(WASHINGTON)—Congressman Allen West (R-FL) released this statement today regarding the United Nations resolution upgrading the Palestinians’ status to a nonmember observer state at the United Nations, approved by a more than two-thirds majority of the 193-member world body — a vote of 138 to 9:

“Slowly but surely, hostile nations are tightening the noose around the sovereign State of Israel. Only those who are not students of history, Islam or the Muslim Brotherhood will be surprised by these actions.

It is naive to think this vote is solely about human rights or a homeland for Palestinian people. This vote is yet another step towards delegitimizing Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state with Jerusalem as its undivided capital.

When the cease-fire brokered by the Muslim Brotherhood-controlled Egyptian government was announced, Hamas and the Palestinians celebrated it as a victory over Israel, not as a step towards peace.

The true intentions of nations such as Iran and Syria are one thing, but it is deeply disappointing when countries such as Austria, France, Italy, Norway and Spain vote in lockstep. It is unfortunate that so many in our own country, including those in this current administration, continue to ignore the reality.”