This resolution applauds and expresses support for the continued cooperation between the United States and the European Union in thwarting Hezbollah's terrorist activities. It also urges the European Union to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization.
[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 558 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 558
Urging the European Union to designate Hizballah in its entirety as a
terrorist organization.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 26, 2021
Mr. Deutch (for himself, Mr. Bilirakis, Ms. Manning, Mr. Meijer, Mr.
Torres of New York, Mrs. Wagner, Mr. Lieu, Mr. Wilson of South
Carolina, Mr. Schneider, and Mr. Hill) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Urging the European Union to designate Hizballah in its entirety as a
terrorist organization.
Whereas, in April 1983, a Hizballah terror attack against the United States
Embassy in Beirut killed 63 people;
Whereas, in October 1983, a Hizballah terror attack against the United States
and French barracks of the Multinational Force in Lebanon killed 241
American and 58 French soldiers;
Whereas, in July 2012, a Hizballah terror attack, carried out by an operative
with French citizenship, in Burgas, Bulgaria, killed 5 Israeli tourists
and 1 Bulgarian;
Whereas, in March 2013, a Swedish-Lebanese Hizballah operative in Cyprus was
convicted of planning terror attacks against Israeli tourists;
Whereas, in June 2015, a Hizballah operative was sentenced to 6 years in prison
after he stockpiled more than 8 tons of ammonium nitrate in Cyprus;
Whereas, in December 2015, the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Act
of 2015 (Public Law 114-102) was signed into law in the United States,
broadening financial sector sanctions against Hizballah to compel
foreign financial institutions to refrain from supporting the terrorist
group;
Whereas, in May 2018, the Department of the Treasury imposed sanctions on
Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi, a Hizballah financier, and blacklisted 5 of his
companies, including Belgian energy services conglomerate Global Trading
Group;
Whereas, in October 2018, French police raided the Islamic Zahra Centre on
suspicion of supporting Hizballah, freezing the organization's funds,
and seizing illegal weapons;
Whereas, in September 2020, 4 former leaders of the Zahra Centre were arrested
on suspicion of continuing to run the association;
Whereas, in July 2019, the Department of the Treasury listed 2 Hizballah-backed
members of Lebanese Parliament, Amin Sherri and Mohammad Raad, to the
terror blacklist, stating that Hizballah uses its parliamentary power to
advance its violent activities;
Whereas, in April 2020, Germany investigated over 1,050 people with suspected
links to Hizballah;
Whereas Europol's June 2020 European Union Terrorism Situation and Trend Report
outlined that Hizballah is ``suspected of trafficking diamonds and drugs
and of money laundering via the trade in second-hand cars'', and the
report also stated that ``investigations face the difficulty of
demonstrating that the funds collected are channeled to the military
wing of the organization'';
Whereas United States-led Operations Cassandra and Cedar exposed the criminal-
business wing of Hizballah via the External Security Organization
Business Affairs Component (BAC);
Whereas, during Operation Cassandra, Hizballah elements involved in drug
trafficking were arrested in the United States, South America, and
several European countries, including France, Belgium, Germany, and
Italy;
Whereas Hizballah's criminal activity in Europe is run by the BAC, which reports
to the External Security Organisation, a.k.a. Unit 910, or the Islamic
Jihad Organization (IJO), and Abdallah Safieddine, Hizballah's
representative in Iran, is also involved in this activity;
Whereas, in August 2020, United Nations Secretary General Guterres called on
Lebanon to disarm Hizballah, citing the terror group's persistent
violation of Resolution 1701 (2006);
Whereas Iran is the prime sponsor of Hizballah, harboring, financing, training,
and arming the group;
Whereas the Department of the Treasury and Department of State estimate that
Iran provides as much as $700,000,000 per year to Hizballah in the form
of financial and logistical support, weapons, and training;
Whereas Hizballah now has an arsenal of approximately 150,000 missiles and
rockets, many of which can reach deep into Israel;
Whereas Hizballah fighters have been supporting the Assad regime in Syria, often
leading operations in the conflict which has left more than 500,000
dead;
Whereas Hizballah's destabilizing actions in Syria has fueled a migrant crisis
that has brought over 700,000 refugees to Europe;
Whereas Hizballah trains and provides weapons for Shiite militias in Iraq and
Yemen, further destabilizing the region and perpetuating violence in
those countries;
Whereas Hizballah activities continue to plague Lebanon with profound economic
and political instability and violence;
Whereas, in August 2020, 200 Lebanese people died when a massive stockpile of
ammonium nitrate exploded in Beirut's port;
Whereas the Lebanese Armed Forces, the legitimate security establishment of the
country as outlined in United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701
(2006), are struggling to control the flow of weapons and Hizballah
fighters at Lebanon's borders;
Whereas, in October 2012, Hizballah Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem stated
that ``[Hizballah does not] have a military wing and a political one . .
. Every element of Hizballah, from commanders to members as well as our
various capabilities, are in the service of the resistance'';
Whereas, as of March 2021, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, the
Netherlands, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Serbia, and Kosovo
have designated Hizballah in its entirety as a terror organization;
Whereas, in March 2016, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the bloc of 6 Gulf Arab
nations, formally branded Hizballah, in its entirety, a terrorist
organization, and the League of Arab States shortly thereafter adopted
the same designation;
Whereas the Department of the Treasury has diligently added persons and entities
to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists who have provided
material support to the Hizballah terrorist organization, thereby
hampering its financing and logistical capabilities;
Whereas the European Union, in July 2013, designated Hizballah's so-called
``military wing'', but not the organization as a whole, as a terrorist
organization;
Whereas, despite restrictions put on Hizballah since the designation of its
military wing, the group continues to conduct illicit narcotrafficking,
money laundering, and weapons trafficking throughout Europe and the
world; and
Whereas the House of Representatives has previously called on the European Union
to fully designate Hizballah as a terrorist organization, passing House
Resolution 359 in October 2017: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) applauds and expresses support for the continued,
increased cooperation between the United States and the
European Union in thwarting Hizballah's criminal and terrorist
activities;
(2) supports transcontinental efforts within Europe to
share intelligence information among police and security
services to facilitate greater cooperation in tracking,
apprehending, and prosecuting terrorists, foreign fighters, and
potential offenders;
(3) encourages the European Union to implement sanctions
against Hizballah-affiliated terrorists in tandem with the
United States;
(4) recommends greater civil society engagement in both the
United States and Europe to underscore Hizballah's malign
regional influence; and
(5) urges the European Union to designate Hizballah in its
entirety as a terrorist organization and increase pressure on
the group, including through--
(A) facilitating better cross-border cooperation
between European Union members in combating Hizballah;
(B) issuing arrest warrants against members and
active supporters of Hizballah;
(C) freezing Hizballah's assets in Europe,
including those masquerading as charities; and
(D) prohibiting fundraising activities in support
of Hizballah.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation.
Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia and Nonproliferation Discharged.
Ordered to be Reported in the Nature of a Substitute (Amended) by Voice Vote.
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Mr. Malinowski moved to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, as amended.
Considered under suspension of the rules. (consideration: CR H7908-7911)
DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on H. Res. 558.
At the conclusion of debate, the Yeas and Nays were demanded and ordered. Pursuant to the provisions of clause 8, rule XX, the Chair announced that further proceedings on the motion would be postponed.
Pursuant to the provisions of H. Res. 1361, proceedings on H. Res. 558 are considered vacated.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line
Passed/agreed to in House: Pursuant to section 2 of H. Res. 1361, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 1433, as amended; H.R. 4009, as amended; H.R. 4358, as amended; H.R. 6265; H.R. 6846, as amended; H.R. 7240, as amended; H.R. 7338, as amended; H.R. 8453, as amended; H.R. 8503, as amended; and H.R. 8520, as amended; and the following resolution was agreed to under suspension of the rules: H. Res. 558, as amended.
Pursuant to section 2 of H. Res. 1361, and the motion offered by Mr. Hoyer, the following bills passed under suspension of the rules: H.R. 1433, as amended; H.R. 4009, as amended; H.R. 4358, as amended; H.R. 6265; H.R. 6846, as amended; H.R. 7240, as amended; H.R. 7338, as amended; H.R. 8453, as amended; H.R. 8503, as amended; and H.R. 8520, as amended; and the following resolution was agreed to under suspension of the rules: H. Res. 558, as amended. (consideration: CR H7984-7992; text: CR H7991-7992)