Rep. Eric Bell has explained his decision to withdraw House Resolution 1001, which called for Georgia to divest from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and companies involved in exploiting minerals from Congo. In a statement released on January 26, 2026, Bell cited his personal experiences and observations during a recent trip to occupied Palestine as central to his decision.
Bell described arriving in Jerusalem and immediately feeling the tension under Israeli military occupation. “Just hours off the plane, walking through the ancient walled city of Jerusalem, I was quickly reminded that under Israeli military occupation, my complexion offered no protection from armed IDF soldiers—but made me a threat to the genocidal apartheid regime,” he said. He recounted being stopped and searched at checkpoints while traveling with others: “I dropped HR 1001 because, while on a bus of twelve, at every checkpoint that bottlenecks and restricts Palestinians from loved ones, education, healthcare, economic activity and every other aspect of sovereignty and freedom, I was checked and even escorted off the bus by men and women armed with assault rifles, forced to endure thorough searches of my body and belongings.”
Bell stated that his interactions with Palestinians shaped his perspective on their daily struggles. “I dropped HR 1001 because I did not meet a Palestinian who had not been shot at, jailed, assaulted or terrorized by the IDF or Israeli settlers,” he said.
He dedicated his withdrawal of the resolution to those affected by violence: “I dropped HR 1001 for all the mothers of martyrs. For all the pregnant women who lost their children through the brutality of Israeli occupation. For all the fathers of martyrs who watched their child get shot, run over, bombed, beaten or burned to death due to American-backed genocide of Palestinians. For all the sisters and brothers of martyrs who made it home from school only to learn that their sibling was murdered by an IDF sniper or bomb. For all the cousins of martyrs whose family members were murdered in mosques and churches for simply existing as members of different sects of the Abrahamic faith.”
Bell also referenced conversations with Sudanese refugees affected by war supported by UAE forces and expressed concern for Congolese people involved in mineral extraction for electronic devices: “I also dropped HR 1001 because I have spoken to Sudanese refugees who survived genocide and war supported by the UAE, only to face oppression under Israeli occupation. I dropped it for the Congolese whose lives are sacrificed to supply minerals for our electronics.”
He concluded his statement citing universal justice as his motivation: “I dropped HR 1001 because I love this country, my state, the world and every human being in it. Justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere—and we must act.”
Jon G. Burns has represented Georgia’s 159th House District since being elected in 2005 after Ray Holland stepped down.
