New York, NY, November 9, 2012 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today called on members of the United Nations to reject the draft resolution currently being circulated by the Palestinian Observer Mission to the U.N., which would upgrade the status of the Palestinians from "observer" to "observer state."
The resolution comes one year after the failed Palestinian attempt to attain full member status at the U.N. Security Council, and is part of an ongoing decades-long Palestinian effort to use the international community as a means to evade dealing directly with Israel to reach a full and final agreement to end the conflict.
Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:
Once again, the Palestinians have shown their true colors when it comes to dealing directly with Israel. They have not wanted to for more than 65 years – and offering this resolution at the UN confirms they still simply do not want to.
We call on all U.N. member states to reject the draft resolution that would upgrade the Palestinians' U.N. status to that of "observer state." This document, which may be voted on by the General Assembly sometime this month, is part of an ill-conceived effort by the Palestinians to use the international community as a platform for unilaterally attaining statehood rather than negotiating peace directly with Israel. The United States has publicly opposed this initiative, and influential European counties, including the United Kingdom, France and Germany, have expressed reservations about the implications of a Palestinian U.N. upgrade.
While the resolution pays lip service to a negotiated Israeli-Palestinian agreement, the Palestinians know this unilateral act contravenes the spirit of bilateral negotiations and reconciliation, and violates the previously signed agreements between the parties prohibiting unilaterally altering territory status (i.e. seeking an upgrade of its status at the U.N.). It further ignores Israel's unambiguous and oft-repeated willingness to resume negotiations at any time or place without precondition, as well as the ongoing steps undertaken by Israel to encourage the Palestinians to return to negotiations.
By choosing to bypass negotiations with Israel, the Palestinians have once again demonstrated their lack of commitment to the peace process, and their disregard for international efforts to work with both parties towards achieving a two-state solution.
Should this or any similar resolution be adopted by the General Assembly, it would poison the atmosphere with Israel and further push away the already fragile prospects for peace. It is therefore essential that U.N. member states work to ensure that this resolution is not adopted by the General Assembly, and encourage the Palestinians to commit themselves to a bilateral negotiating process -- without preconditions -- which aims to bring about a Palestinian state living side-by-side with Israel in peace and security.