Letter Presses Administration to Prevent Hamas from Rebuilding Military Capabilities and Calls for Gaza Demilitarization / Warns Against Palestinian Steps at United Nations and International Criminal Court that Threaten Peace Negotiations
Washington, DC- Today, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), a member of the National Security Working Group and Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced that they’ve led a letter signed by 88 senators to Secretary of State John Kerry urging the Administration to take steps to ensure that no assistance is diverted to Hamas, support the Palestinian Authority’s effort to govern in Gaza, and discourage Palestinian unilateral measures at the United Nations and International Criminal Court that bypass direct negotiations and undermine the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
The senators wrote, “As we look ahead to the next few months, we urge you to focus on three key objectives: (1) preventing Hamas from rebuilding its military capabilities; (2) enabling the Palestinian Authority to move toward becoming the Palestinian governing authority in Gaza; and (3) preventing negative developments at the UN General Assembly, UN Human Rights Council, and the International Criminal Court that could derail any prospects for the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.”
The full text of the senators’ letter is below:
The Honorable John Kerry
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Dear Secretary Kerry,
We were pleased to see that Hamas finally accepted an Egyptian cease-fire plan last month. Sadly, Hamas continued its attacks on Israel for weeks after Egypt’s initial proposal, leading to unnecessary and increased suffering in Gaza and Israel.
As we look ahead to the next few months, we urge you to focus on three key objectives: (1) preventing Hamas from rebuilding its military capabilities; (2) enabling the Palestinian Authority to move toward becoming the Palestinian governing authority in Gaza; and (3) preventing negative developments at the UN General Assembly, UN Human Rights Council, and the International Criminal Court that could derail any prospects for the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
First, we fully support the urgent provision of humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. We must also condition reconstruction assistance on the establishment of a system to prevent Hamas from rearming and rebuilding its military capability. In the past, Hamas has diverted construction materials intended for civilian use to the construction of the tunnel networks that were used during this last conflict to smuggle weapons and attack Israelis. We must support Israeli and Egyptian efforts to implement strict, comprehensive controls so that no assistance is diverted to Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. The international community has twice spent billions to rebuild Gaza, only to see Hamas transform economic assistance into the means of war. For the sake of Israelis and Palestinians alike, we cannot let this happen again. Ultimately, we must seek Gaza’s demilitarization.
Second, we must support efforts to enable the Palestinian Authority to exercise real power in Gaza. Hamas has demonstrated conclusively both that it has no interest in peace with Israel and that it has no concern for the well-being of Gaza residents. Meanwhile, the West Bank has experienced periods of significant relative economic growth and stability, in part due to cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian security forces there. All Palestinians deserve a government that will seek to advance their safety and prosperity—not use them as human shields. Real peace between Israelis and Palestinians will require a Palestinian partner that controls the West Bank and Gaza, is focused on economic development and stability in both areas, and will accept Gaza’s demilitarization. We must start this process now.
Third, while we work with the Palestinian Authority to extend its effective jurisdiction to Gaza, we must work equally hard to ensure that Palestinian officials do not take further harmful steps at the UN General Assembly, the UN Human Rights Council, or the International Criminal Court. The Palestinian Authority must avoid steps that would undermine the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. We must let Palestinian Authority President Abbas know that America’s willingness to cooperate with him will continue to depend on his willingness to return to the negotiating table with the Government of Israel and avoid unilateral measures that bypass direct negotiations.
We look forward to working with you on these critical matters, as our nation strives both to prevent another Hamas-instigated war and to create the conditions that will allow Israelis and Palestinians to move closer to peace.
Sincerely,
Robert P. Casey, Jr.
Kelly A. Ayotte
James M. Inhofe
Richard Blumenthal
Susan M. Collins
Edward J. Markey
Mike Crapo
Joe Manchin III
Pat Roberts
Jeanne Shaheen
Jeff Flake
Tim Kaine
David Vitter
Michael F. Bennet
John Boozman
Kirsten Gillibrand
John Thune
Tim Johnson
Jerry Moran
Debbie Stabenow
Roy Blunt
Patty Murray
John McCain
Kay R. Hagan
James E. Risch
Mark Begich
Marco Rubio
Ron Wyden
Patrick J. Toomey
Barbara Boxer
Dean Heller
Benjamin L. Cardin
John Barrasso
Mark Udall
Richard Burr
Mazie K. Hirono
Lindsey O. Graham
Brian Schatz
Mitch McConnell
Amy Klobuchar
Thad Cochran
Heidi Heitkamp
Deb Fischer
Jon Tester
John Cornyn
Sherrod Brown
Rob Portman
Mark L. Pryor
Michael B. Enzi
Barbara A. Mikulski
Mark Kirk
Maria Cantwell
Lamar Alexander
Martin Heinrich
Orrin G. Hatch
Mary L. Landrieu
Tim Scott
Tom Udall
Roger F. Wicker
Tom Carper
John Hoeven
Charles E. Schumer
Mike Lee
Joe Donnelly
Chuck Grassley
Al Franken
Ted Cruz
Christopher A. Coons
Johnny Isakson
Sheldon Whitehouse
Mike Johanns
Cory Booker
Ron Johnson
Carl Levin
Saxby Chambliss
Bill Nelson
Dan Coats
Mark R. Warner
Richard Shelby
Angus S. King, Jr.
Claire McCaskill
John Walsh
Richard J. Durbin
Chris Murphy
Robert Menendez
Jack Reed
Dianne Feinstein
Jeff Merkley
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