Congress takes aim at UN over Israel stance
Lawmakers are preparing a slew of measures aimed at curbing what they see as anti-Israel discrimination at the United Nations.
US House lawmakers took turns Feb. 2 slamming the United Nations for its perceived bias against Israel as they made clear the world body will not survive President Donald Trump's presidency unscathed.
A joint hearing by two House Foreign Affairs panels revealed sharp disagreements on the best way forward, from minor reforms to complete defunding. But it also demonstrated a broad bipartisan conviction that Israel has been getting a raw deal for too long.
"There's a whole lot of things we're going to be doing," international organizations panel Chairman Chris Smith, R-N.J., told Al-Monitor. "This hearing is an opening salvo."
During the hearing, Smith denounced the United Nations as the "primary opponent" of long-standing US policy to encourage direct bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Instead, he said, "The UN increasingly serves as a platform for efforts to circumvent negotiations, impose conditions and isolate Israel."
