HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — Another attempt to forward the resolution supporting Israel and condemning Hamas fell flat Friday afternoon. Sen. Jesse Lujan, the resolution’s main sponsor, again moved to push the measure into the third reading file, which would set it aside for later voting.
But this time, Speaker Therese Terlaje simply ruled Lujan’s motion out of order due to current law.
Resolution 223-37 never received a public hearing but was still voted onto the session agenda earlier last week.
Terlaje said Friday that local law requires a public hearing in order for the Guam Legislature to pass substantive motions to be transmitted to the U.S. president, a member of Congress or a head of a foreign state.
Lujan motioned to overrule Terlaje but didn’t receive enough support to follow through with the motion.
While the attempt was quickly shot down Friday, lawmakers did spend time debating Resolution 223 on Wednesday, as no calls were made then regarding the law. Some senators raised concerns with the resolution’s language and the fact that it did not receive a public hearing. Ultimately, Resolution 223 failed to proceed Wednesday.
Hamas, a recognized terrorist organization in control of the Gaza Strip, launched a brutal attack against southern Israeli communities earlier this month, killing around 1,400 people and taking about 200 hostages. The attack resulted in a war with Israel, which has now left thousands of Palestinians in Gaza dead or injured. As the death toll rises among civilians, Israel has received criticism for its bombardment of Gaza, and calls have been made for a cease-fire to allow humanitarian aid into the besieged territory.
Although lawmakers did not hold a hearing on Resolution 223, they have been receiving messages from the community expressing concerns with the resolution as Sen. Chris Barnett indicated Wednesday.
Therese Terlaje
Jesse Lujan
