talking\nabout it after so many of our marines were murdered in Lebanon.\n\n                              {time}  1240\n\n  Let me mention just a few of the other lowlights: countless\nkidnappings of Americans and Europeans in the 1980s and 1990s; the\nKhobar Towers attack that killed 19 Americans in 1996; the 1992 bombing\nof the Israeli Embassy and the 1994 bombing of the Jewish community\ncenter in Buenos Aires, again, with multiple killings; the murders of\nAmericans in Iraq and the training of other Iraqi militants; and\ncountless assassinations in Lebanon, including, most likely, that of\nformer prime minister Rafik Hariri in 2005. In 2006, Hezbollah's\nunprovoked murder of three Israeli soldiers caused a war, during which\nHezbollah rocketed civilian targets in Lebanon and used Lebanese\ncivilian as human shields.\n  Over the past 2 years, it has staged attacks from Turkey to Thailand.\nToday, it has forces in Syria fighting on behalf of Assad and the\nmurderous Assad regime and helping to train Assad's thugs. In addition,\nthis year Hezbollah twice has been directly implicated in terrorism on\nEuropean Union territory--in Bulgaria, where a suicide bomber killed\nfive Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian, and in Cyprus, where an apparent\nHezbollah terrorist attack was thwarted.\n  The failure of most European nations to designate Hezbollah has been\nbased on the flimsiest of reasons; namely, that Hezbollah provides\nsocial services to the Shiite community and participates in electoral\npolitics in Lebanon. In fact, Hezbollah takes a very novel approach to\nelectoral politics--using a militia to intimidate voters into voting\nfor them. By the way, it's a lesson that Hamas has learned very, very\nwell.\n  But Europe's failure to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist group is\nnot merely a problem because it accords legitimacy to a terrorist\norganization. Rather, it has important operational consequences as\nwell. The failure to designate makes it more difficult to prosecute\ncases against Hezbollah crimes committed in Europe. It allows Hezbollah\nto use EU territories to fund-raise, recruit new members, propagandize,\nand train. And thus, the freedom Hezbollah enjoys in Europe ultimately\naffects non-Europeans as well. The European Union obviously will make\nits own decisions on this matter, but it's hard to escape the\nconclusion that the EU's failure to designate Hezbollah undermines both\nEurope's security and ours as well.\n  The State Department's top counterterrorism official recently said\nthat he's ``cautiously optimistic--at last--about the prospects for an\nEU designation of the group.'' I hope his optimism is justified. Until\nit is borne out with an actual terrorist designation, however, it is\nimportant that we join the Senate in going on record as urging the\nEuropean Union to make that designation, which would be so beneficial\nto the fight against terrorism worldwide and to our own national\nsecurity.\n  I urge my colleagues to support this resolution, and I reserve the\nbalance of my time.\n  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I yield such time as he may consume to the\ngentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Kelly), an esteemed member of our\nHouse Foreign Affairs Committee and the author of this bill.\n  Mr. KELLY. I thank the gentlelady for your guidance and your\nleadership the last couple of years. It was a joy serving with you in\nForeign Affairs.\n  I rise today in support of House Resolution 834 and urge the EU and\nmember states to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.\nHezbollah is called ``the A Team'' of international terrorist\norganizations by terrorism experts. Hezbollah was created by Iran's\nIslamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force in 1982, and is a primary\nterrorist proxy of Iran. Hezbollah receives weapons, training, monies,\nand support from Iran and Syria.\n\n[[Page H7505]]\n\n  Hezbollah has left its bloody fingerprints around the world in the\nlast 30 years. Hezbollah has been implicated in numerous deadly\nterrorist attacks against Europeans, Americans, and Israelis:\n  In 1983, the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut, which killed 63\npeople; the 1983 bombing of the U.S. and French barracks of the\nMultinational Force in Lebanon, killing 241 American servicemen and 58\nFrench soldiers; the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos\nAires, killing 29 people; the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community\ncenter building in Buenos Aires, killing 85 people; the suicide bombing\non July 18, 2012, that killed five Israeli tourists and a Bulgarian\ndriver in the town of Burgas, Bulgaria, that had all the hallmarks of a\nHezbollah attack.\n  Hezbollah has created violence and instability in Lebanon. In\naddition to terrorist attacks and political assassinations, it has\nlaunched thousands of rockets and missiles at Israel from within\nLebanon. Hezbollah supports Bashar al-Assad's brutal, ongoing violence\nagainst the Syrian people.\n  It's long past time for the EU and its members to join the U.S. and\nother allies and list Hezbollah as a terrorism organization. I would\nask the EU as a recipient of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to please wake\nup. The U.S. designated Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in the\nlate 1990s. Canada and Australia, as well as the United Kingdom and the\nNetherlands, both EU members, also list Hezbollah as a terrorist\norganization.\n  Failure to recognize and designate Hezbollah allows it to continue\nevading law enforcement, intelligence, and security services, and it\nendangers the people of Europe. Hezbollah cannot claim to be a\nlegitimate political party or provider of social services when it\nrefuses to abandon its terrorist agenda. Both the United States and the\nEU must be united in our fight against Hezbollah.\n  This resolution, H. Res. 834, urges the EU and member states to\ndesignate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and to prevent\nHezbollah from using EU territories for fundraising, for recruitment,\nfor training, for propaganda, and any other activities. It urges the EU\nand its members to impose sanctions on Hezbollah for supporting the\nAssad regime's brutal violence against the Syrian people. It affirms\nour support for the Bulgarian government in its investigation of the\nJuly 18, 2012, terrorist attack, and urges our President to support\nthat investigation. It urges the President to provide information to\nour European allies regarding Hezbollah's terrorist activities,\nsubversion of democracy in Lebanon, and support of Assad's violence in\nSyria. This Congress has and will do all it can to urge the EU to do\nthe right thing and list Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.\n  In September, my good friend Gus Bilirakis from Florida, Mr. Deutch,\nMr. Israel, Mr. Sires and I led a bipartisan group of 268 House Members\nto send a letter to the President and the 27 ministers of the European\nCommission urging the Commission to include Hezbollah on the EU\nterrorist list. I might mention Mr. Deutch and I had talked one day\nwalking into our offices about how well our staffs have worked together\nto forge this letter, to put it together. And we do things in a lot of\nbipartisan ways. I think sometimes it gets lost in the wash of other\nthings that are going on. I especially want to thank all those members\nof the staffs and also one of my staff members, Mr. Isaac Fong, for the\ntireless work he put in.\n  Earlier this month, the Senate unanimously passed Senate Resolution\n613, which also urges the EU to declare Hezbollah a terrorist\norganization. H. Res. 834 has over 80 bipartisan cosponsors. I urge my\ncolleagues to vote ``yes'' on H. Res. 834. It's time to recognize\nHezbollah for what it is. If it waddles like a duck and quacks like a\nduck, it's a duck. This is a terrorist organization. It needs to be\nrecognized and designated as one worldwide.\n\n  Mr. ENGEL. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr.\nKucinich).\n  Mr. KUCINICH. First of all, I want to begin by thanking the chair and\nthe ranking member for their commitment to security, to Israel and to\nthe region. I want to thank Mr. Kelly for his commitment, similarly.\n  In my office, which I recently shut down because I'm not going to be\nin the next Congress, I had a pedestal on which rested a bomb fragment\nthat I brought back from the village of Qana in south Lebanon. Qana is\nthe place where Christ is said to have performed his first miracle. And\nQana was also the place where a bomb dropped on an apartment building\nand killed about 50 women and children.\n  I brought a fragment of that bomb back and put it on a pedestal in\nthe office. And within that pedestal I put the dog tags of three\nIsraeli soldiers who were captured and kidnapped. I got the dog tags\nfrom their parents. I've had that in my office since 2006, when I first\nwent to Lebanon to look at the effects of the war. And I have them\ntogether because they represent the parenthesis on a human tragedy.\n\n                              {time}  1250\n\n  But we're all concerned about Israel's security. I rose on the floor\nof this House when the war started to talk about putting immediately\ninto effect a plan that would stop the war. I've been to south Lebanon\nand Israel on several occasions.\n  I want to add a word of caution here because what I'm concerned\nabout, notwithstanding the best intentions of my friends who are taking\na strong stand here, is the impact of this resolution on a United\nNations force in Lebanon, UNIFIL. There are European troops there.\nTheir mission is to enforce U.N. Security Resolution 1701 to end the\nhostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.\n  UNIFIL has been working with Hezbollah to stabilize south Lebanon.\nAnd there are reports from the ground that they have helped to achieve\na good measure of stability in that regard, even reports that Hezbollah\nhas worked to help curb the work of terrorist cells of extremist bent.\nUNIFIL has, in effect, worked with Hezbollah. Peacekeepers have worked\nwith Hezbollah. They've developed a relationship for future dialogue.\n  Now, I'm concerned that this resolution could make it even more\ndifficult to enforce UN Resolution 1701 and that, if it's passed, one\nof the things that this Congress has to consider is that the Lebanese\narmy, itself, has to be strengthened.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.\n  Mr. ENGEL. I yield the gentleman 1 minute.\n  Mr. KUCINICH. We have to look at the implications of this. If you\nhave European countries who are essentially part of the UNIFIL presence\nin south Lebanon in furtherance of a U.N. resolution to end hostilities\nbetween Hezbollah and Israel, to create safety for both the people of\nIsrael and the people of Lebanon, we've got to be very careful here\nthat we don't create a situation that is the opposite of what we are\ntrying to achieve. If this resolution passes--and unfortunately, I'm\nnot going to be able to support it. But if it passes, we have to do\nsomething to strengthen the Lebanese army, because if the Lebanese army\nisn't strong enough, then you have a situation where the very thing\nthat we are opposing here could come to pass and with great force.\n  So I would just urge your consideration of that, and I thank you very\nmuch for giving me an opportunity to put this forward. Again, I thank\nmy colleagues for their constant support of Israel.\n  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I continue to reserve the balance of my time.\n  Mr. ENGEL. I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr.\nDeutch).\n  Mr. DEUTCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution\n834, which urges the European Union to take steps to swiftly designate\nHezbollah as a terrorist organization.\n  Despite its history of violent civilian attacks, our European\npartners in fighting terrorism as a whole have yet to formally\nrecognize Hezbollah as a foreign terrorist organization. Mr. Speaker,\nthe failure of the EU to gain consensus on this matter serves as a\ngrave injustice to those who have been the victims of terror attacks\nmasterminded and carried out by Hezbollah throughout the world.\n  From the suicide truck bombings of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in\nApril 1983 that killed 63, the U.S. Marine barracks bombing in October\n1983 that killed 241 American military personnel, a separate attack on\nthe French military compound that killed 58, as well\n\n[[Page H7506]]\n\nas the hijacking of TWA 847 in 1995 and Hezbollah's role in the 1994\nbombing of the Israel-Argentine Mutual Aid Association in Buenos Aires\nthat killed 85, right up to the terrorist attack this summer at a\nBulgarian airport that killed six, Hezbollah has shown its propensity\nto attack civilians and to attack them anywhere in the world. It's also\nshown its propensity to attack even within Lebanon, where the group is\nresponsible for the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Hariri.\n  Hezbollah and its state sponsor Iran continually spread anti-U.S. and\nanti-Israel rhetoric and excitement, with Hezbollah chief Hassan\nNasrallah recently threatening to rain down rockets on Israel ``from\nthe Lebanese border to Jordan to the Red Sea, from Kiryat Shmona to\nEilat,'' prompting harsh rebukes from several prominent members of\nLebanon's Parliament.\n  By failing to label Hezbollah a terrorist organization, Hezbollah is\nfree to continue its operations, including recruiting and fundraising\nin Europe.\n  Mr. Speaker, we deeply value our relationship with our European\nallies, including our joint commitment to combatting terror around the\nglobe. We appreciate their partnership in enacting crushing sanctions\ndesigned to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions, but we do not understand\nthe failure of our friends to join together in stopping this\norganization's reign of terror. That's why we are here this morning\nspeaking about House Resolution 834.\n  Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I'd like to thank my friend, Congressman\nKelly, as well as Chairman Ros-Lehtinen and Ranking Member Berman for\ntheir leadership on this issue.\n  My friend, Mr. Engel, the incoming ranking member, I look forward to\nworking with you, continuing to work on these vitally important issues.\n  I urge my colleagues, Mr. Speaker, to support this resolution.\n  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I reserve the balance of my time.\n  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, so I yield back\nthe balance of my time.\n  Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I also have no further requests for\ntime, and I yield back the balance of my time.\n  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of\nthis legislation, and thank my good friend Mr. Kelly for authoring it.\n  Mr. Speaker, this resolution urges the governments of Europe and the\nEuropean Union to designate Hezballah a terrorist organization, so that\nit will not be able to raise funds and recruit operatives in Europe.\n  Since Hezballah is one of the most active, dangerous, ruthless, and\nevil terrorist groups in the world, this should be the most obvious\nthing in the world for the European governments to do--the minimum\naction which they should be in a hurry to do on their own, without any\nurging from anybody.\n  One reason many European countries have not done so is the ongoing\npresence of anti-Semitism in Europe. It's a very sad story, but it's\nundeniably true that in many European countries large minorities or\neven majorities of the population hold attitudes that can only be\ndescribed as anti-Semitic. Regarding this I'd like to recommend to my\ncolleagues a March 2012 study of the Anti-Defamation League on\n``Attitudes Toward Jews in Ten European Countries.'' It is shocking but\nnecessary reading--I will be happy to share it with any of my\ncolleagues.\n  Further, in Europe anti-Semitic opinion doesn't hide its head\nfurtively. Rather people who are not anti-Semitic accept various forms\nof anti-Semitic statement and attitudes into seemingly ``mainstream''\ndiscussion, where it's allowed to influence government policy--that is,\nanti-Semitic public opinion limits what some governments are willing to\nsay and do in fighting anti-Semitism.\n  So with this resolution we are also urging the European governments,\nand the European Union, to deal more pro-actively, much more pro-\nactively, with anti-Semitism in Europe. Denounce anti-Semitic actions\nand statements whenever they occur--this is a fundamental\nresponsibility of every elected official. As elected officials, we\nalways have a special responsibility to anyone in danger--and this\nresolution documents very well that Hezbollah is an extraordinarily\ndangerous terrorist group.\n  In closing, Mr. Speaker, I do want to recognize the many European\nparliamentarians who have worked hard in fighting anti-Semitism in\nEurope. I've worked with many of them over the years, particularly in\nthe Parliamentary Assembly of the OSCE and in the Interparliamentary\nCoalition for Combating Anti-Semitism.\n  This resolution, with its careful documentation of the extraordinary\ndanger posed by Hezballah, will provide Europeans engaged in fighting\nanti-Semitism with a tool they can take to their governments and demand\nthat they be much more pro-active against anti-Semitism. For it is\nanti-Semitism that creates the poisonous atmosphere in which Hezballah\noperates.\n  I strongly urge my colleagues to support this excellent resolution.\n  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, As a cosponsor of H. Res. 834, I rise to\nthank Representatives Kelly and Deutch for bringing this important\nresolution to the floor today and to encourage my colleagues to join me\nin supporting the measure.\n  H. Res. 834 urges the governments of Europe and the European Union to\ndesignate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. According to John\nBrennan, the deputy national security advisor, Europe's failure to\ndesignate Hezbollah as a terrorist group makes it more difficult to\ndefend the citizens of the European Union and the United States because\nHezbollah is able to openly raise funds in some European countries and\nbecause EU countries are unable to prosecute Hezbollah members\nsuspected of plotting terrorist attacks.\n  Hezbollah has been implicated in multiple acts of terrorism over the\npast 30 years, including the bombings in Lebanon in 1983 of the United\nStates Embassy, the United States Marine barracks, and the French Army\nbarracks, the airline hijackings and the kidnapping of European,\nAmerican, and other Western hostages in the 1980s and 1990s. Before al\nQaeda's attack on the U.S. on September 11, 2001, Hezbollah was\nresponsible for killing more Americans in terrorist attacks than any\nother terrorist group. Today, Hezbollah is training militants in Yemen\nand Syria and continues to provide financial and material support to\nthe regime of Bashar al Assad.\n  This resolution urges the governments of Europe and the European\nUnion to forbid Hezbollah from using EU territory for the purpose of\nfundraising, recruitment, financing, training and propaganda and it\nwill help protect European and American lives. I encourage my\ncolleagues to support the bill.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the\ngentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Ros-Lehtinen) that the House suspend the\nrules and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 834.\n  The question was taken.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds\nbeing in the affirmative, the ayes have it.\n  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a\nquorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not\npresent.\n  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further\nproceedings on this question will be postponed.\n  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.\n\n                          ____________________"]], "columns": ["granule_id", "date", "congress", "session", "volume", "issue", "title", "chamber", "granule_class", "sub_granule_class", "page_start", "page_end", "speakers", "bills", "citation", "full_text"], "primary_keys": ["granule_id"], "primary_key_values": ["CREC-2012-12-31-pt1-PgH7503"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 115.52437592763454, "source": "Federal Register API & Regulations.gov API", "source_url": "https://www.federalregister.gov/developers/api/v1", "license": "Public Domain (U.S. Government data)", "license_url": "https://www.regulations.gov/faq"}