JCPA* Condemns U.N.'s Palestinian Solidarity Day
Group Finds Assembly President’s Remarks Troubling
[*The Jewish Council for Public Affairs, online at www.jewishpublicaffairs.org, is the umbrella group of Jewish community relations organizations nationally.]
NEW YORK – The United Nations’ endorsement of a day intended to decry Israel’s existence is a jarring reminder that the international body continues to be a generally hostile environment for Israel that impedes its ability to foster peace and reconciliation among all the states in the Middle East, says a leading Jewish advocacy group.
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) condemns the UN’s observance of its annual International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which was once again marked Monday and today with events intended to mourn Israel’s 60 years of existence. JCPA also deplores UN General Assembly President Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann of Nicaragua for remarks made on Monday comparing Israel’s policies in the Palestinian territories to South Africa’s apartheid policies.
JCPA Chair Andrea Weinstein issued the following statement:
“It is terribly sad that the members of the UN General Assembly find it necessary to spend two days participating in programs criticizing a member state’s existence. It is even more abhorrent that the Assembly’s current president would seek to delegitimize Israel by comparing its policies to those of Apartheid South Africa. These programs and baseless rhetoric demonizing Israel do nothing constructive to find a resolution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and instead harm these efforts by creating a toxic atmosphere.”
The UN General Assembly first called for the annual observance of the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People in 1977. This year’s events come despite positive developments in recent years such as Israel’s invitation to be part of the UN’s Western European and others regional group in 2000, the UN General Assembly’s adoption of an Israel-sponsored resolution in 2005 and intensified efforts to include Israeli professionals in UN projects.
