The senior Democrat in the Florida congressional delegation backed UN Amb. Nikki Haley’s effort to condemn Hamas for its continued efforts against Israel.
Haley’s motion condemning drew a majority of votes at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) but failed to pass thanks to Kuwait sponsoring a counter resolution which insisted that the U.S. needed a two-thirds majority to condemn Hamas.
Haley, who announced her resignation earlier this year, left no room for doubt that she thinks Hamas is a terrorist group.
“I want to take a personal moment and ask my Arab brothers and sisters: is the hatred that strong?” Haley demanded. “Is the hatred toward Israel so strong that you’ll defend a terrorist organization, one that is directly causing harm to the Palestinian people? Isn’t it time to let that go? For true peace and security in the entire region, isn’t it time for both sides to let this go? For the sake of peace, and for the sake of this institution, I respectfully urge my colleagues to support the United States’ resolution.”
U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Fla., one of the top members of his party on the U.S. House Rules Committee and the ranking Democrat on the U.S. Helsinki Commission, ripped the UN on Friday for voting down Haley’s resolution.
“The UNGA’s rejection of the US-sponsored resolution condemning Hamas for proliferating terror and firing rockets into Israel is an abject failure of the international community,” Hastings said. “As stated by Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Danny Dannon, ‘silence in the face of evil reveals your true colors.’ I could not agree more.
“The indifference shown by so many at the UNGA for the lives of innocent Israeli and Palestinian victims of Hamas is both frustrating and heartbreaking. The failure of this resolution will likely be spun by the very forces it sought to reject to legitimize the continuation of terrorism and the cycle of violence that has already affected so many lives in Israel and Gaza. Such an outcome is, quite simply, disgusting,” Hastings added. “I am and have always been a supporter of human rights across the globe, just as I am and always have been a supporter of the UN. However, it becomes increasingly difficult to continue supporting the UN when the Arab block incessantly unites against resolutions like this one while supporting offensive resolutions disavowing Jewish ties to the most holy site in Judaism and rejecting Israel’s right to exist. These unfair attacks only make peace more elusive.
“While this vote was a missed opportunity to unequivocally reject terror, I take heart knowing that this resolution failed because of a last minute rule-change requiring a two-thirds majority rather than a simple majority. The 87 nations that voted to support the resolution should be commended for standing up to terror. The United States will continue to stand with Israel,” Hastings concluded.
