Sen. Portman joins bipartisan group of senators in condemning UN's anti-Israel efforts

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) today joined a bipartisan group of Senators in introducing a Senate resolution objecting to the passage of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, as well as all efforts that undermine direct, bilateral negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians for a secure and peaceful settlement.

He is joined in this effort by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Bob Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Joe Donnelly (D-IN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Dean Heller (R-NV), John McCain (R-AZ), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and Todd Young (R-IN).

“By allowing the UN Security Council to pass Resolution 2334, the Obama administration overturned nearly 40 years of bipartisan U.S. policy towards anti-Israel UNSC resolutions. As a result, President Obama has left a key regional ally exposed and has undermined faith in America's commitment to stand by its allies,” said Portman.

“I am pleased to join a bipartisan group of Senators who stand with Israel and to condemn the administration’s efforts to undermine Israel’s legitimacy and subvert direct peace negotiations. With this Senate Resolution, Congress is taking action against UN efforts to target Israel, while signaling that the UN is not the appropriate body to dictate negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues and the new administration to restore the bipartisan consensus on U.S. support for Israel.”

The resolution:

Expresses grave objection to United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 (2016);

Calls for United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 to be repealed or fundamentally altered so that it is no longer one-sided and allows all final status issues toward a two-state solution to be resolved through direct bilateral negotiations between the parties;

Rejects efforts by outside bodies, including the United Nations Security Council, to impose solutions from the outside that set back the cause of peace;

Demands that the United States ensure that no action is taken at the Paris Conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict scheduled for January 15, 2017, that imposes an agreement or parameters on the parties;

Notes that granting membership and statehood standing to the Palestinians at the United Nations, its specialized agencies, and other international institutions outside of the context of a bilateral peace agreement with Israel would cause severe harm to the peace process, and would likely trigger the implementation of penalties under sections 7036 and 7041(j) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 (division K of Public Law 114–113);

Rejects any efforts by the United Nations, United Nations agencies, United Nations member states, and other international organizations to use United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 to further isolate Israel through economic or other boycotts or any other measures, and urges the United States Government to take action where needed to counter any attempts to use United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334 to further isolate Israel;

Urges the current presidential administration and all future presidential administrations to uphold the practice of vetoing all United Nations Security Council resolutions that seek to insert the Council into the peace process, recognize unilateral Palestinian actions including declaration of a Palestinian state, or dictate terms and a timeline for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict;

Reaffirms that it is the policy of the United States to continue to seek a sustainable, just, and secure two-state solution to resolve the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians; and

Urges the incoming Administration to work with Congress to create conditions that facilitate the resumption of direct, bilateral negotiations without preconditions between Israelis and Palestinians with the goal of achieving a sustainable agreement that is acceptable to both sides.