The U.S. House of Representatives is introducing a resolution condemning Hamas, pegged to President Jimmy Carter’s meetings with a top representative of the terrorist organization.
The resolution, which makes special mention of Carter’s planned meeting with Hamas official Khaled Mashaal in its first paragraph, calls on the group to “renounce terrorism, fully disarm, and recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.” It also expresses support for Israel’s efforts to defend itself against terrorism.”
U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) sponsored the bill.
“We ought to be screaming from the rafters about the lack of judgment in the former president going to see a known terrorist,” U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.), one of the bill’s original co-sponsors, told JTA. “Khaled Mashaal is the worst of the worst.”
Cantor said he believed the bill would enjoy broad bipartisan support and that it reflected the views of a broad swath of the Congress and the majority of the American people.
