Schumer, Rubio Cosponsor Senate Resolution in Support of Israel

U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Wednesday announced they have joined a bipartisan Senate resolution in support of Israel which strongly condemns the Palestinian terrorist attacks that have occurred in recent weeks.

The resolution also urges President Barack Obama and the international community to join in forcefully condemning the Palestinian terror attacks, expresses support for Israel’s right to self-defense and rejects any suggestion of the moral equivalence of Israeli security personnel protecting its citizens from senseless violence, and calls upon President Mahmoud Abbas to stop all incitement by Palestinian officials and by Palestinian media and to take all steps necessary to halt these attacks. In addition, the resolution calls on all parties to return to the negotiating table immediately and without preconditions but does not mention the two-state solution, like another resolution introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Mark Kirk (R-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), and John Cornyn (R-TX) have also signed on cosponsors of the resolution.

The House of Representatives unanimously passed a similar bipartisan resolution authored U.S. Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Ted Deutch from Florida on Monday.

“This resolution supports Israel as it defends itself from a wave of gruesomely violent attacks from Palestinians aimed at innocent civilians. Palestinian leaders, like Mr. Abbas, must strongly condemn these violent acts and cease their incendiary rhetoric, which fans the flames of violence,” Schumer said in a statement. “It would be far better and more productive for the Palestinian people if their leadership would spend less time condoning or excusing hate-based violence and more time sitting down with Israel to come up with a peaceful resolution.”

Senator Rubio, who is running for president in 2016, noted in a statement, “Last month, my family and I joined the American Jewish community and millions of other Americans to pray for peace in Israel during a special Solidarity Shabbat. As attacks against innocent Israelis continue, it’s important that we reaffirm our country’s bipartisan support of Israel – something that President Obama and his administration habitually fail to do.”

“The continued violence by Palestinians against Israelis is a reminder of why we must stand with our ally Israel and demand that President Abbas and the Palestinian Authority take all necessary measures to halt incitement and stop the violence,” Rubio added.