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PLO criticizes Ted Cruz over 'biased and inflammatory' Senate hearing

Katie Zezima

By Katie Zezima

Published Nov. 6, 2015

The Palestine Liberation Organization Thursday criticized Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) over a Senate hearing on Palestinian and Iranian terrorism.

The Texas Republican chaired a Senate judiciary committee hearing where victims of terrorist attacks and family members described what happened to them and blasted the Obama administration, saying it has failed to prosecute terrorists.

In a rare, pointed statement issued from the PLO delegation to the United States, the organization said Cruz's hearing failed to include Palestinian viewpoints. The statement said there is a "growing and alarming" trend in the U.S. to "dehumanize" Palestinians.

"This biased and inflammatory hearing conflated all Palestinians as terrorists and failed to represent any Palestinian viewpoint in an obvious effort to defame the Palestinian people," the statement said. "Defending Israel should not come at the expense of Palestinians and for narrow political interest sought by presidential hopefuls who are appealing to pro-Israeli votes."

The Texas Republican went on the offensive against the PLO regarding the hearing, titled "Justice Forsaken: How the Federal Government Fails the American Victims of Iranian and Palestinian Terrorism,"

"It is not surprising a terrorist organization like the PLO is upset with the truths that were told at our hearing yesterday," he said, according to the Associated Press.

In the hearing, Cruz described recent acts of violence in Israel and past attacks, including a suicide bomber attack in Jerusalem 15 years ago where a family from New York was badly injured.

Cruz spoke of "Americans who have suffered greatly because of the horrific and evil actions of Iranian and Palestinian terrorists."

"Americans who have fought hard to endure that justice is done in these situations, only to see their own government more often than not stand against them," he said.

Cruz, a stalwart opponent of the Iranian nuclear deal, said it is a betrayal of those killed by terrorism. He listed instances of terrorist attacks where Iran was involved. The senator said Iran has "waged war" against U.S. troops in Iraq and that 196 U.S. servicemembers were killed there by Iranian-made weapons.

"As bad as Palestinian terrorism has been, the Iranian government arguably has more American blood on its hands," Cruz said.

The hearing featured a number of witnesses, including the brother of Robert Stethem, a Navy diver killed by Hezbollah terrorists during the 1985 hijacking of TWA 847.

The PLO said that the hearing "failed to mention recent acts of Israeli incitement."

"It is time for Israel apologists on the hill to put US national interests ahead of those of the current extreme right wing government in Israel," the statement said. "Otherwise, Israel will continue with its destructive policies and will eventually drag the whole region into more confrontations with dire consequences for all."

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