New York, NY, March 26, 2014 …The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) today called on members of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to oppose a resolution which calls for the international community to pursue punitive economic policies against Israeli settlements.
The resolution in question, titled “Israeli Settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem, and in the occupied Syrian Golan,” is scheduled to come to a vote during the current session of the UNHRC and is being considered under Agenda item 7 - a permanent annual exercise of official U.N. discrimination against Israel on the UNHRC’s docket.
“Once again, a U.N. body makes it its business to inappropriately delegitimize and isolate Israel,” said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. “This resolution attempts to advance a very similar position to elements of the vehemently anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and at the same time, it puts a serious damper on the current peace talks taking place.”
In a letter sent to members of the UNHRC, ADL expressed concern that the resolution was an attack on Israel that was taken “further than any previous sessions.”
“Its language goes beyond the current policies of most countries with respect to the issue of Israeli settlements,” Mr. Foxman wrote. “Respectfully, we believe no country should cast its lot in favor of this egregious resolution. By voting against the resolution, your government can encourage the UNHRC and its member states to forego prejudicial measures in favor of constructive steps promoting the two-state solution through a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”