The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish synagogue organization, praised the passage of a concurrent resolution in the House and in the Senate expressing U.S. solidarity with Israel in the fight against terrorism. The resolution expresses outrage at the ongoing Palestinian terrorist campaign which began in September of 2000 and demands that the Palestinian Authority immediately arrest and punish the terrorists and destroy the infrastructure of the Palestinian terrorist groups. It also calls on the Palestinian Authority to do away with the “revolving door” policy by keeping terrorists incarcerated or else turning them over to the Government of Israel for prosecution. The resolution further demands that unless the Palestinian Authority takes the prescribed actions and cracks down on terrorists, the United States will suspend all relations with Yassir Arafat and the Palestinian Authority.

Betty Ehrenberg, Director of International Affairs, said, “We applaud this effort in the battle against global terrorism led by Reps. Henry Hyde (R-IL) and Tom Lantos (D-Ca) in the House and by Senators Joe Biden (D-DE) and Jesse Helms (R-NC) in the Senate. This important resolution underscores the special U.S.-Israel relationship. The deliberate campaign of violence and terror against the United States and against Israel must serve as wake-up calls to all nations to realize that terrorism is a global menace that threatens the freedom of the entire world. We once again applaud the United States Congress for reaffirming the uniquely common values and interests which America shares with her only reliable, democratic ally in the Middle East, Israel.”