The Orthodox Union is a member agency of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) and participated in its annual conference this week.

As reported in the media, the JCPA debated and adopted a resolution with regard to the Israeli – Palestinian peace process. The media report, however, did not fully and accurately present the Orthodox Union’s position and activities with regard to the resolution; we do so here.

The OU delegation engaged in the debate over this resolution by proposing and/or opposing provisions of or amendments to the resolution text. The following were the actions of the OU on this matter:

> The OU attempted to remove the resolution’s text which would have, for the first time, put JCPA on record in support of the “two state solution” – but we were defeated by a vote of the delegates to the JCPA.

> The OU succeeded in inserting into the resolution’s text the statement that “Israel’s repeated offers to establish ‘two democratic states living side by side in peace and security’ have been met, time after time, by violence, incitement and terror.”

> The OU attempted to remove the resolution’s text calling for American Jewish support for any negotiations by the Israeli government over the re-division of Jerusalem – but we were defeated by a vote of the delegates to the JCPA.

> The OU succeeded in inserting into the resolution text which calls upon the American Jewish community to support Israel’s insistence upon being recognized by the Palestinian Authority as a “Jewish state.”

> The OU succeeded in defeating a proposed amendment to the resolution text which would have stated that the American Jewish community views the establishment or expansion of Israeli settlements as an “impediment to peace.”

At the conclusion of the debate and amendment process, the OU delegation abstained from the vote on final passage of the resolution and informed the JCPA of our intention to file a formal, written dissent from the portions of the resolution with which the OU disagrees.