The Sconi

On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Ron Johnson from Wisconsin joined Senator Jim Risch of Idaho and other colleagues to announce their plan to introduce the Stand with Israel Act. This legislation aims to address what they describe as the United Nations' anti-Israel bias. The proposed law would prevent U.S. funding from going to the U.N. if it downgrades Israel's status in any way, such as limiting its voting powers or access to committees.

Senator Johnson stated, "Israel is doing exactly what America would do – defend itself from brutal terrorists. The fact that this effort to downgrade Israel’s status in the UN is even under consideration casts doubt on the legitimacy of the entire UN system and is an unacceptable betrayal of America’s principal ally in the Middle East."

Ranking Member Risch added, "Any attempt to alter Israel’s status at the UN is clearly anti-Semitic. That said, if the UN member states allow the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization to downgrade Israel’s status at the UN, the U.S. must stop supporting the UN system, as it would clearly be beyond repair. I am disgusted that this outrageous idea has even been discussed, and will do all we can to ensure any changes to Israel’s status will come with consequences."

The Senate bill complements a bipartisan House bill, H.R. 9394, introduced by Representative Mike Lawler of New York.

Joining Senators Johnson and Risch in this legislative effort are Senators John Kennedy (Louisiana), Tom Cotton (Arkansas), Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Bill Cassidy (Louisiana), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Steve Daines (Montana), Mike Lee (Utah), Kevin Cramer (North Dakota), John Barrasso (Wyoming), Pete Ricketts (Nebraska), Eric Schmitt (Missouri), Rick Scott (Florida), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Shelley Moore Capito (West Virginia), Marco Rubio (Florida), Joni Ernst (Iowa), Markwayne Mullin (Oklahoma) and Ted Budd (North Carolina).

Full text of the Stand with Israel Act can be found here.