BISMARCK – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), joined his colleagues in a bipartisan letter calling on the United Nations (UN) to bring a resolution to the UN Security Council recognizing and imposing sanctions on Hamas as a terrorist organization.
The letter highlights Hamas’ continued diversion of aid meant for civilians to fund its operations. They impose import "taxes" on humanitarian consignments; seize and illicitly sell donated goods intended for Palestinian civilians; confiscate donated supplies; and dismantle and repurpose humanitarian facilities to create rockets and missiles, some of which misfire and land in Gaza, causing Palestinian civilian casualties and posing threats to aid workers.
“There are multiple consequences of the UN not recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization. First, the lack of a unified voice among the international community risks eroding the UN’s credibility in response to one of the worst terrorist attacks in history. Additionally, as the largest financial contributor to the UN, the U.S. must take urgent action to prevent the flow of funds into the hands of Hamas,” the senators wrote. “The absence of UN sanctions on Hamas is a glaring loophole, circumventing U.S. financial controls, such as the rigorous standards set by the U.S. Department of Treasury, potentially allowing Hamas to evade U.S. sanctions.”
“Furthermore, the lack of UN sanctions on Hamas enables them to bolster their capabilities by exploiting international financial channels, including accessing financial systems and soliciting donations from charities,” the senators continued. “We are also concerned that a lack of UN sanctions enables Hamas to divert humanitarian aid for malicious intent, which deprives innocent Palestinian civilians of crucial assistance while simultaneously strengthening offensive capabilities used to attack Israel.”
U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) led the letter in the Senate. Additional cosigners include U.S. Senators Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Joni Ernst (R-IA), John Barrasso (R-WY), John Thune (R-SD), Ted Budd (R-NC), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), John Kennedy (R-LA), Rick Scott (R-FL), Thom Tillis (R-NC), John Boozman (R-AR), Mike Braun (R-IN), Steve Daines (R-MT), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bob Casey (D-PA), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Alex Padilla (D-CA).
Click here for the letter.