| Sponsor | Rep. Ackerman, Gary L. |
| Committee | Foreign Affairs |
| Date | June 23, 2010 (111th Congress, 2nd Session) |
| Staff Contact | Ben Howard |
H.Res. 1359 is expected to be considered on the floor of the House on Wednesday, June 23, 2010, under a motion to suspend the rules, requiring a two-thirds vote for passage. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY) on May 13, 2010.
H.Res. 1359 would resolve that the House of Representatives:
- “Demands that Hamas immediately and unconditionally release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit;
- “Demands that Hamas accede to the requirements of international humanitarian law and the most basic standards of human conduct by
- allowing prompt access to the Israeli captives by competent medical personnel and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross;
- providing Gilad Shalit the humane treatment all captives are entitled to as a fundamental human right;
- facilitating regular communication by Gilad Shalit with his family and allow his family to know where he is being held;
- ceasing to compel Gilad Shalit to appear in video and voice recordings intended to illegally and extortionately coerce the Government of Israel;
- “Expresses its vigorous support and unwavering commitment to the welfare, security, and survival of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state within recognized and secure borders;
- “Expresses its strong support and deep interest in achieving a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the creation of a democratic, viable, and independent Palestinian state living in peace alongside of the State of Israel;
- “Expresses its ongoing concern and sympathy for the family of Gilad Shalit;
- “Expresses its full commitment to continue to seek the immediate and unconditional release of Gilad Shalit and other missing Israeli soldiers;
- “Recalls the illegal and barbaric attack on and kidnapping of the bodies of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev on July 12, 2006, by the Iran-supported terrorist group Hezbollah;
- “Recalls the missing Israeli soldiers Zecharya Baumel, Zvi Feldman, and Yehuda Katz, missing since June 11, 1982, Ron Arad, who was captured on October 16, 1986, Guy Hever, last seen on August 17, 1997, and Majdy Halabi, last seen on May 24, 2005;
- “Condemns Hamas for the grossly illegal and immoral cross border attack and kidnapping of Gilad Shalit;
- “Condemns Iran and Syria, the primary state sponsors and patrons of Hamas, for their ongoing support for international terrorism.”
Gilad Shalit has been held in captivity by Hamas for almost four years. On June 25, 2006, contrary to international humanitarian law, Hamas together with allied terrorists crossed into Israel to attack a military post, killing two soldiers and wounding and kidnapping Gilad Shalit in an illegal effort to coerce the government of Israel. Congress previously expressed its concern for missing Israeli soldiers in Public Law 106-89 (113 Stat. 1305; November 8, 1999), which required the Secretary of State to raise the status of missing Israeli soldiers with appropriate government officials of Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, and other governments in the region, and to submit to Congress reports on those efforts and any subsequent discovery of relevant information.