The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations on Wednesday slammed the U.N. General Assembly for working to sanction Israel for protecting its civilian population.
The Conference put out a statement condemning the U.N. body’s latest resolution calling on the International Court of Justice to investigate Israel.
The resolution called on the court to “render urgently an advisory opinion” on Israel’s “prolonged occupation, settlement and annexation of Palestinian territory.” It passed by an 87-26 margin, with 53 abstentions.
“The Conference of Presidents condemns the United Nations General Assembly’s latest disgraceful resolution and abuse of the International Court of Justice which follows a pattern of distorted attacks by the body that unfairly singles out the world’s only Jewish state solely for fulfilling its obligation of protecting its civilian populations through defensive military action, in accordance with international law,” the organization said.
The Conference went on to praise those U.N. member states that changed their stance from a preliminary vote in November to oppose the resolution so that it no longer enjoys an absolute majority.
“We salute those eight countries that changed their votes from either supporting the resolution or abstaining to opposing it: Albania, Costa Rica, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Romania, Togo and Great Britain,” the statement continued.
The Conference of Presidents also commended “the following countries for switching their votes and refusing to support this heinous resolution”: Afghanistan, Antigua, Brazil, Cape Verde, Chad, Comoros, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Gabon, Grenada, Kiribati, Malawi, Niger, North Macedonia, Panama, Samoa, Tanzania, East Timor, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vanuatu.
“Israel’s civilian population continues to face an unprecedented threat in the form of regular rocket attacks by Hamas and other terrorist groups,” the statement continues.
“No other member state in the history of the U.N. has faced this level of incendiary scrutiny for exercising the right to defend itself from existential threats. These biased inquiries have been further amplified—and revealed for the farce that they are— by virulent antisemitic outbursts of U.N. members in key leadership positions. We unequivocally condemn this attack and others like it and urge the ICJ to reject this overstep by the U.N. body,” the Conference of Presidents said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen criticized the move as something that will hurt the peace process.
“The Palestinians have rejected every single peace agreement offered to them. Palestinian attempts to harm Israel will cost them and will distance resolution of the conflict,” he said. The Palestinian Authority has rejected these accusations and blamed Israel’s ongoing occupation and settlement expansion as fueling the conflict.
Cohen also attacked the Palestinian Authority for paying stipends to families of assailants imprisoned in Israel.
“The one who should really stand trial is the Palestinian leadership, which is the only place in the world that rewards those who murder Jews simply because they are Jews,” he said accusing the PA of incitement.
Reacting later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will not adhere to the resolution.
“Israel’s government under my leadership will not be bound by this despicable resolution of the UN. Israel would not be bound by the resolution. The Jewish nation is not an occupier in its own land and its own eternal capital, Jerusalem. No UN decision can distort the historical facts.”
Netanyahu also pointed that he has recently spoken with several world leaders in an effort to sway their countries’ votes, as did President Isaac Herzog, Erdan and other Israeli diplomats. According to Netanyahu, 11 countries changed the way they voted compared to a previous vote last November on a similar proposal. They included Croatia, Romania, Kenya and Togo, which opposed; Greece, which abstained; and Chad, which did not participate in the vote. Sierra Leone was apparently the only country that decided to support the resolution despite Netanyahu’s direct efforts.
Produced in association with Jewish News Syndicate.
