House Letter: Close PLO, Defund UN to Punish Recognition of Palestine

AIPAC-Backed Letter Demands Revenge

A letter pushed by Israeli Lobby faction AIPAC and signed by more than half of the members of the US House of Representatives is demanding that the Obama Administration move against the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) to express “displeasure” for Palestine gaining recognition as a non-member observer status at the United Nations.

The letter calls for the US to immediate forcibly close the PLO’s office in Washington DC and recall the US Consul-General from Jerusalem, as well as immediately defunding the United Nations and all UN-affiliated organizations that recognize Palestine.

Palestine’s status was recognized in late November, in a 138-9 vote. The US fought to keep the vote from even taking place, while Israel insisted after the fact that the vote was “meaningless” and announced massive new settlement expansions on Palestinian lands in retaliation.

The letter got its start with Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R – FL) and Howard Berman (D – CA), and follows an attempt to add similar language in the NDAA in the Senate, though it never came to a vote.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.