Senate urges Hamas cutoff

The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution that urged an end to assistance to the Palestinian Authority if its leaders reject Israel’s existence.

The non-binding resolution, passed Wednesday, is the first of several legislative initiatives aimed at cutting off assistance to Hamas, the terrorist group that won a landslide victory in last week’s legislative elections. It was initiated by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-Conn.)

Three bills in the House of Representatives, including one introduced Thursday by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) would legislate a ban on U.S. assistance to a Hamas-led government.