Senate,
House resolutions back Israel’s actions in Gaza
By JTA
November 17, 2012 " JTA" -- November 16, 2011 - WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Both Houses of the U.S. Congress unanimously passed resolutions expressing support for Israel's "inherent right to act in self-defense."
By JTA
November 17, 2012 " JTA" -- November 16, 2011 - WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Both Houses of the U.S. Congress unanimously passed resolutions expressing support for Israel's "inherent right to act in self-defense."
The
identical non-binding resolutions passed Thursday in the Senate
and Friday in the U.S. House of Representatives,
Initiated
in the Senate by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Mark Kirk
(R-Ill.) and Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Howard
Berman (D-Calif.) in the House, each resolution "expresses
unwavering commitment to the security of the State of Israel as
a Jewish and democratic state with secure borders, and
recognizes and strongly supports its inherent right to act in
self-defense to protect its citizens against acts of terrorism."
By
Thursday evening, the Senate resolution had garnered 64
cosponsors.
The
American Israel Public Affairs Committee in a statement praised
"the leadership of Senators Gillibrand and Kirk, and the
extraordinary show of support by the Senate for Israel’s
struggle against terrorist attacks on its citizens."
The
resolutions are the first such proposed legislation in the wake
of Israeli airstrikes launched Wednesday in retaliation for
rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip
Unlike
statements of support for Israel's actions from the Obama
administration, the resolutions do not call on both sides to
exercise restraint or express regret at casualties on both
sides.
"We
strongly condemn the barrage of rocket fire from Gaza into
Israel, and we regret the death and injury of innocent Israeli
and Palestinian civilians caused by the ensuing violence," Jay
Carney, the White House spokesman, told reporters on
Thursday. "There is no justification for the violence that Hamas
and other terrorist organizations are employing against the
people of Israel. We call on those responsible to stop these
cowardly acts immediately in order to allow the situation to
de-escalate."
Twenty-eight Palestinians, including at least two children, and
three Israelis have been killed in the escalated violence
between Israel and Palestinian terrorists. Among the dead
Palestinians is a terrorist leader, Ahmed Jabari.
A host of
lawmakers have issued statements in support of Israel, and
Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren on Wednesday briefed five
senators from both parties -- Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.),
Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Jim DeMint (R-S.C.)
and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.).
"As a
bipartisan group of Senators committed to Israel's security, we
express our solidarity with Israel during this deeply
challenging period and denounce the reprehensible and
indiscriminate rocket attacks launched by Hamas and Islamic
Jihad against innocent Israeli citizens," the senators said in a
joint statement.
AIPAC
praised the outpouring of congressional support.
"These
statements demonstrate that America continues to firmly stand
with Israel and her right to defend herself," it said. "No
nation can tolerate constant barrages of rockets against its
civilian population."
Note
-Image in this article was embedded by ICH, did not appear in
the original item.
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