US Senate expresses support for Israel, slams Palestinian terror

Resolution condemns in the ‘harshest terms possible’ attacks that have left 11 Israelis dead and 145 wounded

By JTA 13 November 2015, 2:50 am

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Left to right: Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, Sen, John McCain, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sen. Christopher Coons, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse and US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO/Flash90)

The US Senate on Tuesday passed a resolution expressing support for Israel and condemning Palestinian terror attacks.

The resolution, which passed by unanimous consent, condemned in the “harshest terms possible” attacks that have left 11 Israelis dead and 145 wounded, and called on Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to stop incitement by Palestinian officials and media.

It further affirmed that the Senate “stands with the people of Israel during these difficult days” and supports the Jewish state’s right to self-defense, rejecting “any suggestion of the moral equivalence of Israeli security personnel” protecting its citizens and “terrorists intent to deliberately take innocent lives.”

Senators Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, and Kelly Ayotte, R-NH, introduced the resolution, which had 67 co-sponsors — 41 Republicans and 26 Democrats. Last week, the US House of Representatives passed its own resolution condemning Palestinian terror.

Reiterating US policy that a final peace must be negotiated, the Senate resolution called on all parties to return to talks “immediately and without preconditions.” It was introduced on November 3, a few days prior to the White House announcement that the United States would not broker a peace agreement before President Barack Obama leaves office.