Date: Tuesday, October 29, 2019To: Friends & SupportersFrom: Gary L. Bauer, Director Holding Hamas AccountableYesterday, Ambassador Kelly Craft, America's representative at the United Nations, addressed the U.N. Security Council during its regular meeting on the "Situation in the Middle East." As former Ambassador Nikki Haley so ably did before, Ambassador Craft used her time to blast the U.N.'s anti-Israel bias and to demand accountability for Hamas, the terrorist organization that rules the Gaza Strip. It is crucial for world leaders to come to grips with Hamas as polls indicate ( [link removed](?x-mi:(?%3C=href=)[%5Cs]*[ ) the Iranian-backed terror group is likely to win new elections in the Palestinian territories. Israel cannot negotiate peace with a radical organization that is dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish state and funded by ( [link removed](?x-mi:(?%3C=href=)[%5Cs]*[ ) the radical regime in Tehran, which continually demands a second Holocaust through Israel's "annihilation ( [link removed](?x-mi:(?%3C=href=)[%5Cs]*[ )."Below are excerpts of Ambassador Craft's statement ( [link removed](?x-mi:(?%3C=href=)[%5Cs]*[ ) before the U.N. Security Council."In my remarks on this issue last month, I largely focused on Israel, which receives a disproportionate amount of the UN's attention. . . This attention is unfairly negative and one-sided: in the past two years, there have been some 20 resolutions in the General Assembly either implicitly or explicitly criticizing Israel."Today, I want to use my remarks to shed light on an actor that somehow receives far less criticism than Israel and whose behavior has never been seriously scrutinized by this Council or by the General Assembly. Hamas – a terrorist organization that oppresses the Palestinian people in Gaza through intimidation and outright violence, while inciting violence against Israel. "Hamas is one of the largest obstacles to real peace and prosperity for Palestinians, and to the resolution of this conflict. So, if this institution is genuinely concerned with peace, we should be eager to examine Hamas' behavior more closely. . . "In recent months, as frustrated residents of Gaza have voiced their opposition to the intolerable living conditions created by Hamas rule, Hamas has brutally beaten peaceful protestors, raided homes, and detained organizers and journalists advocating for better living standards. I condemn this behavior. We all should."The disregard Hamas shows for the will and rights of the Palestinian people is matched only by the disregard for innocent human life. We all know that Hamas blindly fires rockets into Israel, as they have hundreds of times in 2019. . . "Can you imagine the fears of Israeli mothers who know their children may spend recess running from the playground to the bomb shelter, or of Palestinian fathers who know unguided rockets fly over the roofs under which their children sleep? I condemn these indiscriminate attacks. We all should. . ."Every Friday, Hamas encourages minors to join riots at the security fence, hoping that violence will erupt, and that the children will be injured or even killed as a result, thereby feeding their propaganda machine. A more cynical and shameful approach could not be devised. This is child abuse, plain and simple, and I condemn it. We all should."My fellow Council members, we have a responsibility to say what is plainly true about Hamas, as well as Palestinian Islamic Jihad and other militant actors in Gaza, just as we have an obligation to say what is plainly true of human rights abusers around the world. To remain silent in this instance would be an act against principle, and an insult to the Palestinian people."And so, it is my genuine hope that this chamber, and indeed in the halls of the UN, will one day resound with the truth that we have spoken about Hamas. Lasting peace in the Middle East – and a better future for all Palestinians – depends on it."Christians United for Israel Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, donations are not tax deductible for federal income tax purposes. To make a donation, please call 202-738-4714, or send a check to:CUFI Action Fund ( [link removed](?x-mi:(?%3C=href=)[%5Cs]*[ )300 Pennsylvania Avenue, SEWashington, D.C. 20001EMAIL GARY BAUER ( [link removed](?x-mi:(?%3C=href=)[%5Cs]*[ ) ( [link removed] ) ( [link removed] ) CUFI Action Fund300 Pennsylvania Avenue, SEWashington, D.C. 20001 Update your Email Preferences ( [link removed] ) or Unsubscribe ( [link removed] )
