The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Rules will hold a hearing on Tuesday at 4 p.m. during which, in part, it will discuss a yet-unnumbered resolution “Opposing efforts to place one-sided pressure on Israel with respect to Gaza.”
The text of the resolution, whose sponsor does not yet appear to be named, notes that the Jewish state has a right to self-defense and that Washington and Jerusalem have “a close and robust bilateral relationship marked by strong people-to-people ties and close cooperation on a wide range of issues including defense, diplomacy, energy, cybersecurity, agriculture, science and space.”
The resolution notes an April 4 White House readout of a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during which U.S. President Joe Biden “underscored that an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize and improve the humanitarian situation and protect innocent civilians.”
The resolution “opposes efforts to place one-sided pressure on Israel with respect to Gaza, including calls for an immediate ceasefire, such as the recent statement by President Biden and United Nations Security Council Resolution 2728, which was adopted due to the Biden administration’s decision not to exercise the United States veto.”
“Biden’s tactics against our ally the democratic, Jewish State of Israel are a pathetic attempt to appease the pro-Hamas mob. It’s the Hamas terrorists refusing to accept a ceasefire deal—not Israel. Hamas doesn’t want to release the innocent hostages,” wrote Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.) about the resolution.
The resolution, wrote Julie Tsirkin, NBC News congressional correspondent, is “designed to capitalize on divisions between Democrats who find themselves caught between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian factions of their base.”
Dylan Williams, vice president for government affairs at the Washington think tank Center for International Policy and a former J Street lobbyist, denounced the resolution text for not mentioning Palestinians and deaths of civilians in Gaza.
