Senate Passes Resolution Backing Israel

May 02, 2002

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a resolution expressing solidarity with Israel in the Middle East conflict, a move the House of Representatives was set to follow within the hour.

With scant dissent, the Senate passed a resolution that said the United States and Israel are "engaged in a common struggle against terrorism," and condemned Palestinian suicide bombings.

The Bush administration tried to stall the pro-Israel resolutions, fearing they would damage Middle East peace-seeking efforts.

Putting the best face on the votes, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said they were coming at a less sensitive time in negotiations, after the deal that lifted the Israeli siege of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah and other developments.

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