As the world mourns the victims of the October 7th attacks in Israel, the U.S. Senate is taking action to show its support for those affected. On Thursday, nearly one-third of the Senate, 51 Senators, signed a letter calling for the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations to designate Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization.
The letter was sent to Ambassador Kelly Craft ahead of the U.N. General Assembly meeting concerning the Middle East. In the letter, the Senators recognize that Hamas has carried out hundreds of indiscriminate rocket attacks against Israeli civilians, as well as other acts of terror. They cite this as “incontrovertible evidence” counters the group’s designation as a political actor.
The Senators adding their signatures to the letter include Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senators Lindsey Graham, Bernie Sanders, Marco Rubio, Dianne Feinstein, and Elizabeth Warren, among others.
The letter also calls on the United Nations to require Hamas to take specific steps in order to renounce terrorism, abide by existing ceasefire agreements, and stop engaging in acts of violence and terror. The Senators recognize that the U.N. Security Council has long been unable to reach such conclusions, due to a variety of political considerations.
“Our hope,” the Senators wrote, “is that Ambassador Craft will use the platform of the United Nations to lead the global community in acknowledging the obvious: that Hamas is a terrorist organization and not a political actor.”
The letter comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East, and the latest attack was an especially painful reminder of the true cost of violence. The attack resulted in the death of seven Israeli children, and the wounding of many more.
The United Nations Security Council has yet to respond to the letter, but it is clear that the Senate is determined to take a strong stance against terrorism, and to show its support for victims of these heinous attacks.