[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1562 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1562
Condemning President Erdogan and his regime for issuing destabilizing
statements following the attacks on the State of Israel on October 7,
2023, endangering the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's mission,
threatening the territorial integrity of neighboring countries,
supporting terrorism, and fostering antisemitic behavior around the
globe.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 1, 2024
Ms. Titus (for herself, Mr. Schneider, and Mr. Bilirakis) submitted the
following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign
Affairs
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RESOLUTION
Condemning President Erdogan and his regime for issuing destabilizing
statements following the attacks on the State of Israel on October 7,
2023, endangering the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's mission,
threatening the territorial integrity of neighboring countries,
supporting terrorism, and fostering antisemitic behavior around the
globe.
Whereas Recep Tayyip Erdogan has led the Republic of Turkiye as Prime Minister
from 2003 until 2014, and President since 2014;
Whereas statements made by President Erdogan and his regime have been
sympathetic to Hamas, a United States-designated foreign terrorist
organization, in its war to destroy Israel, emboldening malign groups
that do not support democracy;
Whereas antisemitic statements made by President Erdogan and his regime risk
motivating nefarious actors seeking to undermine the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO) as weak and divided;
Whereas inflammatory statements on behalf of the Republic of Turkiye may
perpetuate the rising trend of antisemitism throughout the world;
Whereas the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reported that antisemitic incidents in
the United States skyrocketed 360 percent following the Hamas attack on
Israel;
Whereas, in October 2023, President Erdogan stated that ``Hamas is not a
terrorist organization, it is a liberation group'';
Whereas, in November 2023, President Erdogan called Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu ``the butcher of Gaza'' without mention of Hamas
atrocities in the region such as their execution of approximately 1,200
innocent people and more than 250 individuals taken hostage, including
United States citizens;
Whereas, in December 2023, President Erdogan equated the actions of Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to that of Hitler and, on September
24, 2024, President Erdogan repeated this during the United Nations
General Assembly's High-Level Week;
Whereas, in April 2024, President Erdogan's regime placed restrictions on
exports to Israel, and announced an end to all trade in May 2024;
Whereas, in May 2024, President Erdogan's regime falsely deemed Israel's actions
in the Gaza Strip a genocide of Palestinians by saying ``I repeat my
call for the Israeli leadership to never expand the scope of its attacks
on civilians and to immediately end its operations amounting to
genocide'';
Whereas, in May 2024, the Republic of Turkiye announced that it would apply to
be a coplaintiff in the case South Africa v. Israel that South Africa
brought forward to the International Court of Justice that falsely
asserts Israel violated its obligations under the Genocide Convention
due to its conduct in the Gaza Strip;
Whereas, in July 2024, President Erdogan threatened to invade the State of
Israel and stated, ``We must be very strong so that Israel can't do
these ridiculous things to Palestine. Just like we entered Karabakh,
just like we entered Libya, we might do similar to them'';
Whereas, in July 2024, President Erdogan stated, ``Until comprehensive,
sustainable peace is established in Palestine, attempts at cooperation
with Israel within NATO will not be approved by Turkiye'';
Whereas President Erdogan's obstruction of NATO cooperation with Israel
undermines broader transatlantic security, counterterrorism efforts, and
the need for a cohesive NATO policy against common threats;
Whereas President Erdogan has repeatedly hosted United States-designated senior
Hamas leaders, including Ismail Haniyeh, Khaled Meshaal, and Saleh al-
Arouri;
Whereas, on August 2, 2024, President Erdogan declared a day of mourning for
Ismail Haniyeh, and the Embassy of Turkiye in Tel Aviv lowered its flag
to half-mast in Haniyeh's honor;
Whereas, on August 28, 2024, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal called on Palestinians
to carry out suicide bombings against Israelis while speaking at a
conference in Istanbul, Turkiye;
Whereas, on September 3, 2024, the United States Department of Justice announced
terrorism, murder conspiracy, and sanctions-evasion charges against six
senior Hamas leaders, including Khaled Meshaal;
Whereas, on October 9, 2024, Erdogan called Israel a ``Zionist terrorist
organization'';
Whereas, on October 18, 2024, the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Turkiye
expressed condolences to the Hamas Political Bureau for the death of
Yahya Sinwar, the former Chairman and leader of Hamas and architect of
the October 7 attack on Israel;
Whereas President Erdogan has used inflammatory language against Greece, a
fellow NATO ally, to undermine the peace and security of its democratic
neighbor;
Whereas Turkiye assisted in Azerbaijan's repression and expulsion of Armenians
living in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023;
Whereas, during the 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly's High-
Level Week, which coincided with the 50th anniversary of Turkey's
illegal invasion of Cyprus, President Erdogan unjustifiably asserted
that Turkiye has legitimate claims to the northern half of Cyprus and
that Turkish Cypriots have territorial rights across the island;
Whereas the House of Representatives recognizes that on August 1, 2024,
notwithstanding Erdogan's destabilizing rhetoric and actions, the
Republic of Turkiye played an integral role in brokering an extensive
prisoner exchange between the United States and Russia, allowing 16
United States and European prisoners to come home;
Whereas, in 2024, the Republic of Turkiye has allocated about 2.09 percent of
its gross domestic product (GDP) to its own defense spending, exceeding
NATO's targets, to ensure that countries in NATO achieve military
readiness;
Whereas greater military cooperation between the United States and Turkiye
should be contingent upon Turkiye's reliability within NATO and
adherence to international norms regarding human rights and
counterterrorism efforts;
Whereas the United States Congress plays a critical role in oversight of
government-to-government foreign military sales of major defense
equipment; and
Whereas President Erdogan and the Republic of Turkiye could be a far more
effective partner of the United States if President Erdogan refrained
from engaging in any further destabilizing, antagonistic, and
antisemitic rhetoric or behavior moving forward: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) urges the Republic of Turkiye to stand with Israel's
right to exist and its war against terrorism;
(2) condemns President Erdogan's support for Hamas leaders
and urges the Republic of Turkiye to immediately denounce Hamas
and other Iranian allies and proxy organizations;
(3) urges President Erdogan and his administration to
refrain from blocking the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's
cooperation with Israel at a time when the Islamic Republic of
Iran and its terrorist proxies pose a growing threat to the
region and the transatlantic alliance;
(4) urges the Republic of Turkiye to fulfill its treaty
obligations and extradite to the United States any Hamas
members located in Turkiye and wanted by the United States;
(5) condemns President Erdogan's destabilizing and
threatening rhetoric towards its democratic neighbors,
especially Greece and the Republic of Cyprus;
(6) urges the Biden administration to pause further
transfers or sales of United States-made fighter jets to the
Republic of Turkiye; and
(7) urges President Erdogan and his administration to
subdue its divisive antisemitic and destabilizing rhetoric.
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