Given the general absence of bipartisanship and political consensus in the US these days, this is worthy of note: every member of the Senate– from Bernie Sanders to Ted Cruz– signed a letter to United Nations Secretary General António Guterres denouncing the UN’s bias against Israel:
The United States co-founded the United Nations with the intention of saving future generations from war and reaffirming fundamental human rights. While much good is being done and has been done by the body, many of its member states and agencies are using the U.N.’s privileged platform to advance an anti-Israel agenda. Too often, the U.N. is exploited as a vehicle for targeting Israel rather than as a forum committed to advancing the lofty goals of its founders. These actions have at times reinforced the broader scourge of anti-Semitism, and distracted certain U.N. entities from their original missions.
Although, as Republicans and Democrats, we disagree on many issues, we are united in our desire to see the United Nations improve its treatment of Israel and to eliminate anti-Semitism in all its forms. Through words and actions, we urge you to ensure that Israel is treated neither better nor worse than any other U.N. member in good standing. To that end, we commend the words of our nation’s Ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley, who recently stated, “It is the U.N.’s anti-Israel bias that is long overdue for change.”
The letter praised António Guterres for “disavowing the recent anti-Israel report by the U.N. Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and demanding that it be withdrawn.” It singles out the UN’s Human Rights Commission for special criticism:
Charged with shining a light on gross human rights violations, the UNHRC—whose membership currently includes some of the world’s worst human rights violators—instead devotes time to unwarranted attacks against Israel.
Read the entire letter and see the signatures here.
