The U.N. Human Rights Council’s “bogus and baseless commission” on the Jewish State perpetuates “a longstanding U.N. practice of unfairly singling out our ally Israel while refusing to hold actual bad actors accountable,” according to Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, who introduced an amendment that passed banning funding for the commission’s inquiry into Israel.
On Wednesday, the House Committee on Appropriations unanimously passed Rep. Guy Reschenthaler’s (R-PA) amendment banning federal funding for the U.N. Human Rights Council’s (UNHRC) Commission of Inquiry into “false allegations” of human rights violations perpetrated by Israel in the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
Last year, following the Gaza conflict between Israel and Hamas — where more Palestinians were killed by rocket attacks launched by the Gaza-ruling Hamas terror group in the 11-day conflict in May than Israelis — the UNHRC approved an unwarranted investigation into Israel’s alleged human rights violations.
Earlier this month, the U.N. released a report blaming Israel for “the recurrent tensions, instability and protraction of conflict in the region.”
In response, Rep. Reschenthaler called out the UNHRC’s “bogus and baseless commission,” which he accused of perpetuating “a longstanding U.N. practice of unfairly singling out our ally Israel while refusing to hold actual bad actors accountable.”
“The commission’s recent report is a blatant attempt to delegitimize Israel and whitewash Palestinian terror organizations,” he said in a press release, adding that he was proud his amendment was adopted “with strong bipartisan support.”
Speaking on the House floor, the Western Pennsylvania Republican congressman called out the U.N.’s “egregiously biased actions” and the “one-sided” report.
The United Nations Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry seeks to delegitimize Israel and refuses to hold bad actors accountable.
Today, the Appropriations Committee unanimously passed my amendment banning U.S. taxpayer dollars from going to this controversial commission. pic.twitter.com/trdRE4OG2m
— Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (@GReschenthaler) June 29, 2022
“Just for reference, the U.N. Human Rights Council does not even have a commission of inquiry into the clearly documented genocide China is committing against the Uyghur population in Xinjiang,” he said.
He also clarified that the amendment specifically ensures that taxpayer dollars “will not go to this highly controversial commission that has been roundly denounced by members on both sides of the aisle, as well as numerous senior officials from the Biden administration.”
In response, the pro-Israel American Public Affairs Committee in Israel (AIPAC) thanked Rep. Reschenthaler for his “leadership” on the “important initiative.”
Thank you @GReschenthaler for your leadership on this important initiative!
The UNHRC's anti-Israel Commission of Inquiry is part of the UN's decades-long campaign to delegitimize the world's only Jewish state.
U.S. taxpayer dollars should not fund this anti-Israel commission. https://t.co/P26BbKYnAm
— AIPAC (@AIPAC) June 29, 2022
“The UNHRC’s anti-Israel Commission of Inquiry is part of the UN’s decades-long campaign to delegitimize the world’s only Jewish state,” the group tweeted. “U.S. taxpayer dollars should not fund this anti-Israel commission.”
Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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