US Senate unanimously signs letter asking UN to address anti-Israel bias
"We urge you to ensure that Israel is treated neither better nor worse than any other UN member in good standing," the letter states.
By JPOST.COM STAFFThe US Senate chambers(photo credit: REUTERS)
It's not often that all 100 US senators agree on something, but the US Senate unanimously signed a letter on Thursday calling on United Nations Secretary General António Guterres to address the anti-Israel bias permeating the UN.The letter, which was released by the Washington Post, accuses the UN of using its "privileged platform to advance an anti-Israel agenda" and that the organization "is exploited as a vehicle for targeting Israel."The senators also connect the UN's anti-Israel bias with the "broader scourge" of antisemitism, saying that their actions have 'at times reinforced' global antisemitism.UN Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at event hosted by Israeli counterpart Danny Danon"We urge you to ensure that Israel is treated neither better nor worse than any other UN member in good standing," the senators ultimately request of Guterres.The US senators point out several key ways Guterres can improve the UN's treatment of Israel, including: eliminating or reforming committees which only serve to "attack Israel" and inspire the BDS movement; ending UNESCO's denial of the Jewish connection to Jerusalem; and reforming the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and their role in "perpetuating troubling anti-Israel bias and activities."Above all else, the US Senate stated that the United Nations Human Rights Council must reform and "end the Council's imbalanced focus on Israel."The letter follows and praises US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley's statements regarding Israel. "It is the UN's anti-Israel bias that is long overdue for a change," Haley said in a speech to the UN in February.