The United States announced it will hold back 10% of its funding to the United Nations and UN agencies unless they “take credible steps to combat anti-Israel bias.”
In the near-500-page funding package for 2026, the US has leveraged 10% of funding to UN bodies unless the secretary of state can certify that the UN is taking real steps to fix certain issues. If this is not certified, the 10% will stay frozen.
The document requires proof of the appropriate use of travel funds and the existence of a publicly available website, among other criteria.
Furthermore, the UN must show it is countering anti-Israel bias; none of the funds appropriated by the act will go to the UN Human Rights Council unless the secretary of state determines it is taking significant steps to remove Israel as a permanent agenda item.
The secretary of state must also submit a report by September 30, 2026, on the resolutions considered in the UNHRC over the previous 12 months and the steps it has taken in response.
The bill conditions funding to the West on the secretary’s determination that any individual, private or government entity, or educational institution is advocating, planning, sponsoring, or engaging in terrorist activity.
US funds prohibited from being siphoned to PA personnel in Gaza, Hamas members
The US will terminate assistance to any party found to be involved in such activity. None of the US’s funds can be siphoned off to pay the salaries of the Palestinian Authority personnel located in Gaza, or of Hamas, or any entity it effectively controls.
The bill also prohibits funding to the Palestinian Liberation Organization.
Interestingly, the bill stipulates that any US assistance to the West Bank and Gaza will end if the Palestinians obtain the same standing as UN member states or full UN membership.
It will also halt funds if they initiate an International Criminal Court judicially authorized investigation that targets Israeli nationals for alleged crimes against Palestinians.
Funds can only be distributed to a Palestinian state if the Secretary of State determines the new government is committed to peaceful coexistence with Israel and is taking appropriate measures to counter terrorism and terrorist financing in the West Bank and Gaza (such as the Pay for Slay policy).
Funding remains prohibited for programs that honor terrorists or for any educational institution in the West Bank or Gaza named after individuals who committed acts of terrorism.
The US also prohibits funds to the UN International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including east Jerusalem, and Israel.
Separately this week, Congressmen Mike Lawler (NY-17) and Jared Moskowitz (FL-23) introduced the Stand with Israel Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation that ensures the US does not fund the UN if Israel is illegally expelled.
“Israel is one of America’s strongest partners across the world. The UN has a responsibility to uphold its own rules, not bend them to appease extremists or reward antisemitism. The US should not bankroll institutions that engage in discriminatory and unlawful actions against our allies,” said Lawler.
“International organizations should not be allowed to ignore its own rules to single out Israel, one of our closest allies. The Stand with Israel Act makes clear that American taxpayer dollars will not be used to support or legitimize unlawful actions that target Israel. International institutions must follow their own rules,” added Moskowitz.