US House passes resolution condemning Hamas

US House passes resolution condemning Hamas

The US House of Representatives passes a resolution denouncing the alleged use of civilians as human shields by Hamas and other terrorist organizations in violation of international humanitarian law. Sponsors say that the measure, which was passed by unanimous consent, was motivated by the failure of the United Nations to acknowledge such actions by Hamas in issuing condemnations of the ongoing violence.

“This resolution condemning Hamas’s use of human shields in violation of international humanitarian law is an extremely important and timely measure given the current situation in Israel and Gaza,” says Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), one of the measure’s sponsors. She says that she and co-sponsor Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) conceived of the resolution after visiting Israel earlier in July and witnessing rocket fire directed against Israel firsthand.

Ros-Lehtinen says that the resolution follows a decision by the United Nations to “investigate what it calls ‘war crimes’ and ‘human rights’ violations by Israel, not by Hamas,” and takes particular umbrage at the fact that in the UN resolution “there wasn’t even a word about Hamas’ attacks against innocent Israeli civilians nor about Hamas’s use of Palestinians as human shields.”

“This is a disgrace, and it is a shame,” she says in a speech prior to the vote on the House floor. “If the UN Security Council will not act and not use its voice, that is why it is so important for the House of Representatives to pass this resolution, to not only stand up for the Palestinian people who have been made pawns in Hamas’ mission to destroy Israel, to their detriment, but for Israel, in the face of this biased anti-Israel agenda.”

– Rebecca Shimoni Stoil