WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) introduced the Commission of Inquiry (COI) Elimination Act to withhold U.S. funding for the United Nation Human Rights Council (UNHRC) targeted investigation into and blatant bias against Israel. The fund would be withheld until the U.S. Secretary of State certifies that the UNHRC has abolished its COI.
“The UN Human Rights Council’s decision to investigate Israel — the only democracy in the Middle East — is simply outrageous,” said Senator Scott. “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. 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.”
“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 Senator 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.”
Background:
In May 2021, shortly after the Gaza conflict, the UNHRC greenlit this an open-ended investigation of Israel’s actions throughout the entire Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After the United States returned to the UNHRC, Senator Scott joined a bipartisan group of 68 senators on a letter addressed to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken opposing the COI and urging greater opposition from the Biden administration.