{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://roskam.house.gov/Roskam-Lieu-USCIRF", "Roskam, Lieu Urge Opposition to Anti-Israel UNESCO Resolution", "2016-10-21", "2016", "2016-10", "Republican", "House", "IL", "Peter Roskam", "R000580", "roskam.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Wheaton, IL \u2014 Today, U.S. Representative Peter J. Roskam (R-IL) and Ted Lieu (D-CA) wrote to Rev. Thomas J. Reese, Chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), urging him to condemn the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization\u2019s (UNESCO) recently passed resolution which denies Jewish and Christian ties to Jerusalem\u2019s holiest sites.\nUSCIRF, created by Congress to monitor and defend international religious freedom, must strongly oppose UNESCO\u2019s drastic violation of international religious freedom as the international body attempts to erase history.\n\u201cYour commission, tasked with the critical issue of defending the freedom of religion, can send a strong message by taking a firm stand against such bigoted resolutions,\u201d the lawmakers wrote. \u201cWe hope you will join the many Members of Congress, from both parties, in speaking out against Item 25.\u201d\nLast week, Rep. Roskam sent a letter to incoming U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urging him to denounce UNESCO\u2019s attacks on religious freedom.\nRead the full letter here.\n\u00a0\nOctober 21, 2016\n\u00a0\nChairman Rev. Thomas J. Reese\nUnited States Commission on International Religious Freedom\n732 N. Capitol Street, N.W., Suite A714\nWashington, D.C. 20401\n\u00a0\nDear Chairman Reese:\nWe write to urge the\u00a0United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) to take a firm public stand against a controversial revisionist resolution\u00a0passed\u00a0by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). This resolution, Item 25 of the Executive Board\u2019s 200th session, titled \u201cOccupied Palestine,\u201d contemptibly denies Jewish and Christian ties to the Old City of Jerusalem and its holiest sites, the Temple Mount and the Western Wall.\nThe State Department made its disapproval clear last week, when spokesman Mark Toner\u00a0affirmed that such actions and resolutions \u201cdo nothing to advance constructive results on the ground. And we don't believe they should be adopted.\"\nUNESCO\u2019s very own Director-General, Irina Bokova, in condemning the action of her member states,\u00a0said \u201cthe heritage of Jerusalem is indivisible\u201d and \u201cto deny, conceal, or erase any of the Jewish, Christian, or Muslim traditions undermines the integrity of the site.\u201d\nU.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also\u00a0rejected\u00a0the resolution, saying \"any perceived undertaking to repudiate the undeniable common reference for these sites does not serve the interests of peace and will only feed violence and radicalism.\"\nYour commission, tasked with the critical issue of defending the freedom of religion, can send a strong message by taking a firm stand against such bigoted resolutions. We hope you will join the many Members of Congress, from both parties, in speaking out against Item 25.\nSincerely,\n\u00a0\n  \n\tPETER J. ROSKAM\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 TED LIEU  \n\tMember of Congress\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Member of Congress", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://roskam.house.gov/Roskam-Lieu-USCIRF"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6391398385167122, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}