(Los Angeles, CA — March 28, 2022) — On March 28, 2022, Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rob Portman (R-OH) submitted a jointly-written, bipartisan letter to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken calling on the Biden administration to address anti-Israel bias and discrimination in the UN Human Rights Council and UN at large.
The letter, signed by a total 68 Senators , asks the US to use its influence to lead “a multinational effort” to end UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Israel and ensure that the UNHRC and its resources, instead of being used to demonize Israel, “be used to address major human rights problems around the world.”
With the COI’s report bound to reflect the prejudices of its staff, StandWithUs applauds and thanks the Senators who have taken action to expose, delegitimize, and combat the COI’s most pressing display of anti-Israel discrimination.
The COI on Israel embodies inherent double standards against Israel, being the first and only COI in history whose mandate lasts forever, ensuring that Israel remains regularly scrutinized for eternity. Despite other conflicts around the world claiming far more lives, the COI on Israel somehow receives more staffing and money than the COI on Syria, whose civil war has claimed at least 84 times more lives than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 2011.
Though UN guidelines recommend that all COI members have a “proven record of independence and impartiality,” the COI on Israel’s very president, Navi Pillay has accused Israel of apartheid. The remaining commissioners have either accused Israel of war crimes or of not recognizing the “ application of international human rights law in the territories. ”
StandWithUs encourages the senators who have yet to sign-on to the joint-letter to support future initiatives to combat anti-Israel discrimination in the UN and its Human Rights Council.
Signatories:
Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
Richard Blumenthal (D-CT)
Roy Blunt (R-MO)
Cory Booker (D-NJ)
John Boozman (R-AR)
Mike Braun (R-IN)
Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV)
Ben Cardin (D-MD)
Bob Casey (D-PA)
Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
Susan Collins (R-ME)
Chris Coons (D-DE)
John Cornyn (R-TX)
Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
Mike Crapo (R-ID)
Steve Daines (R-MT)
Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)
Joni Ernst (R-IA)
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
Deb Fischer (R-NE)
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
Bill Hagerty (R-TN)
Maggie Hassan (D-NH)
Josh Hawley (R-MO)
John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
John Hoeven (R-ND)
Tim Kaine (D-VA)
Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
John Kennedy (R-LA)
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Mike Lee (R-UT)
Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Roger Marshall (R-KS)
Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-NV)
Jerry Moran (R-KS)
Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Alex Padilla (D-CA)
Gary Peters (D-MI)
Rob Portman (R-OH)
Jim Risch (R-ID)
Mike Rounds (R-SD)
Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
Marco Rubio (R-FL)
Ben Sasse (R-NE)
Chuck Schumer (D-NY)
Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Rick Scott (R-FL)
Tim Scott (R-SC)
Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ)
Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
Dan Sullivan (R-AK)
Jon Tester (D-MT)
John Thune (R-SD)
Pat Toomey (R-PA)
Tommy Tuberville (R-AL)
Mark Warner (D-VA)
Raphael Warnock (D-GA)
Roger Wicker (R-MS)
Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)
Todd Young (R-IN)
About StandWithUs
StandWithUs (SWU) is an international, non-profit and non-partisan Israel education organization that works to inspire and educate people of all ages about Israel, as well as challenge misinformation and fight against antisemitism.
Through university fellowships, high school internships, middle school curricula, conferences, materials, social media, educational films and missions to Israel, StandWithUs supports people around the world who want to educate their schools and communities about Israel.
Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Los Angeles, the organization has programs on six continents with chapters and offices throughout the U.S., in Israel, the UK, Canada, Brazil and Australia.
For the last ten years, SWU has consistently received the highest possible ratings from Charity Navigator (4 stars) and Guidestar (Platinum).
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