Contact: Roslyn Singer
Director of Communications, OU Advocacy
212-613-8227

December 30, 2014
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Today, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, commended the Obama Administration for its vote in the UN Security Council against the destructive resolution presented to the Council by Jordan at the behest of the Palestinians. The resolution received only eight votes in its favor and therefore was not adopted.

The resolution called for Israel to pull out of the West Bank within three years, for an independent state of Palestine to be established within the June 1967 borders, and for East Jerusalem to be declared the capital of that Palestinian state.

In casting the vote on behalf of the United States, Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power noted that the United States continually seeks constructive steps to bring peace to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but that this resolution “is not one of those constructive steps,” calling it “deeply imbalanced” and including “unconstructive deadlines.”

OU leaders had previously urged Secretary of State John Kerry and Ambassador Power to stand strong with Israel and remain steadfast to the U.S. policy that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians must be resolved only through direct bi-lateral negotiations.

Martin Nachimson, president of the Orthodox Union, stated:
“We appreciate the United States standing with Israel and casting a vote against this destructive attempt to manipulate the Security Council into pursuing an entirely unproductive course of action. The only path to peace will be through direct negotiations with the State of Israel. In addition to the negotiations, a “normalization” process must occur, through which the Palestinians cease incitement of hatred against Israel and Jews, reject terrorism and violence, and recognize Israel as the legitimate homeland of the Jewish People. An artificially imposed deadline, disconnected from the realities of the conflict, will not only fail to bring a resolution to this conflict closer, but will surely undermine efforts to do so.”