Congress: 112 · Status: active · Israel/Palestine classification: pro-Israel
Data (JSON) — machine-readable record of this bill (identifiers, sponsor, classification, actions, and the member-by-member vote breakdown).
Official record on Congress.gov — full text, actions, and cosponsor history for HRES 317.
Sponsor: Ackerman, Gary L. (D-NY)
Demands that Hamas: (1) release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, (2) allow access to Gilad Shalit by competent medical personnel and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, (3) provide Gilad Shalit the humane treatment all captives are entitled to as a fundamental human right, (4) facilitate regular communication by Gilad Shalit with his family, and (5) cease compelling Gilad Shalit to appear in video and voice recordings intended to extort and coerce the government of Israel. Expresses: (1) commitment to the survival of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state within recognized and secure borders; (2) opposition to participation by Hamas in the Palestinian Authority (PA) prior to explicit acceptance by that group of Israel's right to exist, the cessation of all violence, and the binding commitments made previously by the PA and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO); and (3) commitment to seek the release of Gilad Shalit and other missing Israeli soldiers. Recalls: (1) the attack on and kidnapping of the bodies of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev by the Iran-supported terrorist group Hezbollah; and (2) the missing Israeli soldiers Zecharya Baumel, Zvi Feldman, Yehuda Katz, Ron Arad, Guy Hever, and Majdy Halabi. Condemns: (1) Hamas for the immoral cross border attack and kidnapping of Gilad Shalit; and (2) Iran and Syria, the primary state sponsors and patrons of Hamas, for their ongoing support for international terrorism.
This resolution demands that Hamas immediately release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, provide him medical care and Red Cross access, treat him humanely, allow him to contact his family, and stop forcing him to record extortion videos. It also expresses Congressional support for Israel's survival as a Jewish and democratic state, opposes Hamas participation in Palestinian governance unless it recognizes Israel and renounces violence, and condemns Hamas, Iran, and Syria for supporting terrorism.
This is a non-binding resolution that signals Congressional sentiment on Israeli captive recovery and Hamas's legitimacy. It ties Palestinian political participation to preconditions (recognizing Israel, ceasing violence) that reflect a particular framing of the conflict's prerequisites, which shapes the terms of debate around eventual Palestinian governance.