RELEASE: GOTTHEIMER PROPOSES AMENDMENT TO PROHIBIT SPECIAL ENVOY FOR MONITORING AND COMBATING ISLAMOPHOBIA FROM DISPARAGING ISRAEL OR WORKING WITH BIASED UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONER

Statement

Today, December 14, 2021, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) proposed an amendment to the House legislation for a State Department Special Envoy to monitor and combat Islamophobia. Gottheimer's amendment will prohibit the Special Envoy from disparaging America's key ally Israel. It also will prohibit the Special Envoy from working with the biased United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, which has allowed the council to continue its tradition of targeting Israel, while ignoring the worst human rights offenders in the world, including North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and China.

"We must always speak out clearly against all forms of hatred and bigotry, wherever it rears its ugly head," said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). "As we work to end all forms of hate, we must ensure that new government entities do not turn into hotbeds for anti-Israel sentiments or are used as a mechanism to target America's vital ally in the region, Israel, the sole democracy in the Middle East. We have seen what the United Nations Human Rights Council has turned into: a biased body that spends more time criticizing Israel, a leader in supporting the LGBTQ community and promoting women's rights, rather than addressing the gravest human rights horrors in other countries around the world. We must also protect against any politically-motivated efforts to undermine the historic, bipartisan U.S.-Israel relationship, and our key partner in the fight against terror."

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