Twenty-eight Republican senators have sent a letter to Secretary of State John Kerrydemanding he follow the law and prohibit funding for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The law in question is the 1994 Foreign Relations Authorization Act, which bars funding of “any affiliated organization of the United Nations which grants full membership as a state to any organization or group that does not have the internationally recognized attributes of statehood.” On March 17th of this year, the UNFCCC granted full membership to the nonexistent state of Palestine.
“We request that you ensure that no disbursements of U.S. finds are made to the UNFCCC and its related entities after March 17, 2016. We believe that your failure to do so will constitute a violation of current law.”
The senators say the UNFCCC’s decision to allow Palestinians to seek statehood recognition through a means other than direct negotiations with Israel undermines efforts to achieve a peace agreement.
“We implore the administration to hold the Palestinians accountable for their actions in circumventing the peace process, and to abide by current law prohibiting U.S. taxpayer funds for the UNFCCC and its related entities and other UN affiliated organizations that recognize the ‘State of Palestine,’” the senators wrote.”
