U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) on June 14 sponsored a bipartisan bill that would withhold American funds from the United Nation Human Rights Council (UNHRC) until it abolishes an investigation into the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
“I urge my colleagues to pass this bill to support our ally Israel and ensure American taxpayers are not forced to fund the UNHRC’s discriminatory investigation,” said Sen. Scott on Tuesday.
Specifically, Sen. Scott introduced the Commission of Inquiry Elimination Act, S. 4389, with original cosponsor U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) to withhold the funds until the U.S. Secretary of State certifies that the UNHRC has ended its inquiry.
“The UN Human Rights Council’s decision to investigate Israel — the only democracy in the Middle East — is simply outrageous,” Sen. Scott said. “While dictators like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong-un commit human rights violations with impunity, the council’s misguided inquiry only further undermines its credibility on the world stage.”
The UNHRC started its open-ended investigation of Israel’s actions throughout the entire Israeli-Palestinian conflict in May 2021, according to information provided by Sen. Scott’s staff.
After the United States returned to the UNHRC, Sen. Scott joined a bipartisan group of 68 senators in sending a March 28 letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken opposing the group’s investigation and urging greater opposition from the Biden administration.
“The UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry unfairly holds Israel to a standard not imposed on any other country, does nothing to advance the prospects for peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and undermines their credibility to investigate human rights violations around the world,” said Sen. Rosen. “Congress has a long history of codifying the United States’ opposition to biased attacks against Israel, which is why Senator Tim Scott and I are introducing this bipartisan legislation.
“It’s time to make it U.S. policy to withhold funding and abolish this one-sided commission,” she said.
S. 4389 is supported by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee