Sen. Marco Rubio (R – Fla.) and co-sponsor Sen. Joe Manchin  (D – W. Va.) introduced on Tuesday the Senate version of a concurrent resolution calling on the United States to “continue to exercise its veto in the United Nations Security Council on resolutions regarding the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.” A bipartisan version of the resolution was introduced in the House of Representatives on Monday.

A statement from the Israel Allies Foundation (IAF) explained the significance of the congressional action:

As France continues to organize for a UNSC binding resolution that would mandate a procedural role for the UNSC in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations and parameters for such negotiations, President Obama has yet to announce whether he would exercise America’s veto. The absence of an American veto in such a situation would be change in long-standing American policy that has ensured negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians are direct and without United Nations interference.

In a statement on the resolution, Rubio condemned “the disingenuous actions by the Palestinian Authority leadership to seek statehood through the U.N. and bypass direct talks with Israel.” He added, “This is just the latest sign that Israel currently lacks a true partner for peace. These attempts by the Palestinians will only push the two parties further apart. It is the duty of the United States to stand with Israel and continue to veto any U.N. resolution that inserts the United Nations into the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.”

Last week, 90% of the members of the House of Representatives signed a letter written by six congressional leaders, including Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinin (R – Fla.) and Rep. Ted Deutch (R – Fla.), urging President Barack Obama “not to back any resolution at the United Nations that sets parameters for Israeli-Palestinian talks.”

Aaron Menenberg, IAF’s director of congressional affairs, told The Tower that “the bipartisan, bicameral resolution takes Congress’ interest on this issue to another level. First you had the Chairwoman and Ranking Member of the Middle East Subcommittee directly engaging the Administration with their letter on subject, and now you have prominent legislators from both parties in both chambers introducing the sense of Congress that the United Nations, because of its facilitation of the Palestinian Authority’s ongoing effort to kill the peace process through unilateral recognition of statehood at the UN, has no credibility to secure a resolution to the Israel-Arab conflict.”

[Photo: Marco Rubio / YouTube ]