Joint Letter From Members Of Congress To U.S. Ambassador To The U.N. Thomas-Greenfield Re: Defunding the Anti-Israel “Commission Of Inquiry”

“Dear Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield,

It is with urgency that we write to you about our shared concern regarding the ongoing funding of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and in Israel. After a full year of operation and two published reports, our fears about the bias and scope of this commission have only been reaffirmed. As the UN budget process unfolds in the coming weeks, we urge the United States delegation to strongly advocate to restrict this biased commission’s funding from within the UN system, and take steps to eliminate the commission completely.

As you know well, the commission’s distorted investigative work has proven to be profoundly problematic. In addition to incomplete and biased reports, the commission’s staff has made numerous antisemitic comments. Chair Navi Pillay has labeled Israel an “apartheid state” and advocated for a boycott of the Jewish state, while Commissioner Miloon Kothari has recently claimed that Jews control the media – a pernicious antisemitic trope. Compounding the deep flaws represented by the commission’s work and staff is the unprecedented ongoing nature of its mandate, perpetually guaranteeing that UN resources are committed to this deeply flawed investigative body. As such, there is strong bipartisan urgency in Congress to make clear that the United States has no intention of contributing funds to the commission’s continued operation.

We greatly appreciate the administration’s firm opposition to this commission, which Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called “one-sided” and “biased” since its inception, correctly noting that it “is a continuation of a longstanding pattern of unfairly singling out Israel” at the UN. Importantly, concerns about the nature and scope of the commission informed U.S.-led efforts last December at the UN Budget forum’s Fifth Committee which successfully cut the commission’s budget by nearly a quarter. As this UN budgetary committee reconvenes in the coming weeks, we urge you to prioritize this issue and assemble a coalition of like-minded allies and partners to ensure a timely end to the operations of this commission through the restriction and ultimate elimination of its funding from within the UN system.

Respect for human rights is a core American value, and an ideal to which all international actors must be held accountable. That accounting must be done in a balanced manner consistent with international norms, and the U.N. Commission of Inquiry abjectly fails to meet these standards. Taking a stand against anti-Israel bias within the UN has been a priority for both Democratic and Republican administrations alike. We thank you for your support for Israel and for pursuing a just peace to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the face of this latest iteration of the UN’s anti-Israel agenda. The coming weeks will require the administration to redouble its diplomatic efforts to ensure that funding to this discriminatory investigation ultimately ceases. We stand ready to assist you in any way in defending our democratic ally, Israel.”