The House overwhelmingly passed a resolution on Feb. 14 condemning rape and sexual violence committed by Hamas on and since Oct. 7, 2023.
Introduced by Rep. Louis Frankel (D-Fla.), the resolution passed 418–0, with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) voting “present.”
The resolution cites examples of such acts by Hamas on what was the largest single-day massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. These include testimonies, eyewitness accounts, forensic evidence, and confessions by Hamas terrorists captured by Israel.
The resolution states that the House “condemns all rape and forms of sexual violence as weapons of war, including those acts committed by Hamas terrorists on and since Oct. 7,” and “calls on all nations to criminalize rape and sexual assault, and hold accountable all perpetrators of sexual violence, including state and non-state armed groups.”
It also “calls on all international bodies to unequivocally condemn the barbaric murder, rape, sexual assault, and kidnapping by Hamas and other terrorists on and since Oct. 7, and hold accountable all perpetrators; reaffirms the United States government’s support for independent, impartial investigations of rape and sexual violence committed by Hamas on and since Oct. 7, and reaffirms its commitment to supporting survivors of rape and sexual violence, including those brutalized on and since Oct. 7.”
Other Bills
Congress was scheduled to bring up another pro-Israel measure: the IGO Anti-Boycott Act. It’s unknown why the bill wasn’t brought up despite having been scheduled for Feb. 13.
It would amend the Anti-Boycott Act of 2018 to apply to international governmental organizations. Although the bill doesn’t explicitly mention Israel, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who introduced it, said in a Dec. 13, 2023, statement that it’s about standing with Israel and combating hatred against Jews.
“The IGO Anti-Boycott Act is an important measure in the global fight against anti-Semitism,” Mr. Lawler said.
“By protecting U.S. companies from being forced to participate in boycotts against allied countries, Congress is firmly stating our proactive opposition to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and other foreign boycotts that stand counter to American ideals.”
The BDS movement has been deemed by critics as anti-Semitic because it applies a double standard regarding Israel and singles out the Jewish state in addition to seeking its delegitimization and destruction.
The House passage of the Middle East-related measures came just days after the Senate, in a 70–29 vote, approved a $95.3 billion bill that includes $14 billion for Israel.
However, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a Feb. 12 statement that the bill is dead on arrival in the House.
“House Republicans were crystal clear from the very beginning of discussions that any so-called national security supplemental legislation must recognize that national security begins at our own border,” he said in a Feb. 12 statement.
Nonetheless, the House might bypass Mr. Johnson’s opposition to the current bill through a rarely used mechanism called the discharge petition, which requires a majority of the House to sign on to force measures to be brought up on the House floor.
The House also failed this past week to pass a separate bill to give $17.6 billion to Israel. That measure required a two-thirds majority to pass because it was brought up under an expedited process. Most Democrats voted against it, and most Republicans voted in favor of it.
