Israel Matzav

Koch and Senor sign joint letter supporting Phillips against Hinchey

Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, a lifelong Democrat, and author Dan Senor, a Republican, have jointly endorsed George Phillips, the Republican candidate for Congress in New York's 22nd Congressional district. The reason: Democrat Maurice Hinchey (pictured) is rabidly anti-Israel.

Unfortunately, when it comes to Maurice Hinchey, who represents New York’s 22nd District, we have one of the least sympathetic, most hostile lawmakers in Congress on all issues impacting the U.S.-Israel relationship. Hinchey is a member of a small group of Representatives that routinely votes against the bipartisan resolutions and legislation by which Congress supports the U.S.-Israel alliance.

Consider just a few items from his record:

-In 2002, at the height of the Intifada, as Israeli civilians were being murdered by the hundreds in suicide bombings, a simple House resolution expressing solidarity with Israel passed by a 352-21 margin. Hinchey voted “present.”

-In 2006, Hinchey voted against a bill to promote democratic institution-building in the Palestinian territories titled the “Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act.” It passed 361-37.

-In 2009, he voted against a resolution condemning the Goldstone Report, an infamous product of the UN that accused Israel of intentionally committing war crimes in Gaza. The anti-Goldstone resolution passed 344-36.

-This year, he signed a letter to President Obama that accused Israel of the “de facto collective punishment” of Palestinians in Gaza and demanded that President Obama pressure Israel to open its borders with Gaza, a move that would leave Israel dangerously vulnerable to terrorism.

-Most stunningly of all, Hinchey voted against one of the Obama administration’s most important foreign policy initiatives, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions Act, passed by overwhelming margins in both houses of Congress and signed into law this summer. This key piece of legislation, vital to both American and Israeli security, sailed through the House 412-12.

Hinchey voted against it.

If there is a Member of Congress who has voted more consistently against consensus American foreign policy interests and against U.S.-Israel friendship, we would be hard-pressed to name him.

Read the whole thing.

Here's Hinchey v. Phillips on Israel and terrorism.

Let's go to the videotape.



Did you get the sense in that first question that Hinchey had no clue what he was talking about?

By the way, here's what happened after that debate. Let's go to the videotape.



Yes, that was a Kingston Daily Freeman correspondent being told to shut up by Maurice Hinchey.

Those of you in NY-22, please vote for George Phillips.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 2:05 AM