The leaderships of the Orthodox Union (the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization) and the Rabbinical Council of America (the nation’s leading Orthodox rabbinic organization in North America) issued the following statement today in response to the speech delivered by Secretary of State Kerry on December 28, 2016.

“Yesterday, in his address on the topic of the Israeli – Palestinian conflict, Secretary of State John Kerry failed to defend the decision by the Obama Administration to not veto UN Security Council Resolution 2334 last Friday.

Contrary to the Secretary of State’s assertions, the UNSC resolution made the goal of peace more elusive by undermining direct talks, reinterpreting UN Security Council Resolution 242, and providing the recalcitrant Palestinian leadership with further incentive not to compromise or negotiate with Israel.

Over the past decades, Israel has repeatedly made concrete sacrifices for the sake of peace. In response, the Palestinians have consistently made no significant gesture to advance the cause of peace. Yet, the intransigence of the Palestinian leadership is now being rewarded by the Administration and others through destructive resolutions and counterproductive attempts to internationalize the conflict.

The Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America call upon bipartisan members of Congress and the incoming Trump Administration to renounce the recent action taken by the Obama Administration and to work to repair the damage done to the cause of peace and the U.S.-Israel relationship.”