S.Res. 526 — Agreed to in Senate

III 113th CONGRESS 2d Session S. RES. 526 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 29, 2014 Mr. Reid (for himself, Mr. McConnell, Mr. Menendez, Mr. Corker, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. Graham) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Supporting Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas, and for other purposes. Whereas Hamas, an organization designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States Department of State since 1997, has fired over 2,500 rockets indiscriminately from Gaza into Israel; Whereas Israel has a right to defend itself from Hamas’s constant barrage of rockets and to destroy the matrix of tunnels Hamas uses to smuggle weapons and Hamas fighters into Israel to carry out terrorist attacks; Whereas the Government of Israel has taken significant steps to protect civilians in Gaza, including dropping leaflets in Gaza neighborhoods in advance of Israeli military attacks, calling Palestinians on the phone urging them to evacuate certain areas before the military strikes targets, and issuing warnings to civilians in advance of firing on buildings; Whereas Israel’s attacks have focused on terrorist targets such as Hamas’s munitions storage sites, areas sheltering Hamas’s rocket systems, Hamas’s weapons manufacturing sites, the homes of militant leaders, and on the vast labyrinth of tunnels Hamas’s fighters use to penetrate Israel’s territory and attack Israelis; Whereas Hamas uses rockets to indiscriminately target civilians in Israel; Whereas Israel has accepted and implemented numerous ceasefire agreements that Hamas has rejected; Whereas Hamas continued to fire rockets into Israel during a 24-hour truce that Hamas had itself proposed; Whereas Israel embraced the Egyptian-proposed ceasefire agreement, which Hamas resoundingly rejected on July 27, 2014; Whereas Hamas intentionally uses civilians as human shields; Whereas Hamas refuses to recognize Israel’s right to exist; Whereas Israel’s Iron Dome has protected Israel’s civilian population from the over 2,500 rockets that Hamas has indiscriminately fired into Israel since July 7, 2014; Whereas, without Iron Dome’s ability to intercept and destroy Hamas’s missiles, Israeli neighborhoods would have been significantly damaged and Israeli casualties would have been much higher; Whereas the United Nations Human Rights Council voted to accept a biased resolution establishing a Commission of Inquiry to determine if Israel violated human rights and humanitarian law during the ongoing conflict with Gaza; and Whereas the United Nations Human Rights Council resolution makes no mention of investigating Hamas’s indiscriminate rocket attacks against Israel, nor Hamas’s policy of using Palestinian civilians as human shields: Now, therefore, be it That the Senate— (1) laments all loss of innocent civilian life; (2) condemns the United Nations Human Rights Council’s resolution on July 23, 2014, which calls for yet another prejudged investigation of Israel while making no mention of Hamas’s continued assault against Israel, and also calls for an investigation into potential human rights violations by Israel in the current Gaza conflict without mentioning Hamas’s assault against innocent civilians and its use of civilian shields; (3) supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas’s unrelenting and indiscriminate rocket assault into Israel and Israel’s right to destroy Hamas’s elaborate tunnel system into Israel’s territory; (4) condemns Hamas’s terrorist actions and use of civilians as human shields; (5) supports United States mediation efforts for a durable ceasefire agreement that immediately ends Hamas’s rocket assault and leads to the demilitarization of Gaza; and (6) supports additional funding the Government of Israel needs to replenish Iron Dome missiles and enhance Israel's defensive capabilities.