Legislation seeking to disband the United Nations Human Rights Council's probe into Israel is gaining moment in Congress, the Jewish Insider reported on Wednesday.
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The commission of inquiry was launched in 2021 following a conflict between Israel and terrorist groups in Gaza, known as Operation Guardian of the Walls.
Introduced by Republican Greg Steube in the spring, the bill seeks to abolish the probe and "combat systemic anti-Israel bias at the United Nations Human Rights Council and other international fora." It has since garnered the support of 34 representatives of Congress.
The bill would also cut back on Washington's annual contributions to the organization. The US is the UNHRC's largest sponsor and accounts for over 20% of its budget, although it has over 190 member states.
"The ongoing anti-Israel commission formed by the UN's discredited Human Rights Council directly obstructs peace in the Middle East and intentionally targets the only democracy in the region," Steube said in a statement when he first introduced the legislation. "Our US tax dollars have no place funding an anti-Israel commission."
According to the Jewish Insider, the legislation is also a top priority for AIPAC, which is working intensively to promote the legislation.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Washington was working hard to cut the investigation's budget by 25%.
On Monday, Israel scored a diplomatic achievement at the Human Rights Council when 22 members issued a statement censuring the probe after the head of the three-member commission of inquiry, Navanethem Pillay, called for an arms embargo to be imposed on Israel following the report on Operation Guardian of the Walls.
The full and final version of the 18-page report, which made only a scant mention of Palestinian terrorism or the thousands of rockets fired at central and southern Israel during the 11-day conflict, is likely to be presented to the UN General Assembly late this year.
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