Mitch Perry
With just a couple of weeks before President Obama leaves the White House, Florida’s Democratic congressional delegation apparently has no qualms in not standing by him when it comes to the issue of Israel and their settlements in the Palestinian territories.
In a vote Thursday night on a resolution condemning a U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at Israel settlements that the U.S. notoriously abstained on last month, not one Democratic member of the Florida Democratic House caucus backed the president, with all 11 Democrats – Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Fredericka Wilson, Alcee Hastings, Lois Frankel, Kathy Castor, Darren Soto, Stephanie Murphy, Val Demings, Ted Deutch and Al Lawson -supporting the resolution from Texas Republican Ed Royce.
The measure declared unwavering support for Israel and insisted that the United States reject any future UN actions that are similarly “one-sided and anti-Israel.” It passed, 342-80.
That includes recently freshman lawmaker Charlie Crist, who showed up late and didn’t make it to the House floor on time to cast a vote. He later issued a statement saying that he co-sponsored the resolution, but was not able to officially make his voice heard on the issue.
“As a cosponsor of this measure, I believe it is vital that the United Nations Security Council be sent a clear message that biased, one-sided resolutions targeting Israel are unacceptable and only make it more difficult for negotiations to resume between Israelis and Palestinians,” Crist said.
Wasserman Schultz, who received some heat from her constituents for backing President Obama’s Iran nuclear deal, strongly supported the measure, saying in a statement that, “I voted for and cosponsored tonight’s resolution to reaffirm our unbreakable commitment to Israel, our most true and dependable Middle East ally. This resolution rightly acknowledges the United States’ longstanding policy that direct, bilateral negotiations are the only viable method for achieving peace, and that our country must reject any attempt to internationalize the peace process. We cannot allow Israel’s enemies to use international organizations like the UN to undermine and attack it. Instead, we must continue to support Israel by building on the historic Memorandum of Understanding regarding security assistance and standing shoulder to shoulder with Israel as we undertake the difficult task of obtaining a long and lasting peace.”
Tampa Representative Kathy Castor also voted for the measure. She did not issue out a statement after her vote.
