99 Senators Sign Israel–Hamas Resolution

The Senate side of the U.S. Capitol building is seen at sunrise in Washington on July 31, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Ninety-nine senators on Tuesday signed onto a resolution that backs Israel against Hamas in the ongoing conflict.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only lawmaker in the upper congressional chamber who did not sign onto the resolution. Mr. Paul has not issued a public comment on the matter.

The resolution states that the Senate “stands with Israel as it defends itself, including Israeli efforts to diminish the threat posed by Hamas” and “reaffirms Israel’s right to self-defense, and is committed to helping Israel safeguard its people from future aggression.”

It also “urges the Biden administration to immediately call for and facilitate de-escalation and a cease-fire to urgently end the current violence” and to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza territory.

Previously, Mr. Paul, who has long been opposed to U.S. foreign aid in general, has placed a hold on sending billions of dollars in U.S. aid to Israel, including for the country’s Iron Dome missile defense program in 2021. In 2018, he placed on hold a major funding initiative for the country and said that it needs to be passed alongside a plan to defund assistance to the Palestinian Authority.

“This is Washington’s dirty little secret: The U.S. gives foreign aid to enemies of Israel,” the senator said in the statement at the time. “Each time I’ve tried to stop giving aid to enemies of the U.S. and Israel, I have been thwarted. Often by groups that claim they are pro-Israel.”

In late 2021, the Kentucky Republican also blocked a vote House-passed bill to provide $1 billion for Israel’s Iron Dome system. In the Senate, any senator can try to schedule a vote, but any one senator can also block that request.

“I support Israel. I voted for hundreds of millions of dollars to support Iron Dome. I am glad the United States has a strong bond with Israel. But the United States cannot give money it does not have, no matter how strong our relationship is,” Mr. Paul said two years ago.

Mr. Paul released a statement following the Hamas attack, saying that he “stands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu” and that “it is important to work together to prevent a nuclear Iran, and the spread of Radical Islam.”

Other Senate Activity

Over the past weekend, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and a bipartisan group of senators visited Israel.

The senators met with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv on Sunday, the president’s office said in a statement. The statement said that they “emphasized the cross-party support for the State of Israel.”

When they returned to the United States on Monday, Mr. Schumer said on the floor of the upper chamber that the Senate will move aid quickly to Israel.

“As Senate majority leader, as I mentioned, the highest-ranking Jewish leader in American history, I’m doing everything in my power to ensure the Senate delivers the support Israel needs to accomplish these military, intelligence, and humanitarian goals,” he stated. “We will not just talk; we will act.”

The Senate Democrat leader said he will work with the White House “on putting together an emergency supplemental (spending bill) that will give Israel the tools it needs to defend itself.” Other details were not provided.

Smoke rises from Dhayra village after Israeli shelling as pictured from the Lebanese town of Marwahin, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, on Oct. 11, 2023. Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

“That means military assistance, intelligence assistance, diplomatic assistance and humanitarian assistance to care for innocent civilians. We want to move this package quickly. The Senate must go first. I know that the House is in disarray, but we cannot wait for them,” he said, according to Reuters.

Mr. Schumer said he thought Senate passage of a strong pro-Israel legislation might encourage the House of Representatives to act, despite its leadership impasse. Support for Israel has historically been bipartisan in the U.S. Congress. Israel currently receives $3.8 billion in military assistance per year, under a 10-year aid package passed in 2016.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Charles Brown will hold a classified briefing on the Middle East conflict for the full Senate on Wednesday.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee scheduled a confirmation hearing for former Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, President Joe Biden’s nominee to be the next ambassador to Israel, on Wednesday. Mr. Schumer called Lew “capable and strong” and urged the committee to approve Lew as soon as possible, so the full Senate can confirm him “in all due haste.”

The Epoch Times has contacted Mr. Paul’s office for comment Tuesday.

Reuters contributed to this report.