Democratic Senate whip Dick Durbin has told THE WEEKLY STANDARD that he is formulating an amendment that will criticize the Trump administration for failing to mention Jews in a recent statement marking Holocaust Remembrance Day. Durbin plans to add the language to a Senate measure aimed at countering an anti-Israel resolution passed by the United Nations Security Council late last year.
The Illinois senator’s effort is endangering a congressional push to respond to the U.N. resolution and other anti-Israel moves at the U.N., according to pro-Israel groups that spoke to TWS. The U.N. resolution, which passed in December with an abstention from the Obama administration, drew criticism from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who blasted it as a one-sided attack on Israel that undermines direct peace negotiations. The House of Representatives passed a measure in January condemning the resolution with 342 votes, while a similar Senate measure, which has 78 co-sponsors, is being held up.
“I’m right now preparing an amendment … which really makes it clear that anyone who has a Holocaust Remembrance Day should mention the fact that six million Jews were killed,” Durbin said. “When this White House failed to, and then doubled down and said, ‘we never intended to mention that,’ I thought that really went too far.”
Officials from pro-Israel and Jewish groups told TWS that Durbin’s amendment will politicize and further obstruct Senate efforts to counter U.N. moves against Israel.
Christians United for Israel, the largest pro-Israel lobby in the United States, warned Durbin against derailing the congressional push with his amendment.
“[Senate Resolution] 6 is a critical measure condemning one of the most dangerous U.N. resolutions in decades,” David Brog, CUFI’s founding executive director, told TWS. “This bipartisan Senate resolution is simply too important to be hijacked for partisan purposes. If Senator Durbin wants to be a true friend to Israel, he should save his critique of Trump for another forum and get out of the way.”
CUFI has aggressively lobbied for the measure’s passage, and hosted a Washington fly-in with hundreds of supporters to urge lawmakers to support it.
The Republican Jewish Coalition, which publicly criticized the White House’s statement on the Holocaust, blasted Durbin for trying to fold such criticism into a measure about the United Nations.
“There’s no excuse for blocking this legislation other than Senator Durbin is more interested in playing politics than he is with the security of Israel,” RJC spokesman Fred Brown told TWS. “By continuing to hold up this legislation, Durbin and his fellow Democrats are complicit in the disgraceful actions taken by the United Nations, and as a result support its attempts to alienate Israel.”
RJC supporters flooded Durbin with phone calls after reports emerged last week that he was delaying the Senate measure. Asked by TWS about those reports, Durbin said he and at least one other senator wanted more time to debate and the opportunity to potentially amend the resolution.
“No, what we’re asking for is debate time on the floor and the ability to offer amendments. Period,” he said. “That’s all we said.”
Durbin also expressed support for an amendment to the measure that would condemn Israeli settlements, as suggested by New Mexico senator Tom Udall in January. Every Republican on the Foreign Relations committee and three Democrats rejected Udall’s amendment during a review of the measure.
