Sen. Lindsey Graham came out guns blazing against the United Nations hours after it voted to officially call for a ceasefire in Israel in the midst of its war with Hamas.
The South Carolina senator was enraged Friday evening as he spoke with a room full of Jewish voters at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual summit in Las Vegas, Nevada just three weeks after Hamas terrorists launched a brutal attack on Israel.
He also warned Iran during his Shabbat dinner remarks that if they get involved, the U.S. will ‘blow you off the map.’ and ‘destroy your oil fields.’
The UN overwhelmingly demanded a humanitarian truce between Israel and Hamas, amid the Jewish state defending itself in counterstrikes against the Gaza Strip.
‘The bodies are not even buried in Israel and the UN has called for a ceasefire,’ Graham lamented. ‘You hear what I just said? We cannot let this happen.’
Sen. Lindsey Graham said the United Nations is ‘tone deaf’ for overwhelmingly voting to pass a resolution demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas
‘Let me tell you when there will be a ceasefire – when Hamas ceases to exist. That’s when there will be a ceasefire,’ he said to a rowdy room of cheers from furious Jewish voters.
Hamas launched a surprise, multi-front attack on Israel earlier this month, leading to the death of approximately 1,500 Israeli people. The terrorist attacks led to the highest number of deaths of Jewish people in a single day since the Holocaust.
The U.S. has confirmed more than 30 Americans died in the conflict so far and there are approximately a dozen missing and believed to be held hostage in Gaza.
The United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday voted 120 to 14 to adopt the non-binding resolution, calling for an ‘immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities’ in the bloodiest conflict in decades between Israel and Hamas, the de facto government of Gaza.
Graham said after the decision on Friday: ‘The most tone deaf organization in the history of the world is the United Nations.’
‘I don’t want to hear anymore ‘stand with Israel,’ I want to hear ‘stand with Israel without apology.’ We have nothing to apologize for,’ he added.
The resolution, which 45 states abstained from voting on, also called for the ‘the immediate and unconditional release of all civilians who are being illegally held captive’, though it did not name Hamas as the captors.
The UN General Assembly resolution infuriated Israel, with its envoy to the UN, Gilad Erdan, accusing the international community of supporting ‘Nazi terrorists’, referring to Hamas.
He said the international body had no legitimacy or relevance, and added that the only way to destroy Hamas was to ‘root them out of their tunnels and destroy their subterranean city of terror.’
The United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday voted 120 to 14 to adopt the non-binding resolution, calling for an ‘immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce leading to a cessation of hostilities’
Among those voting against the bill were Israel and the U.S., which today said it supports a pause in Israeli military operations in Gaza to get humanitarian aid, fuel and electricity to civilians there.
White House spokesman John Kirby said on Friday that if getting hostages out of Gaza requires a localized temporary pause, then the U.S. is in support of that.
He added: ‘We’re not drawing red lines for Israel. We’re going to continue to support them.
‘Since the very beginning we have, and will continue to have, conversations about the manner that they are doing this.’
Calls for a ceasefire also enraged Republicans and Jewish people who said the UN and progressive Democrats are essentially asking Israel to stop defending itself against Hamas.
Graham pushed a Republican talking point blaming President Joe Biden for paying Iran $6 billion for the release of five hostages that they say is now being used to fund Hamas terrorists in Gaza.
‘When someone wants to cut your throat, do not buy them a knife,’ Graham said at Friday’s conference.
‘In case they’re watching in Iran tonight, here’s what I want you to know – If you escalate this conflict, unleash Hamas in the north on Israel, if you attack one more American, kill one American soldier, we’re gonna blow you off the map,’ he warned.
Graham added: ‘We’re going to destroy your oil fields. You will be out of the oil business.’