[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 751 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 751
Condemning the repressive designation by the Government of Israel of
six prominent Palestinian human rights and civil society groups as
terrorist organizations, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 28, 2021
Ms. McCollum (for herself, Ms. Tlaib, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Carson, Ms.
Omar, Ms. Newman, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Pressley, Ms. Bush, and Mr.
Garcia of Illinois) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning the repressive designation by the Government of Israel of
six prominent Palestinian human rights and civil society groups as
terrorist organizations, and for other purposes.
Whereas the Government of Israel designated six prominent Palestinian human
rights and civil society groups as ``terrorist organizations'' on
October 19, 2021, a designation that effectively criminalizes the
activities of legitimate civil society groups and authorizes Israeli
authorities to close their offices, seize their assets, and arrest and
jail their staff members;
Whereas the six prominent Palestinian human rights and civil society
organizations are Addameer, Al-Haq, Defense for Children International-
Palestine, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, the Bisan Center
for Research and Development, and the Union of Palestinian Women
Committees, which work directly with Palestinian women and girls,
children, small holder farmers, prisoners, and civil society activists,
providing direct services and monitoring and exposing human rights
abuses, including ongoing expansion of settlements in violation of
international law;
Whereas Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, in a joint statement,
called the move ``appalling and unjust'' and ``an alarming escalation
that threatens to shut down the work of Palestine's most prominent civil
society organizations'';
Whereas 21 of the leading Israeli human rights groups issued a joint statement
calling this a ``draconian measure that criminalizes critical human
rights work'';
Whereas United Nations human rights experts unequivocally condemned the decision
declaring that the ``designation is a frontal attack on the Palestinian
human rights movement, and on human rights everywhere'' and ``not what a
democracy adhering to well-accepted human rights and humanitarian
standards would do'';
Whereas the Israeli newspaper Haaretz called the decision ``A stain upon
Israel'' and said, ``The outlawing of human rights groups and
persecution of humanitarian activists are quintessential characteristics
of military regimes, in which democracy in its deepest sense is a dead
letter'';
Whereas, over the past several years, Israeli, Palestinian, and international
human rights and humanitarian organizations have faced an increasingly
difficult operating environment and shrinking civic space in Israel and
the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip,
that negatively impacts their ability to deliver assistance and advocate
on behalf of Palestinian human rights;
Whereas delegitimization and disinformation campaigns have been advanced by a
network of rising nationalist Israeli civil society organizations and
associated organizations outside of Israel, with the support of Israeli
government ministries and aim to silence and eliminate lawful human
rights work that exposes widespread human rights violations inherent in
Israel's military occupation of Palestinians;
Whereas antiterrorism legislation must not be used to unjustifiably undermine
civil liberties or to curtail the legitimate work of human rights
organizations and must be applied in a manner that is consistent with
international law and does not violate obligations under international
law; and
Whereas the United States provides $3.8 billion in military funding to the
Israeli government each fiscal year and therefore holds a unique
obligation to speak out against and condemn actions by the Israeli
government that intentionally undermine democratic values and
internationally recognized human rights: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) the House of Representatives--
(A) recognizes the value and importance of the
courageous work being done by the six Palestinian civil
society organizations defending the human rights of a
vulnerable and at-risk Palestinian population living
under Israeli military occupation; and
(B) condemns as a repressive act designed to
criminalize and persecute important Palestinian human
rights organizations the decision by the Government of
Israel to designate six prominent Palestinian human
rights and civil society groups as terrorist
organizations; and
(2) it is the sense of the House of Representatives that
President Biden and the Secretary of State should--
(A) publicly condemn this authoritarian and
antidemocratic act of repression by the Government of
Israel against prominent Palestinian civil society
organizations;
(B) publicly call on Israeli authorities to
immediately end efforts aimed at persecuting,
delegitimizing, and criminalizing Palestinian human
rights defenders and civil society organizations; and
(C) publicly state the ongoing United States
commitment to recognize the valuable work of
Palestinian civil society organizations, including
Addameer, Al-Haq, Defense for Children International-
Palestine, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees,
the Bisan Center for Research and Development, and the
Union of Palestinian Women Committees, and all other
peaceful, legitimate efforts to protect the
internationally recognized human rights of Palestinians
living under Israeli military occupation.
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