Rockland Reporter

Today, Congressman Mike Lawler (R-NY-17) joined Congressmen Tim Burchett (R-TN-02), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23), and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05) in introducing H.Res. 1323, a resolution rejecting the United Nations’ decision to place the Israel Defense Force (IDF) on a list of child rights abusers.

“Once again the UN is revealing itself for the cesspool of antisemitism it really is,” said Congressman Lawler. “Again and again, they slander Israel for defending itself while giving the real human rights abusers a free pass and a free platform to spew their hateful propaganda under the guise of international legitimacy. Contrary to the lies of the Hamas apologists, IDF soldiers are not ‘child rights abusers.’ They are brave men and women defending their homeland and fighting to rescue their citizens.”

“The real ‘child rights abusers’ are the murderers who went door to door on October 7th murdering innocent men, women, and children in Israel,” Congressman Lawler concluded. “The IDF goes out of its way to avoid innocent casualties, dropping leaflets to warn civilians. Hamas, on the other hand, cowardly uses civilians as human shields, firing rockets from schools and hospitals. They are the real oppressors of the Palestinian people. This war won’t end until they surrender and release every remaining hostage.”

“This latest stunt by the United Nations is a total joke. Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East and their leadership tries to protect life. Hamas, on the other hand, hides behind innocent civilians like a bunch of cowards. We need to make it clear to the United Nations that the United States completely supports Israel’s efforts to wipe these terrorists off the map,” said Congressman Burchett.

“This UN move is just the latest example of the ridiculous, antisemitic double standard that Israel has to deal with. The United Nations will use kid gloves with Hamas after it murders over a thousand innocent Israelis, but when Israel exercises its right to defend itself, the IDF gets put on the same list as the Taliban and Hezbollah. If it wanted to make itself useful, the UN would be urging Hamas every day to accept a ceasefire and return the hostages,” said Congressman Moskowitz.

BACKGROUND:

On June 13, 2024, the United Nations published its Secretary-General Annual Report on Children and Armed Conflict. The report named IDF alongside groups such as Taliban in Afghanistan, Hezbollah in Lebanon, Al-Shabaab in Somalia, and Yemen Armed Forces as groups that committed abuses against children.

H.Res. 1323 rejects this decision by condemning what it describes as longstanding bias against Israel within UN practices. It reaffirms support for Israel while calling on Hamas to release all remaining hostages.

The resolution includes:

- The assertion that Hamas has committed many war crimes against innocent civilians.

- Accusations that Hamas uses civilians and civilian infrastructure as human shields.

- Statements from Gaza's Hamas Chief indicating civilian casualties are part of their strategy.

- Criticism towards UN's refusal to recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization.

- Claims about reliance on unverified casualty data supplied by Hamas for reports.

- Acknowledgment that IDF takes unprecedented precautions to prevent harm to civilians.