EXCLUSIVE: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman on "tragedy" of Palestinian statehood recognition
Sen. Jim Risch explains to the Washington Reporter how America's allies are aiding Palestinian terrorism by recognizing a country that has no historical basis.
Sen. Jim Risch (R., Idaho) — a leading voice in the GOP on foreign policy and the Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee — exclusively told the Washington Reporter why the move by American allies to recognize a “Palestinian” state is nothing to celebrate.
“Our allies’ recognition of a purported Palestinian state is a tragedy for those it seeks to support: the Palestinian people,” the Idaho lawmaker explained. “This recognition rewards Hamas, a terror group that thrust millions of Gazans into a terrible war, that uses Palestinian women and children as human shields, and that relies on their suffering for its political success.”
Risch’s remarks to the Reporter came just hours after several American allies announced plans to recognize “Palestine” just days before the two-year anniversary of when Palestinian terrorists and purported civilians broke into southern Israel on October 7th, 2023, murdering and raping over 1,2000 civilians and taking hundreds of Israelis and Americans hostage.
There is no historical basis for a country called “Palestine”; and Risch notes that western countries like the United Kingdom, France, Canada, and Australia recognizing a country that has never existed will only embolden Palestinian terrorist leaders in Gaza and Judea and Samaria.
“This proclamation did not require Palestinian officials to abandon any calls of violence, to release any of the 48 hostages Hamas holds, to allow free expression for those under their control, nor to recognize the right of Israel to exist,” Risch noted. “Sadly, these proclamations teach a lesson to would-be terrorists around the world: a state can be theirs too if they instigate wars, take hostages, sacrifice innocent civilians, and reject repeated attempts at peace long enough.”
Throughout his time in Congress, Risch has been a champion for Israel. Earlier this year, he and Rep. Jim Baird (R., Ind.) released the No Official Palestine Entry (NOPE) Act, which expands existing funding prohibitions to include organizations in the UN that afford status, rights, or privileges to the Palestinian Authority (PA) or Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) beyond observer status, per Baird’s office.
“A brighter path exists for the Palestinian people,” Risch said. “It lays in a future where Hamas is eliminated, where tolerance and peace are rewarded not punished. These announcements bring the Palestinian people even further away from this hope.”