The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed an amendment last week that barred the Biden administration from moving the U.S. embassy in Israel out of Jerusalem, though 67 Democrats opposed it.
The amendment passed 360-67 on a bipartisan vote, with all Republicans voting in favor. Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was among those who opposed the amendment.
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) proposed the amendment, and delivered a statement on the floor of the House:
At a time when Israel faces some of its greatest threats, such as Iran and Palestinian terrorism, we must stand resolute with our greatest ally in the Middle East. My amendment, which passed the House, prevents funds from being used to relocate our embassy out of Jerusalem! pic.twitter.com/HHDXIixwfu
— Rep. Claudia Tenney (@RepTenney) October 1, 2023
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), the oldest pro-Israel group in the U.S., issued a congratulatory statement, though ZOA president Morton A. Klein noted that the Senate had yet to pass a similar amendment:
This overwhelming support for Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital is a significant milestone. Except for those with extremist, even Israel-hating opinions, large majorities of both parties support the continued presence in Jerusalem of the U.S. Embassy. There is a true consensus that Jerusalem is important to both the United States and to Israel.
ZOA is troubled by the small but fanatical opposition to acknowledging the status of Jerusalem within the Democratic Party. We will continue to work to make this issue beyond politics.
The final appropriations bill, H.R. 4665, also requires State Department personnel who deal with the Palestinians to report to the U.S. Ambassador to Israel — and not directly to Washington, as they have done under Joe Biden.
The Biden administration opposed the passage of the bill, and the Senate version may hew closer to its priorities.
In 2021, the Biden administration dropped a plan to open a special consulate for Palestinians in Jerusalem, which would have effectively divided the city, diplomatically — but a recent report suggested it has revived that demand.
Tenney also proposed another successful amendment — one to reduce the salary of controversial Iran envoy Rob Malley to $1. Malley has been suspended and is under investigation for security breaches; recent reports suggest Iranian sympathizers infiltrated his staff.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.