,,iv  #aafth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #gie  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,january #ad1       
#bjbj,mr4 ,engel 7for himself and ,mr4  
,ryan7 submitted the following          
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,foreign ,affairs         
,,resolution  ,supporting the commitment
 of the ,united ,states to lawfully     
protect international cultural sites4   
,whereas ,president ,trump threatened to
 strike locations in ,iran that are at a
 very high level  important to ,iran    
the ,iranian culture2 ,whereas the      
,united ,states has a proud history of  
protecting and avoiding intentional     
damage to and destruction of sites of   
historical and cultural significance1   
even and especially in times of armed   
conflict2 ,whereas ,president ,abraham  
,lincoln's ,lieber ,code of #ahfc       
expresses that cultural property should 
be protected in times of armed conflict2
 ,whereas1 during ,world ,war ,,ii1     
,supreme ,allied ,commander ,dwight ,d4 

,eisenhower issued an order that        
military forces are bound to respect    
historical monuments so far as war      
allows2 ,whereas1 following ,world ,war 
,,ii1 the #aied ,hague ,convention for  
the ,protection of ,cultural ,property  
in the ,event of ,armed ,conflict       
7,hague ,convention71 to which the      
,united ,states is a party1 requires    
that ,state ,parties refrain from any   
act directed by way of reprisals against
 cultural property and solidified the   
principle that cultural property should 
not be targeted during conflict except  
in cases of imperative military         
necessity2 ,whereas1 the most recent    
,department of ,defense ,law of ,war    
,manual1 revised in #bjaf1 specifically 
prohibits acts of hostility ''' directed
 against cultural property in the       
absence of imperative military          
necessity2 ,whereas1 in #bjjd1 the      
,united ,nations ,international         
,criminal ,tribunal for the former      
,yugoslavia convicted those responsible 

for the intentional shelling of the ,old
 ,city of ,dubrovnik in ,croatia1 a     
,world ,heritage ,site2 ,whereas the    
,protect and ,preserve ,international   
,cultural ,property ,act 7,public ,law  
#aad-aea7 advanced the protection of    
cultural property at risk from conflicts
 in ,syria and elsewhere and established
 an interagency ,cultural ,heritage     
,coordinating ,committee at the ,u4,s4  
,department of ,state2 ,whereas1 in     
#bjag1 the ,united ,nations ,security   
,council condemned the unlawful         
destruction of cultural property in     
,resolution #bcdg1 a resolution for     
which the ,united ,states voted1 and    
affirmed that directing unlawful attacks
 against cultural sites and buildings   
may constitute a war crime2 ,whereas    
section #abgi;,c of the ,national       
,defense ,authorization ,act of #bjah   
7,public ,law #aae-ia2 #aj ,u4,s4,c4    
#aac note7 designated a ,coordinator for
 ,cultural ,heritage ,protection at the 
,department of ,defense to help ensure  

the protection of cultural property1    
including adherence to the ,hague       
,convention2 ,whereas1 on ,january #g1  
#bjbj1 when asked about the prospect of 
targeting cultural sites in ,iran1      
,secretary of ,defense ,mark ,esper     
stated that we will follow the law of   
armed conflict2 ,whereas1 on ,january   
#g1 #bjbj1 ,secretary of ,state ,mike   
,pompeo stated that every target that's 
being reviewed1 every effort that's     
being made will always be conducted     
inside the international laws of war2   
and ,whereas1 it is the established     
policy of the ,united ,states to protect
 international cultural property abroad1
 including that of religious communities
 and ethnic minorities3 ,now1 therefore1
 be it  ,that it is the sense of the    
,house of ,representatives that-- 7#a7  
the intentional targeting or destruction
 of cultural property in the absence of 
imperative military necessity is a      
violation of the law of armed conflict  
and runs counter to the values of the   

,united ,states2  7#b7 the ,united      
,states is committed to following the   
law of armed conflict and international 
agreements to which it is a party1      
including the #aied ,hague ,convention  
for the ,protection of ,cultural        
,property in the ,event of ,armed       
,conflict2 and  7#c7 the ,president     
should not order the ,united ,states    
military or other government agencies or
 employees to commit war crimes or other
 violations of the international law of 
armed conflict or threaten to do so4