Senators to introduce resolution condemning Hamas use of sexual violence

By Annie Grayer, CNN

Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire is introducing a new resolution with a bipartisan group of senators to condemn Hamas’ use of sexual violence and rape as a weapon of war against the people of Israel, according to a copy of the resolution shared first with CNN.

The Senate-led resolution, which does not mention any recent remarks made by lawmakers, comes shortly after Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington state had to clean up comments she made to CNN’s Dana Bash on the topic that set off a firestorm among her Democratic colleagues.

The group of 16 senators signing onto the resolution calls on the Senate to condemn “in the strongest terms the deliberate use of gender-based violence against women and children in Israel during the terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023,” and says the international community must “take every step possible” to end the use of rape as a weapon of war, including responding to testimonials of victims and condemning gender-based violence as soon as it is reported.

“The deliberate use of rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war by Hamas terrorists against the people of Israel is atrocious,” Shaheen said in a statement to CNN. “I’m proud to join with my colleagues, including (Alabama Republican Sen. Katie) Britt, to introduce a bipartisan resolution that strongly condemns the barbaric attacks of October 7th and the sexual and gender-based violence carried out by Hamas against the people of Israel.”

Britt, who is cosponsoring the resolution with Shaheen and has seen footage of the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, said in a statement, “as a mother, as a daughter, as a sister, and as an American, I was absolutely horrified by the acts of pure evil carried out against innocent Israeli women and young girls.”

The resolution not only puts pressure on the international community to take action against Hamas’ use of rape against Israelis, but it also resurfaces underlying tensions within the Democratic Party over even the most basic truths surrounding the war between Israel and Hamas.

Earlier this month, while Jayapal condemned the rape of Israeli women by Hamas and called it “horrific” on CNN’s “State of the Union,” she pointed out that over 15,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since the start of the war. “I think we have to be balanced about bringing in the outrages against Palestinians,” she said at the time.

Jayapal’s Democratic colleagues quickly accused her of being tone deaf for not unequivocally condemning Hamas’ use of rape against Israeli women.

In the midst of the fallout, Jayapal issued a new statement saying she “unequivocally condemns Hamas’ use of rape and sexual violence as an act of war” and said her comment to Bash on CNN “about balance was not about rape, and not intended to minimize rape and sexual assault in any way.”

The tension around Jayapal’s comments speak to the broader divisions within the Democratic Party over how to address the war between Israel and Hamas. Her remarks come as Democrats have struggled to reconcile support for Israel’s right to defend itself in the wake of the October 7 attacks and rising protests, especially on the left, over the devastation in Gaza.

Two House Democrats are also working on their own resolution to condemn the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war by Hamas against the people of Israel, as first reported by CNN.

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