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All 100 Senators Sign Letter to UN Asking for Equal Treatment of Israel

The United Nations stands in midtown Manhattan
United Nations / Getty Images
April 28, 2017

All 100 U.S. senators signed a letter Thursday asking United Nations Secretary General António Guterres to ensure that Israel receives fair and equal treatment at the world body, which the lawmakers said has advanced an "anti-Israel agenda."

The letter, written by Sens. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.) and Chris Coons (D., Del.) and signed by every member of the Senate, insisted that the U.N.'s treatment of the Jewish state is "unacceptable" and must be addressed, the Washington Post reported.

"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," the letter said. "We are deeply committed to international leadership and to advancing respect for human rights. But continued targeting of Israel by the U.N. Human Rights Council and other U.N. entities is unacceptable."

The letter also asked Guterres, who became secretary general in January, for institutional changes at the U.N., addressing the rules for membership on the human rights panel. U.S. officials believe members are generally self-interested countries that do not pursue the body's mission.

The lawmakers also urged the removal of the Human Rights Council's "Agenda Item VII," the panel's only country-specific item, which targets alleged Israeli human rights abuses against the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

"We urge you to seek specific reforms to end the [Human Rights Council's] imbalanced focus on Israel, including through removal of Agenda Item VII and requiring competition among states seeking membership on the council," the letter read.

Last month, Guterres pulled and disavowed a U.N. report that claimed Israel's treatment of Palestinians was comparable to apartheid.

"If you continue to build on your recent action, we stand ready to work with you to eliminate the organization's anti-Israel bias, and to fight anti-Semitism in all its forms," the senators wrote.

Guterres spoke on Sunday to a pro-Israel audience and said that, while he cannot police all anti-Israel bias at the U.N., the country should not be singled out for special scrutiny.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has been a strong supporter of Israel since taking the position. The unanimous letter praised Haley for her efforts.

President Donald Trump and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are scheduled to meet at the White House next week.