Boise City Wire

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and U.S. Representative Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, have strongly criticized the Palestinian Authority's (PA) request for full membership at the United Nations (UN).

Risch expressed his concerns stating, “The PA’s request for full membership at the UN endangers international security. The PA has not made substantive reforms, continues to implement pay-for-slay, and there is no negotiated solution between the PA and Israel. This is a not a serious attempt to find a peaceful, lasting solution to the conflict; it is an opportunistic, politically-motivated move to bypass the peace process."

McCaul highlighted the potential consequences of such a move, saying, “U.S. law requires the United States to cut off all funding to the UN if the UN admits Palestine as a member state. Anything other than staunch opposition to this ploy from the Biden Administration is political pandering.”

The lawmakers have underscored their belief that the PA's request for full UN membership is not in the interest of promoting peace and stability in the region, emphasizing the need for substantive reforms and negotiated solutions to address the ongoing conflict between the PA and Israel.