The US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Wednesday to express its support for Israel during its conflict with Hamas. The resolution, titled “Standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists,” was approved with a majority of 412 to 10 votes.
Nine of the ten “no” votes came from Democratic representatives: Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman, Andre Carson, Al Green, Summer Lee, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Delia Ramirez, and Rashida Tlaib. The sole Republican voting against the resolution was Representative Thomas Massie.
The resolution emphasizes the House’s solidarity with Israel as it defends itself against the war initiated by Hamas and other terrorist groups, reaffirming Israel’s right to self-defense and condemning Hamas’s actions.
Additionally, the resolution calls on all nations to unequivocally denounce Hamas’s war against Israel and urges Hamas to immediately cease violent attacks, release living hostages, and return the bodies of deceased hostages.
Furthermore, it reiterates the United States’ commitment to Israel’s security, including providing security assistance as outlined in the 2016 US-Israel Memorandum of Understanding. The resolution also advocates for the full enforcement of the “Taylor Force Act,” which cuts US funding to the Palestinian Authority (PA) if it continues to provide financial support to terrorists and their families.
The resolution takes a strong stance against Iran’s support for terrorist groups and proxies, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad. It encourages the strict enforcement of US sanctions against Iran to prevent the funding of terrorist organizations and declares the readiness to provide Israel with emergency resupply and other forms of security, diplomatic, and intelligence support.
This resolution was the first one passed by the House after the election of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as the next Speaker. Johnson had previously stated that his initial action as Speaker would be to pass a resolution affirming Israel’s right to self-defense.
{Matzav.com}