AJC Calls UN Resolution on U.S. Recognition of Jerusalem Impediment to Peace

NEW YORK, Dec. 21, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC is dismayed by the overwhelming support of UN Member States for the General Assembly resolution condemning U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

"For those genuinely committed to achieving a negotiated, comprehensive Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement, today's UN General Assembly action is deeply disheartening," said AJC CEO David Harris.

"Once again, UN member states have chosen to succor Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's misguided strategy of internationalizing the conflict instead of pressing him to negotiate directly with Israel," Harris continued. "Collecting UN resolutions that do not advance peace one iota complicates an already complex conflict that direct negotiations can resolve."

The General Assembly resolution was adopted today by a vote of 128 to 9, with 35 abstaining. The U.S, Israel, Guatemala, Honduras, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo voted no. The GA emergency session was called following the U.S. veto of a similar resolution in the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

"America will put our embassy in Jerusalem," declared U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, addressing the General Assembly. "No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that."

She emphasized that President Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital "does not prejudge any final status issues, including Jerusalem's boundaries. The decision does not preclude a two-state solution, if the parties agree to that. The decision does nothing to harm peace efforts."

Praising those countries that joined with the U.S. in voting against the resolution, Harris said, "Why should Israel alone be denied the right to determine its capital? The connection between Jerusalem and the Jewish people is more than 3,000 years old; all of Israel's government offices are in Jerusalem."

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

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