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Washington, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN) introduced the No Official Palestine Entry (NOPE) Act to expand existing funding prohibitions to include U.N. organizations that afford status, rights, or privileges to the Palestinian Authority or Palestine Liberation Organization beyond observer status.

“With today’s vote at the United Nations General Assembly, the Palestinian Authority demonstrated a clear willingness to manipulate a grey area in U.S. law for its own cynical gain. This important bill closes that gap, ensuring U.S. taxpayer dollars cannot support UN entities helping legitimize the Palestinian Authority or the Palestine Liberation Organization.” said Chairman McCaul.

“In response to the United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) vote today to enhance the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) rights and privileges, Chairman McCaul and I introduced legislation to prevent U.S. taxpayer dollars from going to organizations that give enhanced status to the PA/PLO,” said Congressman Jim Baird. “The PA has not made any substantial reforms and continues to implement pay-for-slay. It is important that we support our democratic allies and not funnel hard working tax dollars to entities like the PA as they continue to promote human rights violations and incite acts of terrorism.”

Background: Current U.S. law prohibits U.S. funding to organizations, such as the UN, which give the PLO full membership or standing as a member state. The NOPE Act updates the existing funding prohibition to organizations that offer the Palestinian Authority or the Palestine Liberation Organization “any status, rights, or privileges beyond observer status.”

The NOPE Act is the House counterpart to a Senate bill introduced yesterday by Senate Foreign Relations Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-ID). 

Read the full text of the bill here.

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