#aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  ,h4   
,,con4 ,,res4 #ajg  ,,concurrent        
,,resolution  ,whereas the term human   
shields refers to the use of civilians1 
prisoners of war1 or other noncombatants
 whose mere presence is designed to     
protect combatants and objects from     
attack2 ,whereas the use of human       
shields violates international          
humanitarian law 7also referred to as   
the ,law of ,war or ,law of ,armed      
,conflict72 ,whereas ,additional        
,protocol ,i1 ,article #ej7a7 to the    
,geneva ,convention defines civilian as1
 any person who does not belong to one  
of the categories of persons referred to
 in ,article #d7;,a7 7#a71 7#b71 7#c71  
and 7#f7 of the ,third ,convention and  
in ,article #dc of this ,protocol4 ,in  
the case of doubt whether a person is a 
civilian1 that person shall be          
considered a civilian42 ,whereas        
,additional ,protocol ,i1 ,article      
#ea7g7 to the ,geneva ,convention       
states1 ,the presence or movement of the

 civilian population or individual      
civilians shall not be used to render   
certain points or areas immune from     
military operations1 in particular in   
attempts to shield military objectives  
from attacks or to shield1 favour or    
impede military operations4 ,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 operations42 ,whereas since    
,june #ae1 #bjad1 there have been over  
#b1jjj rockets fired by ,hamas and other
 terrorist organizations from ,gaza into
 ,israel2 ,whereas ,hamas has been using
 civilian populations as human shields  
by placing their missile batteries in   
densely populated areas and near        
schools1 hospitals1 and mosques2        
,whereas ,israel drops leaflets1 makes  
announcements1 places phone calls and   
sends text messages to the ,palestinian 
people in ,gaza warning them in advance 

that an attack is imminent1 and goes to 
extraordinary lengths to target only    
terrorist actors2 ,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 shields2    
,whereas on ,july #bc1 #bjad1 the       
#df-,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   
shields1 with the ,united ,states being 
the lone dissenting vote2 ,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 ,gaza2 ,whereas 
throughout the summer of #bjjf conflict 
between the ,state of ,israel and the   
terrorist organization ,hezbollah1      

,hezbollah forces utilized human shields
 in violation of international          
humanitarian law2 ,whereas ,al-,qaeda1  
,al-,shabaab1 ,islamic ,state of ,iraq  
and the ,levant 7,,isil7 and other      
foreign terrorist organizations         
typically use innocent civilians as     
human shields2 ,whereas the ,united     
,states and ,israel have cooperated on  
missile defense projects1 including     
,iron ,dome1 ,david's ,sling1 and the   
,arrow ,anti-,missile ,system1 projects 
designed to thwart a diverse range of   
threats1 including short-range missiles 
and rockets fired by non-state actors1  
such as ,hamas2 ,whereas the ,united    
,states has provided #bce1jjj1jjj in    
fiscal year #bjad for ,iron ,dome       
research1 development1 and production2  
,whereas1 during the most recent rocket 
attacks from ,gaza1 ,iron ,dome has     
successfully intercepted dozens of      
rockets that were launched against      
,israeli population centers2 and        
,whereas #e million ,israelis are       

currently living under the threat of    
rocket attacks from ,gaza3 ,now1        
therefore1 be it  ,that ,congress--     
7#a7 strongly condemns the use of       
innocent civilians as human shields2    
7#b7 calls on the international         
community to recognize and condemn      
,hamas' breaches of international law   
through the use of human shields2  7#c7 
places responsibility for the rocket    
attacks against ,israel on ,hamas and   
other terrorist organizations1 such as  
,islamic ,jihad2  7#d7 supports the     
sovereign right of the ,government of   
,israel to defend its territory and its 
citizens from ,hamas' rocket attacks1   
kidnapping attempts and the use of      
tunnels and other means to carry out    
attacks against ,israel2  7#e7 expresses
 condolences to the families of the     
innocent victims on both sides of the   
conflict2  7#f7 supports ,palestinian   
civilians who reject ,hamas and all     
forms of terrorism and violence1        
desiring to live in peace with their    

,israeli neighbors2  7#g7 condemns      
,hamas' repeated refusals to accept a   
cease-fire with ,israel2  7#h7 supports 
efforts to permanently demilitarize the 
,gaza ,strip1 removing ,hamas's means to
 target ,israel1 including its use of   
tunnels1 rockets1 and other means2 and  
7#i7 condemns the ,united ,nations      
,human ,rights ,council's biased        
commission of inquiry into ,israel's    
,gaza operations4  ,passed the ,house of
 ,representatives ,july #cj1            
#bjad4;,clerk4