12/26/2016

PRESS RELEASE


Flawed UN Security Council resolution creates new obstacles to peace process


Brussels, December 26th, 2016 – Only one week after an ECI delegation had returned from the United Nations in New York and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had acknowledged that the UN is biased against Israel, the UN Security Council issued a resolution calling upon Israel to halt all settlement activities in the disputed territories in Judea, Samaria and East Jerusalem.

According to renowned Harvard professor Alan Dershowitz, the resolution even puts into question the legality of Jewish prayer at the Western Wall.

The resolution was presented only hours before the Christmas and Hanukkah festivities were to begin in Jerusalem, after a similar resolution by Egypt had been dropped the previous day.
 
Following months of speculations that outgoing president Barack Obama may want to punish Israel before he leaves office, the rumours were proven right on Friday when the US abstained from using its veto against the resolution; hence the resolution was passed by 14 votes to none.  The resolution had been introduced to the UN Security Council by New Zealand, Venezuela, Malaysia and Senegal.

In a statement on 24th December, Christmas Eve, ECI Founding Director Tomas Sandellcalled the resolution an act of diplomatic war, giving more fuel to the international campaign of hatred and violence against Israel.

"Through his actions President Obama may have given the two-state solution a final blow by further alienating the two parties from each other. At a time when close to half a million civilians have died in the civil war in Syria under the watch of Ban Ki-moon and President Obama, the UN Security Council chooses to punish the only stable democracy in the region," he said.
 
The resolution was passed on the very day when Jews all over the world were preparing to celebrate Hanukkah and billions of Christians were to read the Bible verse describing how a young Jewish mother by the name of Miriam (Mary) was giving birth to Jesus. The scripture explains clearly how Jesus was born in Bethlehem, the town of David, whilst Christian nations in the UN Security Council were calling the city “occupied Palestinian territory.”
 
"This is a stab in the back on Israel, which exposes the true intentions of the outgoing American president, when he is no longer restrained from moderate forces in his party."

"However, the universal message of our two holidays could not be clearer. Light will prevail over darkness. There has been many Obamas throughout history but Israel will live on," Sandell concludes.