Two bipartisan resolutions, one condemning incitement by the Palestinian Authority against Israel and the other raising concerns about anti-Semitism in Europe, passed unanimously in the United States House of Representatives this week.
The resolution condemning Palestinian incitement was sponsored by Representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R – Fla.) and Ted Deutch (D – Fla.), The Times of Israel reported Wednesday.
Deutch said following the vote that the recent wave of terror attacks in Israel “is a direct result of incitement by Palestinian leaders accusing Israel of changing the status quo on the Temple Mount.”
“These false accusations send a dangerous message that violence and acts of terrorism are acceptable and even justified,” he said. “It is well past time for President Abbas to stand up and condemn all acts of violence, rather than encouraging violence by glorifying terrorists and teaching children to view Israelis as animals.”
Ros-Lehtinen also issued a statement after the measure passed:
The House has sent a clear message to Palestinian leadership that its anti-Israel incitement causing so much of the recent tension, violence, and terror will no longer be tolerated. There should be no doubt that the Palestinian Authority sets the tone with its incitement, resulting in the recent wave of attacks that we’re seeing against innocent Israeli civilians.
For years, the Palestinian Authority has promoted anti-Semitic and anti-Israel rhetoric in its official statements, media, and textbooks, and has done little to condemn, discourage, or prevent it from occurring. Instead of trying to deflect from its own failed leadership, it’s time for the Palestinian Authority to step up and work on behalf of the Palestinian people by calming tensions and discouraging additional incitement.
The House’s passage of this resolution sends an important signal that we’ll continue to support the democratic Jewish State of Israel during this difficult time and we will hold Palestinian leadership accountable for its destructive words and actions.
On Tuesday, The Hill reported that the House unanimously passed a resolution calling on Europe to fight anti-Semitism and provide more security for its Jewish population.
Passed 418-0, the resolution cites recent anti-Semitic massacres this year at a kosher supermarket in Paris and the Great Synagogue in Copenhagen during a bat mitzvah as evidence of religiously motivated violence. …
The measure further urges the U.S. government to coordinate with European law enforcement agencies to share information to mitigate potential attacks and train Jewish community groups to protect themselves.
Rep. Ed Royce (R – Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said, “The slaughter of these people, their persecution, leaves for humanity the thought: Have we learned nothing from the Holocaust? European leaders must unequivocally send this message to their people and act to provide greater protection for their Jewish citizens.”
The Jerusalem Post reported that Rep. Steny Hoyer (D – Md.), minority whip, endorsed both measures:
Terror against Israelis and anti-Semitic attacks around the world must not be met with silence from the international community, and the two resolutions the House passed this week reflect the need to speak out and make clear where our nation stands.
Much work remains in the fight to root out hatred against Jews in their ancient homeland or in their diaspora communities. Nothing can ever justify the murder of innocents or the spreading of fear among peaceful communities.
I will continue supporting measures like those the House approved this week to make it unambiguously clear that a bipartisan majority in Congress stands united in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people against violence, hatred, and terror.
In October, the House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously approved a resolution condemning the PA and President Mahmoud Abbas, “for praising the killers of Israelis as “heroes,” for labeling Jews a “contaminating” presence on the Temple Mount (Haram al-Sharif) and for encouraging bloodletting in Jerusalem.”
According to Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the emergency medical service Magen David Adom reported that Palestinians have carried out 58 stabbings, 5 shootings, and 7 car ramming attacks between October 1 – November 2. These attacks, which various Israeli security experts and Palestinian activists have attributed to incitement, have claimed the lives of eleven people and wounded 158.
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