BREAKING: Rep. Luna Introduces Bill to Defund UN Human Rights Council Until UN General Assembly and Security Council Unequivocally Condemn Hamas

Washington, D.C. – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 31, 2023 

Contact: Edie Guy, Edie.Guy@mail.house.gov

BREAKING: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna just introduced H.R. 6118, the Stand with Israel Act, to cease all funding to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) until the UN Security Council and UN General Assembly pass a resolution condemning Hamas for its brutal October 7 terror attacks against Israel.

“It should not be a heavy lift for the UN, which claims to promote global human rights, to pass a resolution condemning what will go down in history as one of the deadliest attacks against the Jewish people,” Rep. Luna stated.

Since the attacks, the UN has failed to pass a resolution focusing on the fact that Hamas committed acts of terror against Israel; instead putting its efforts towards urging the delivery of humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

“The United States should not fund the UN Human Rights Council until it stops targeting our closest ally,” Luna added. “The UN must unequivocally condemn Hamas’s utter disregard for human life and the terror they are inflicting on Israelis and the innocent Palestinians they use as human shields. Until this institution can defend objective human rights, not subjective ideological bias, it is a scourge to the values it claims to champion.”

The UN Human Rights Council has a long history of anti-Semitism and disproportionately targeting Israel, yet consistently turns a blind eye to human rights abuses conducted by numerous countries across the globe. 

“The hypocrisy in all of this is while the UNHRC lectures Israel on defense, China (one of their HRC members) is actively putting Muslims in concentration camps. It’s time they save the world their virtue-signaling and we defund them,” Rep. Luna pointed out.

The full text of the bill will be made available here and statements from co-sponsors are included below. To read more about the bill, click here. 

Congresswoman Luna was joined by Reps. Brian Babin (TX-36), Andy Biggs (AZ-5), Josh Brecheen (OK-2), Eric Burlison (MO-7), John Curtis (UT-3), Lance Gooden (TX-5), Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Mary Miller (IL-15), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Andy Ogles (TN-5), George Santos (NY-3), Victoria Spartz (IN-5), Greg Steube (FL-17), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-2), and Randy Weber (TX-14).

Rep. Josh Brecheen (OK-02): “It should not be hard to unequivocally reject and condemn terrorism, but that is unfortunately where the United Nations currently stands. We should not be giving a dime to the United Nations Human Rights Council until the UN condemns Hamas for its heinous attack on Israel earlier this month. I will always stand with Israel and its right to defend itself from neighboring countries that want to wipe it off the map. Why won’t the UN stand with Israel too?” 

Rep. Eric Burlison (MO-7): “Hamas’s disgusting attack on innocents in Israel should be denounced in every possible way and it’s a disgrace the UN has refused to condemn Hamas. It’s our duty as leaders of the free world to defend them. The UNHRC should be ashamed and not a single cent of American tax dollars should fund this corrupt organization.”

Rep. John Curtis (UT-03): “U.S. taxpayers should not be financially supporting a council that often acts as a stage for nations like China, Russia, Cuba, Venezuela, and others to divert attention from their own human rights abuses and target Israel. Remarkably, next week will see Iran taking up the leadership of the UNHRC, even as the UN hasn’t condemned Hamas for its barbaric attack on Israel. Congress must cut off funding to the UNHRC.”

Rep. Lance Gooden (TX-05): “The UN’s failure to condemn Hamas for its brutal and sadistic attacks on Israel is unconscionable. Americans should not be sending taxpayer dollars to an organization that sides with violent terrorists over peaceful democracies.”

Rep. Andy Ogles (TN-05): “Nearly every single UN Security Council member chose to approve a Resolution that did not mention Israel’s right to self-defense. Supporting Israel should be the easy part. I am thankful to Congresswoman Luna for leading the charge to withhold funding to the UNHRC until it successfully passes a resolution denouncing the evil actions of Hamas terrorists.”

Rep. George Santos (NY-03): “Standing with Israel is not just a policy, it’s a commitment to democratic values and principles. While Hamas hides behind civilians in the pursuit of chaos and violence, Israel aims for peace and prosperity. Every rocket fired by Hamas is not only an attack on Israel but an affront to human dignity.”

Rep. Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02): “The UN’s inability to condemn Hamas’ barbaric terrorist attacks on Israel is an absolute disgrace to the international community. The United States should not be providing taxpayer dollars to a body that fails to uphold the very principles of human rights it was created to protect. I am proud to join my colleagues in leading this effort.”

Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14): “That the United Nations—intended to promote and protect all human rights around the globe—can’t muster the decency to denounce one of the most egregious genocidal terror organizations is reprehensible. The horrors perpetrated by Hamas in killing thousands of Israelis are the definition of a blatant attack on human rights. Still, the historically anti-Semitic UN ‘human rights’ Council continues to prove that it is utterly useless, and it must be defunded.”

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