Last week, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., introduced the “COI Elimination Act” which will “abolish a United Nations‘ anti-Israel commission of inquiry and restrict U.S. taxpayer dollars from funding the commission.”
The bill would end the “United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel and combats systemic anti-Israel bias at the UN Human Rights Council.”
Steube weighed in at the end of last week on why he introduced the boll.
“The ongoing anti-Israel commission formed by the UN’s discredited Human Rights Council directly obstructs peace in the Middle East and intentionally targets the only democracy in the region. Our U.S. tax dollars have no place funding an anti-Israel commission. This legislation will abolish the commission while addressing the UN Human Rights Council’s anti-Israel bias. The U.S. must always stand strongly with our ally, Israel,” said Steube.
U.S. Reps. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Tex., and Joe Wilson, R-SC, are co-sponsoring the bill.
“Israel is a longstanding ally of the United States and it is imperative that we continue to speak out against the Commission of Inquiry’s unfair and one-sided bias,” said Gonzalez. “By abolishing the Commission of Inquiry, we will take a stand to prevent anti-Israel rhetoric in international forums and support Israel and its people.”
“Once again, the UN Human Rights Council continues its practice of singling out democratic ally Israel in its unfair and indefinite Commission of Inquiry. This one-sided “investigation” impedes progress toward peace and prosperity in the region, and costs US taxpayers money. I am grateful to join my colleagues in calling for its abolishment,” said Wilson.
The bill, which has the support of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), was sent to the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. So far, there is no companion measure over in the U.S. Senate.
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