The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the largest mainstream Orthodox Jewish synagogue organization in the United States, today condemned a new UN resolution passed today that would grant the Palestinians more rights and privileges in their capacity as observers at the UN.

This will allow the PLO to add signatures to proposed resolutions under the status of “co-sponsor” and would move the PLO seats from the section reserved for observers and inter-governmental organizations to a row behind the representatives of Switzerland and the Vatican.

Even though this does not actually change the status, nevertheless, this grants more recognition to the PLO. We strongly condemn this initiative as it is a serious violation of the spirit of the Oslo Accords.

This attempt at trying to achieve near-state status at the United Nations is an attempt to prejudge a final status issue and will most certainly have a negative impact on the peace negotiations. The UN is not the appropriate forum for the discussion or determination of the final status in Middle East peace issues which must be negotiated directly between Israel and her peace partners.

A initiation of any process by the Palestinians whose intentions are to bring about the upgrading of the status of their autonomy is a flagrant violation of the Oslo Accords and directly contradicts commitments undertaken in agreements with Israel and the United States.

The Orthodox Union praised the United States, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands for voting against this resolution which undermines the peace agreements.

The Orthodox Union once again expresses its deep disappointment in the UN, which, in continuing to be used as an international instrument against Israel, dampens hopes that true UN reform will be realized any time soon.