Tipsheet

Senate Passes Resolution Supporting Israel, But There's a Catch

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  October 19, 2023 3:45 PM

This article has been corrected to reflect Sen. Rand Paul's (R-KY) role as a cosponsor to the resolution that was voted on and passed earlier on Thursday. 

On Thursday afternoon, the Senate voted 97-0 in favor of a resolution supporting Israel and condemning Hamas after the October 7 attack that was the bloodiest day for Israel and resulted in the most Jews killed since the Holocaust. The bipartisan resolution was introduced by Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Jim Risch (R-ID), the chair and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), who it was reported earlier on Thursday had been out earlier this week, was also a cosponsor of Thursday's resolution.

The resolution not only called out Hamas for its attack on Israel, but for being responsible for further loss of life. "Whereas since October 7, 2023, Hamas is directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians[,]" the resolution read in part. 

The resolution also discussed the role of Iran in a noteworthy way, in the following excerpts as well as later in the resolution as well:

Whereas expansion of this war to other fronts by Hezbollah, Iran, or others would create an even more devastating regional catastrophe;

Whereas Iran has long provided hundreds of millions of dollars in material support to Hamas and other terrorist groups, such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad;

...

Whereas the United States will make every effort to preventIran, Hezbollah, and others from entering the conflict against Israel, including increasing credible regional deterrence through the deployment of naval and air assets to the Middle East:

The resolution also contains some further powerful language when it comes to what the Senate pledges to do in supporting Israel, especially when it comes to Israel's right to defend itself. First and foremost this includes how the Senate "stands with Israel as it defends itself, including Israeli efforts to diminish the threat posed by Hamas" as well as "reaffirms Israel’s right to self-defense, and is committed to helping Israel safeguard its people from future aggression" and "calls on all countries to unequivocally condemn Hamas’ war on Israel, including Hamas’ intentional targeting of, and attacks against, civilians[.]"

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While some on the left who oppose Israel and are calling for a "ceasefire" and "de-escalation" put the onus on Israel--including some Democratic members in the House--this resolution puts that on Hamas, as the Senate "demands that Hamas immediately cease its attacks against Israel and safely release all living hostages and return the bodies of deceased hostages."

It's not just Hamas that the resolution calls out, but also Iran and any other countries. The resolution also notes that the Senate does the following:

(5) condemns Iran’s support for global terrorism, including its support for terrorist groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad;

(6) calls on the United States to lead an international effort, including through sanctions, to deprive Hamas of Iranian and other sources of funding and lethal assistance that the terror group relies on to threaten Israel;

(7) warns against any other party hostile to Israel taking advantage of the current situation;

For all the discussion of condemning Iran, there was no mention of $6 billion that the Biden administration announced last month--on September 11, no less--would go to Iran as part of a prisoner exchange swap. Members of both parties in both chambers have called on President Joe Biden to freeze the funds, though the administration has given unhelpful answers when asked about the matter in press briefings earlier this month.

Not long after Hamas' attack on Israel, the Wall Street Journal reported that Hamas had had the support from Iran.

What Senate Democrats were not willing to do, though, was support a resolution from Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) that called out pro-Hamas and antisemitic students on college campuses. Not only did Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) object to the resolution, but after a bit of back-and-forth he left while Hawley was still responding to his points claiming that such students had "legitimate" points and claimed he Hawley was "smearing all of the students who engaged in the protests," which the Democratic senator insisted "was wrong." 

The resolution in part mentioned how "in the wake of such horrific attacks, students at universities in the United States have praised and justified the actions of Hamas, expressed solidarity with the terrorists, and vocally supported the atrocities of Hamas, including the murder of children[,]" as well as how "students across the country have organized protests and vigils in solidarity with Hamas, praising the actions of the terrorist organization and chanting antisemitic slogans[.]"

Hawley's resolution called out the following schools by name: Harvard University, the Student Bar Association of New York University School of Law, the Ohio State University, the University of North Carolina, the University of Virginia, and Columbia University. 

The resolution also read in part that the Senate "denounces the rhetoric of anti-Israel, pro Hamas student groups as antisemitic, repugnant, and morally contemptible for sympathizing with genocidal violence against the State of Israel and risking the physical safety of Jewish Americans in the United States[.]"