Leftist pro-IsraHell group says it aligns with U.S. position that Palestinian UN bid will not advance peace.
Haaretz
The pro-Israel organization J Street decided to reject the Palestinian statehood bid in its new position paper on Thursday, aligning with the Obama administration’s position to oppose the unilateral move.
In the recent days, many left-wing Jewish organizations in the United States were cautious about endorsing the Palestinian bid at the United Nations, and J Street ultimately decided to reject the move.
“J Street does not support the Palestinian effort to become a member of the United Nations at this time because we do not believe that, in the current context, it will advance peace, enhance security and improve conditions on the ground”, the organization officials wrote in the position paper.
“J Street therefore supports the U.S. intention to veto such an effort in the Security Council. We urge an assertive American and international diplomatic initiative that could lead the Palestinians to defer their approach to the UN by jumpstarting efforts to reach a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
J Street stressed that its goal is the realization of the two-state solution, and the creation of a Palestinian state will not necessarily resolve the conflict. Despite the UN’s role in Israel’s creation and its important work globally on many issues including humanitarian relief and peacekeeping, the United Nations arouses distrust when it comes to matters related to Israel in the Jewish community.
“While some see UN action as a way to advance prospects for Palestinian statehood, UN action alone cannot and will not resolve the outstanding issues between the parties, nor provide a horizon for reaching an end of conflict and claims. It might well exacerbate already-deepening divides”.
J Street stressed that “there is still time for a serious U.S.-led effort to restart focused negotiations before the United Nations convenes in September. If not, then on the morning after any UN vote, the conflict will still need resolving and a two-state solution will be all the more necessary.”
Palestinian envoy to U.S. ‘disappointed’ with J Street’s objection to UN bid
Head of the PLO General Mission to the U.S. says Palestinian leadership united on Palestinian statehood issue.
Maen Rashid Areikat, head of the PLO General Mission to the U.S., told “Haaretz” he is “disappointed” by J Street objection to the Palestinian UN bid, but added he understands their concerns.
“I am disappointed, because we thought J Street was going to be a different U.S. Jewish organization and play a different role, take a more courageous position, and understand why we are going to the UN, but I understand their reasons. It’s obvious they wanted to issue a balanced paper. They also mentioned that they want to see the negotiations resumed, that they want to see the two-state solution. Their position on the UN Security Council resolution on settlements backfired, they were heavily criticized for it. They are in a delicate position and are trying to strike a balanced approach. But having said that, we were accustomed to J Street taking bold positions, that’s what differentiated them from other Jewish groups in this country that blindly support Israeli position – they’ve been objective and reasonable. And they always understood the conflict and looked at it from both angles, urging both sides to work for the conflict solution. I still believe they are an important group, that they have a role to play and they can impact the thinking of the American Jewish community and the general public in this country”.
Do you have any concerns about punitive steps the U.S. administration might take following the vote at the UN?
“If the U.S. downgrades our status, they will just downgrade their role. In all our discussions with administration officials, they didn’t signal that they will be taking measures against the Palestinian Authority at the level of the administration implicitly or explicitly. They warned about the potential Israeli steps and the congressmen positions, but to punish us because we go to the UN to seek admission? We are resorting to the peaceful approach, we are supported by over 130 countries – why would be punished for that?”
Is the Palestinian leadership united on this issue? I understand that Prime Minister Fayyad is not so sure that the UN step will be helpful.
“He is not opposed to it. I spoke to him two weeks ago in Ramallah. He is a strong proponent of the Palestinian statehood. Everybody agrees to the objective of establishing the Palestinian state, but there might be differing views on what the best methods are for implementing it. I wouldn’t portray it as a fundamental difference. All Palestinian officials at the PLO are in favor of this UN approach.”
