Senators threaten to cut funding to the UN and the Palestinians if Israel is expelled from the General Assembly

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and 10 others are threatening to withhold funding United Nations and Palestinians if the General Assembly votes to remove Israel from its membership.

Last month, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas demanded this before the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). Israel’s membership are suspended and promised to come up with a resolution, prompting threats of retaliation from Congress.

“I call on your esteemed Assembly to suspend Israel’s membership in the General Assembly until the country fulfills its obligations and the conditions for accepting its membership, and implements all resolutions of the United Nations and its bodies,” said Abbas. “We will submit a request to the President of the United Nations General Assembly in this regard.”

Cruz, a Republican who has been briefed on the issue by U.S. and Israeli officials, led 10 of his colleagues in threatening congressional retaliation for such a move.

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“If Israel is suspended from the UN General Assembly, we will take steps to limit US participation and funding across the UN, including UN programs, funds and other entities and bodies,” said the letter, obtained by Fox NewsDigital.

“The Palestinian Authority and the PLO should be treated as terrorist groups under US law. The United Nations is full of countries hostile to America and our allies,” Cruz said in a statement.

“For decades, American lawmakers have not only ignored these facts, but sent American taxpayer dollars to incentivize these Palestinian groups and the UN to function. If the Palestinians continue with their plan to suspend Israel or if the UN agrees, we will be committed to ensuring that America reevaluates these relationships and cuts off these organizations.”

It is not clear how the Palestinian Authority plans to move the request forward. It could introduce a resolution, or it could follow a path used to oust South Africa in 1974 by taking the matter to the UN Credentials Committee and trying to deprive the Israeli government of the ability to to represent the meeting.

The US and many European countries would likely vote against a motion to depose Israel. Russia is allowed do the same, for fear that a similar tactic could be used against them.

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Last month, about two-thirds of the UN voted in favor of a resolution demanding Israel return all the land and assets it has settled in the Palestinian Territories since 1967. Countries are also called on to end treaties and trade relations with Israel involving Palestinian territories.

For the US-Palestinian relationship: “cooperation with the PA, ending aid to the West Bank and Gaza, ending all Palestinian-related offices within the US government, including the Palestinian-focused consulate and the Office of Palestinian Affairs , and broadly curtailing diplomatic, economic, and security agreements between U.S. and Palestinian officials.”

The US has paid more than $1.2 billion in aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza since the war broke out after October 7, 2023. During the same period, they provided Israel with approximately $12.5 billion in military aid.

Earlier this week, about 100 lawmakers signed a letter It warns that UN funding could be at stake if Israel wins the Gaza war with Hamas.

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“We write to express our deep concern about the Palestinian Authority’s future efforts to downgrade Israel’s status in the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and deprive the State of Israel of its key privileges in the body,” he said. a letter led by Representatives Mike Lawler. , R.N.Y., and Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., read.

“Any reduction in Israel’s status or position in the UNGA will result in a corresponding reduction in US financial, material and political support to the UN.”

In his speech last month, Abbas claimed that Israel had failed to implement UN Resolution 181, which called for Palestine to be divided into two separate states, one Arab and one Jewish, placing Jerusalem under a special international regime. and Resolution 194, which called for Palestinian refugees to be allowed to return to their homes.

“Israel, which refuses to implement UN resolutions, is not worthy of membership in this international organization, and Israel, whose representative in this international organization says that this UN building in which we now find ourselves must be demolished fetched. does not deserve to be a member of your organization, and has not fulfilled the conditions for this membership from the beginning,” Abbas said.

On Monday, American and Israeli spy chiefs met in Qatar to revive negotiations on a plan ceasefire in Gaza and a release of the Israeli hostages.

The UN Security Council met on Monday at 1 p.m Iran’s request to discuss Israel’s attacks on the regime this weekend.

“The Israeli regime’s actions pose a serious threat to international peace and security and further destabilize an already fragile region,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a letter to the 15-member council on Saturday.

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“The Islamic Republic of Iran, in accordance with the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations and in international law, reserves its inherent right to a lawful and legitimate response to these criminal attacks at the appropriate time,” wrote he.