For Immediate Release: November 29, 2012
Contact: Benjamin Suarato, Communications Associate
bsuarato@thejcpa.org; 202-212-6031; 518-810-7225(c)
Symbolic UN Vote is the Wrong Way to Palestinian Statehood
Today’s vote in the UN General Assembly giving the Palestinians status as a non-member observer state was a regrettable distraction from efforts to bring about negotiations with Israel, the only path to legitimate statehood and peace, said the Jewish Council for Public Affairs.
“We would like to be congratulating and warmly welcoming UN recognition of a Palestinian state; not just as a non-member observer state, but as a full member of the world body. But as Israel, the United States, and the Quartet have asserted time and again, a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only come about through direct negotiations between the parties, not unilateral and symbolic steps at the UN,” said JCPA President Rabbi Steve Gutow. “We hope that President Abbas - who disregarded pleas from President Obama and others to avoid this counterproductive path - will not seek to take advantage of this new status to continue or expand the diplomatic offensive against
“Palestinian statehood must be achieved in a way that ensures the security of
JCPA, the public affairs arm of the organized Jewish community, serves as the national coordinating and advisory body for the 14 national and 125 local agencies comprising the field of Jewish community relations. The JCRC of the Jewish Federation of Greater
Distributed by the JCRC of the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines jcrc@dmjfed.org