Should the U.S. Veto “Counterproductive” UN Security Council Resolutions Related to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict? (H. Con. Res. 165)

What is H. Con. Res. 165?

(Updated October 12, 2019)

This resolution would express the sense of Congress that the U.S. should use its veto on the United Nations Security Council to stop resolutions from passing that are counterproductive to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. It emphasizes that a sustainable peace deal will only come about with direct bilateral negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, and aims to prevent the UN from recognizing a unilateral declaration of Palestinian statehood before an agreement has been reached.

Congress states that such recognition without a peace agreement in place would set back the cause of peace and could lead to penalties being imposed on support for a Palestinian state or the West Bank and Gaza. It also calls on the U.S. to oppose and veto Security Council resolutions that are one-sided and anti-Israel or would impose solutions to final status issues, while also supporting the resumption of negotiations without preconditions toward a sustainable peace agreement.

As a concurrent resolution this bill would be considered by both the House and Senate without going to the president’s desk for a signature, which would be unnecessary as it doesn’t have the force of law.

Argument in favor

The U.S. should block UN Security Council resolutions that are anti-Israel or recognize Palestinian statehood before a peace agreement has been reached as they will only make the situation worse.

Argument opposed

The U.S. shouldn’t protect Israel from UN resolutions that don’t reinforce their position in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it’s the only way that a two state solution will be reached and America shouldn’t stop it.

Impact

U.S. relations with Israeli and Palestinian governments; and the UN Security Council.

Cost of H. Con. Res. 165

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

In-Depth: This legislation has the bipartisan support of seven cosponsors in the House, including four Democrats and three Republicans.

Of Note: Israel has been targeted by a significant number of resolutions at the UN, with the Human Rights Council resolving 45 resolutions condemning the country since 2013, which amounts to 45 percent of all resolutions that singled out a particular country. The Security Council has considered 226 resolutions related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 1948.

Media:

• Sponsoring Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) Press Release (Senate version)