A group of 25 senators have introduced a bill that would cut U.S. funding of the United Nations that target Israel. Called the "Stand With Israel Act," it would target agencies that "expel, downgrade, suspend or otherwise restrict the participation of the State of Israel."
The senators include Florida's Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, as well as Tom Cotton, Joni Ernst, Josh Hawley and Tim Scott.
They cite reports indicating that the Palestine Authority (PA) will attempt to downgrade Israel's status at the UN, a move it will be "able to do after the UN General Assembly passed a biased resolution which enhanced the PA's status at the United Nations" in May. It is modeled after an existing prohibition of funding to "any UN entities that elevate the status of the Palestinian Authority to a member state," the lawmakers explained.
Republicans have continued to be active in their defense of Israel. Florida's Rubio recently made headlines after strongly condemning the leak of classified documents that discussed Israel's plans for a counter-attack against Iran.
Rubio condemned the leak, saying: "It's not just a federal crime to leak that information; it's also an act of treason. It's aiding an enemy in the United States, a government in Iran that basically says 'Death to America, Death to Israel' every week. It's their slogan." According to a recount by The Floridian, Rubio also, emphasized the necessity of investigating such leaks, claiming that they undermine American foreign policy and support adversarial governments. "We need to know who did this, and they need to be punished," he added.
Sen. Scott echoed Rubio's sentiments while also commending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his leadership during ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. "We have to respect what he's done, and we've got to do everything we can to help him," Scott said. He agreed with Rubio on the need for accountability, saying: "Whoever did this has to be held accountable, and when we win the majority in the Senate, when Donald Trump is president, Israel will be supported, and we will not ever allow this to happen again."
Wars in the Middle East continue to rage on in the meantime even after Israel's killing of practically the entire top brass of Hamas and Hezbollah. The Biden administration is seeking to take advantage of that situation, with Secretary of State Antony Blinken travelling to the region this week to reignite negotiations over a hostage deal and a ceasefire in Gaza.
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