Republican Lee Zeldin said that Palestinians are not willing to pursue peace with Israel and that President Barack Obama and the United Nations are not doing enough to help Israel, the Congressman said during an interview Monday on Fox News' "Happening Now."
"It should be noted how many times there's been opportunities for the Palestinians to have their own state. They have chosen time and time again to vote against it. The Israelis are willing to negotiate long-term peace, but you don't have a willing partner at the other end of the table," Zeldin said.
The New York representative called into question Obama's timing in abstaining from the U.N. Security Council vote that condemned Israeli settlements.
"The president is a couple of weeks away from leaving. I don't think that if Hillary Clinton had won the presidency, that President Obama on his way out would have unilaterally done this."
Obama knows that incoming president Donald Trump feels differently about Israel than he does, Zeldin said: "He's aware of the competing philosophies. … President-elect Trump is on his way in, President Obama thought this was the right thing to do."
The United Nations, by not backing Israel, are changing for the worse, Zeldin said.
"That's why the arguments are gaining steam. The United Nations is turning into a form that is exactly what the United Nations was formed to fight against."
The congressman was asked whether Israel should take a requirement off the table that Palestinians recognize it as the Jewish state. Zeldin disagreed.
"I think it only plays into that pro-Palestinian sentiment out there. Hamas would win the election right now," Zeldin said, referring to the Palestinian group that has sponsored terror operations in the region.
Last week, Zeldin weighed in on Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying, "I do believe Putin is outsmarting President Obama with his response. He's been allowed to take the high road, be magnanimous," Zeldin said on CNN.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.