The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) supports and praises former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, in his proposal that, in order to forestall an expected push at the U.N. to have a “State of Palestine” unilaterally declared, the U.S. Congress must forewarn the U.N. by enacting legislation stating that any such decision will result in the termination of U.S. funding to the U.N.

Ambassador Bolton argued in an opinion piece today that, because President Barack Obama is unlikely to show the boldness of President George H.W. Bush and Secretary of State James A. Baker when they warded off a push within the U.N. for recognizing a “State of Palestine” in 1989 in this manner, the U.S. Congress should enact legislation that issues the same warning. “Mr. Obama is highly unlikely to do anything so decisive, which is why many in America and Israel remain gravely concerned about this latest Palestinian diplomatic ploy. Accordingly, we should turn to Congress, which has a rich history of dealing with U.N. actions it doesn’t appreciate … Congress should legislate broadly that any U.N. action that purports to acknowledge or authorize Palestinian statehood will result in a cutoff of all U.S. contributions to the offending agency. If the General Assembly ignored this warning, all funds would be cut off to the bloated Secretariat in New York, but not to separate agencies like the World Health Organization, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and others with their own governing bodies and funding mechanisms … Fatah’s coalition with Hamas already provides statutory grounds (since the U.S. lists Hamas as a terrorist organization) to eliminate funding for the Palestinian Authority. Reducing U.S. funding to the U.N. is the next available, highly visible, target of opportunity. It presents the U.N. membership with a fascinating question: Would they rather recognize Palestinian statehood, or keep America’s money?” (‘How to Block the Palestine Statehood Ploy: Congress can take a cue from Jim Baker in 1989 and threaten to cut U.S. money for the U.N.,’ Wall Street Journal, June 3, 2011).

ZOA National President Morton A. Klein said, “The ZOA commends and supports Ambassador Bolton’s proposal for the U.S. Congress to pass a law indicating that U.S. funding for international organizations will be terminated if they recognize ‘a State of Palestine.’

“The Palestinian Authority could be held to have functioning government in areas in which it has sole, effective control but, in much of the territory in which it operates, it shares authority with Israel. It has not controlled Gaza at all for years and still doesn’t do so even now. Nor does it control all armed groups in areas where it has authority. Moreover, that it functions at all is solely due to the continuing, highest per capita levels of international aid. This does not add up to effective government in defined territory, two of the four criteria required for statehood. Moreover, if a Palestine state were established, it would become the biggest beggar state, not to mention another Islamist terror state, run by Iran, Hamas and Fatah.“

“The U.S. is duty-bound to oppose this illicit diplomatic maneuver. If the Obama Administration will not act, the U.S. Congress certainly can.”